A math teacher at South Lakes High School has been recognized by the White House as one of the best science and math educators in the country.
Emily Burrell, who has taught at the Reston school for a decade, is among 336 teachers and mentors to receive this year’s Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), which are considered the U.S. government’s highest honor for K-12 math, science, engineering and technology teachers.
The 2023 award recipients were announced on Monday (Jan. 13) by outgoing President Joe Biden.
In a statement to FFXnow, Burrell said she’s honored to get the award and appreciates the recognition for her 23-year-long career as a public school teacher.
“I hope that this award casts a spotlight on all of the excellent work happening at South Lakes High School,” Burrell said. “Our staff and teachers are dedicated to educating the next generation of innovators and global citizens while leveraging the strengths of our diverse student population.”
Previously employed at Wakefield High School for 11 years and at Fairfax High School for two years before that, Burrell has spent the past 10 years teaching algebra and other math classes to ninth through 12th-grade students at South Lakes, according to her official bio.
She also serves as an equity co-lead teacher, a role where she works with other school staff to create a supportive environment that fosters diversity and inclusion.
“She is dedicated to building strength in students’ voices, providing opportunities for students to share their perspectives, and developing structures to use these student assets to remove barriers and create educational opportunities that serve student needs,” Burrell’s PAEMST bio says.
More from the bio:
In the classroom, Emily works to build student self-confidence and agency through collaborative learning, including “Building Thinking Classrooms” among other structures. In her Algebra, Functions and Data Analysis class, she works with students who have been marginalized by traditional curriculum and provides opportunities for students to learn through real-world applications and project-based assessments.
Emily has presented sessions at local and state conferences. Topics of her presentations include “Building Community Through Collaborative Learning” and “Building Mathematical Identity Through Open Ended Projects.” Emily has published in Virginia Mathematics Teacher and Education Week. She is a recipient of the 2023 TODOS Susie Hakansson Teacher Award.
Certified to teach sixth through 12th-grade math, Burrell got a bachelor’s degree in the subject from the University of Virginia, and she has two master’s degrees from George Mason University, one in secondary math and another in education policy.
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching were established by Congress in 1983 to honor teachers who help shape the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, engineers and other STEM workers.
A separate award — the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring — was created in 1995 to recognize individuals and organizations who mentor people from groups that are underrepresented in STEM education and the workforce.
The PAEMST winners are first nominated through a “rigorous” application process that requires them to demonstrate knowledge of their subject and an ability to adapt to different students and educational environments, according to a White House press release.
The nominations are then reviewed by a panel of mathematicians, scientists and educators at both the state and national levels, which recommends winners to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
“Teachers are selected based on their distinction in the classroom and dedication to improving STEM education,” the White House said.
Burrell is among just six teachers from Virginia to win an award this year. A statistics teacher at Arlington Tech was also an honoree.
In addition to $10,000 from the National Science Foundation, which administers the awards, recipients get a certificate signed by the president and an all-expenses-paid trip to D.C. for the award ceremony, professional development events, and meetings with policymakers to discuss how to improve STEM education.
