Another SPU graduate has been named teacher of the year in Washington state.
ELL Specialist Katie Brown of Bellingham’s Shuksan Middle School was recently honored by the State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for her outstanding work with students just learning to read and write English. She will also now be nominated for National Teacher of the Year.
Brown has been teaching in Bellingham for the past 11 years, and earned her master’s in education at SPU (MEd, Curriculum and Instruction) in 2009. She has been recognized for building strong community and family support through ELL (English-Language Learners) family nights, and for fostering a learning environment in which the percent of students passing the Reading MSP (measurements of student progress) has increased 20 points in just one year.
“It is her hard work, dedication, and ability to understand different cultures that have made Shuksan a model school for family engagement,” says Isabel Meaker, a colleague in the Bellingham (Washington) School District. “In a state where student demographics are constantly fluctuating, Katie Brown has set a precedent for other districts to follow.”
Read a summary from the OSPI, as well as a Seattle Times article about Katie Brown.