ROGERS (KFSM) — A Rogers teacher was named the first recipient in a national award that recognizes the impact of recent graduates from physics teacher preparation programs.
Rogers Heritage High School teacher Tiffany Taylor was named the PhysTEC Teacher of the Year by the Physics Teacher Education Coalition, PhysTEC said in a news release. She was nominated by the University of Arkansas, the PhysTEC member institution from which she graduated.
Taylor “sought to improve the visibility of the Advanced Placement (AP) Physics program in a variety of ways,” the release said. “From year one to year two of her teaching AP Physics, Taylor’s efforts increased enrollment from one section of twenty-six students to three sections and a total of eighty students.” Since then, enrollment has increased so that she spends the day teaching just AP Physics 1 and 2 courses.
The release also noted that 40 percent of Taylor’s students represent “traditionally underrepresented individuals (women and minorities)” in physics.
Taylor will receive a certificate of recognition, funding to attend two professional physics conferences and a grant of $1,000 for classroom materials.
The UA also nominated Christine Audo, who received a certificate of recognition as a local PhysTEC Teacher of the Year. Audo teaches at Topeka High School in Kansas.
