Governor Hochul Announces Selection of 230 New York State Master Teachers to Join Statewide Network of Educators

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the selection of 230 educators from across the state to the New York State Master Teacher Program, including 55 elementary teachers. The new members add 21 new districts with a Master Teacher among their faculty. The program welcomes teachers from 22 high needs districts including the Yonkers, Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton City, and Buffalo City School Districts.

"Throughout the pandemic, our educators overcame enormous obstacles, adapting to remote learning, keeping our children engaged, and made all kinds of adjustments to ensure New York's students were able to continue their education," Governor Hochul said. "We owe an immense debt of gratitude to our educators, and this critical program will help ensure that over one thousand teachers from every corner of New York State have the resources and support they need to excel and continue to improve the school systems that they work in."

The incoming group of Master Teachers includes 22 teachers with multiple teaching certifications, 13 certified in Special Education, Students with Disabilities and/or TESOL, and 19 teachers certified in Technology Education who are offering various courses in Engineering Theory & Applications, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Design and Drawing for Production, and Robotics. These educators will join the network of Master Teachers created in 2013, bringing the total number of selected NYS Master Teachers across New York State to over 1400.

SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley said, "New York's Master Teacher program has long celebrated the immense talent across our state, recognizing the leaders in STEM education who inspire students and their peers alike. During this particularly challenging time in our history, we appreciate our teachers even more for keeping their students engaged and succeeding in their classwork. On behalf of SUNY, my congratulations to this year's honorees."

The 230 Master Teachers are dedicated professionals who teach science, technology, computer science, robotics, coding, engineering, math, and integrated STEM courses across grades K-12 including Advanced Placement, Honors, and Regents levels.

The selected Master Teachers have been teaching an average of 15 years. More than 81 percent have been in the classroom for more than ten years, and 26 percent have been teaching for more than 20 years. The 230 Master Teachers represent 159 school districts.

All Master Teachers are active beyond their classrooms, serving as curriculum and department leaders or members of district and State level committees, as well as mentor teachers for student and early career teachers. Many new members have been awarded grants for school STEM resources. They are sponsors of Science Olympiad competitions, summer STEM camps, school gardens, Robotics teams, Coding Clubs, community service organizations, and PTO members or officers. The Master Teachers hold leadership roles in New York State STEM professional associations and lead professional development workshops for regional and statewide educator conferences. Many of the 230 Master Teachers have been recognized for outstanding service by their peers, local communities, or professional associations.

In nine regions across the State, the Master Teacher Program is hosted at a SUNY campus to leverage the expertise of the University's faculty and existing educator preparation programs. The number of selected teachers from each regional cohort and the respective partner SUNY campus are:

• Capital Region: 180 (University at Albany)
• Central New York: 183 (SUNY Cortland)
• Finger Lakes: 178 (SUNY Geneseo)
• Long Island: 156 (Stony Brook University)
• Mid-Hudson: 135 (SUNY New Paltz)
• Mohawk Valley: 115 (SUNY Oneonta)
• North Country: 116 (SUNY Plattsburgh)
• Southern Tier: 206 (Binghamton University)
• Western New York: 177 (SUNY Buffalo State)
• New York City: 75 (in partnership with Math for America)

A full list of Master Teachers and their school districts is available here.

Throughout their four-year participation in the Program, Master Teachers:

• Receive a $15,000 stipend annually;
• Engage in peer mentoring and intensive content-oriented professional development opportunities throughout the academic year;
• Work closely with pre-service and early career teachers to foster a supportive environment for the next generation of STEM teachers; and
• Attend required regional meetings at their SUNY campus, participate in and lead several professional development sessions each year.

Governor Hochul will announce the opening of the next round of applications for K-12 STEM teachers in all regions in spring. K-12 STEM teachers are asked to review the eligibility requirements at www.suny.edu/masterteacher.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY's 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the state's only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.3 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2021, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit suny.edu.