The Presidential Award provides validation for my decision to remain in the classroom in daily, direct contact with students while simultaneously finding opportunities to impact the larger math education community. I want young teachers to know that there is a career path that allows them to lead and exert influence without giving up the classroom. The award also recognizes my wonderful students, who have accepted the challenge and devoted the hard work necessary to master advanced mathematics.

Dixie Ross Pflugerville, TX | 7-12, Mathematics, 2011

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Dixie Ross has been a mathematics teacher for 28 years, teaching Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus and Algebra 2 at Pflugerville High School and serving as the Lead Teacher for AP mathematics in the Pflugerville Independent School District for the last 10 years. She also taught at Round Rock High School and Taylor High School.  For more than 15 years, Dixie has shared instructional strategies and teaching resources with thousands of teachers through workshops, conferences, and summer institutes. Her particular interest is in helping teachers develop challenging and supportive programs that will encourage underrepresented populations to tackle advanced mathematics. She served on the development committee for the AP Vertical Teams Guide for Mathematics and Statistics and has authored curriculum modules for AP Central. She was also a project director for the Lighthouse Initiative and Laying the Foundation. When not with her own students, Dixie teaches students at other schools through the National Math and Science Initiative.  Dixie has a B.A. in English and a B.S. in education from the University of Texas at Austin. She is certified to teach English and mathematics at the secondary level, and she is National Board Certified in adolescence and young adulthood mathematics. 

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