Becoming a PAEMST awardee was truly the honor of a lifetime. This enabled me to represent all of the outstanding teachers in California. It afforded me the opportunity to network with an incredible group of educators throughout the nation and bring back ideas that would enrich everyday curriculum and make assessment more meaningful. My students and fellow teachers have greatly benefitted from this collaboration.

Donna Goldenstein Hayward, CA | K-6, Mathematics, 1994

Donna Goldenstein began her teaching career in 1968 in the Hayward Unified School District in Hayward, California. She taught a variety of grades from third to sixth but spent the majority of her time teaching fifth grade. From 1989 to 1991, she accepted a 50% position at the district office to oversee the implementation of the new textbook adoption. From 1992 to 2011, she taught four days a week and spent one day a week at the district leading professional development in mathematics. Donna was involved in many projects at the state and national levels. She was a member of the Math Assessment Advisory Committee for her state as well as a member of the Assessment Development Team. She was a member of the Instructional Resources Evaluation Panel from 1986 to 2007; a member of the Math Case Methods Project Advisory Project from 1989 to 2006; Associate Director of the Bay Area Math Project from 1993 to 1998; and, in 2012, became a consultant and editor for the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative. She continues this work today. In 2014, Donna became the PAEMST California State Coordinator for mathematics and continues to serve as the Co-Chair of the Awards Committee for the California Mathematics Council. Donna received her B.A. in social science from the California State University East Bay in 1967 and her Standard Teaching Credential in 1968. She received the Presidential Award in 1984 while teaching at Lorin Eden Elementary School. She received the Association of California School Administrators Teacher of the Year Award in 1991. She received the California Mathematics Council George Polya Memorial Award in 1996 and the California Teachers Association Alameda Contra Costa Educator of the Year Award in 2001.

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