The Presidential Award is a tremendous honor and a testament to the unseen and tireless devotion that teachers have for their students. Teaching mathematics has been one of the greatest joys of my life; this award highlights and gratifies my dedication to the field of education. I have had the pleasure of working with several past awardees throughout my career; they were all phenomenal educators and true masters of their craft. It is a privilege to be associated with educators of this caliber.

Noelani Davis Galbreath Washington, DC | 7-12, Mathematics, 2021

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

Noelani Galbreath has been teaching mathematics in the District of Columbia for 14 years. For the last six years, she has taught middle school mathematics and Algebra I at Hardy Middle School. She previously taught at Caesar Chavez Public Charter High School, Tree of Life Public Charter Middle School, Eastern Senior High School, and Coolidge Senior High School. Noelani views her classroom as an extension of her own home and works to maintain a learning environment that is safe, welcoming, and supportive. Noelani implements hands-on projects to create a strong mathematical foundation for her students and to foster a joy of inquiry and learning. Noelani enjoys developing curriculum and authored a complete, open-source Algebra I curriculum while working with the Better Lesson Master Teacher Project. She was also a curriculum writer for the District of Columbia Public Schools, where she developed several end-of-unit cornerstone projects that were implemented district-wide. Noelani is also passionate about working with other teachers. She spent four years as a department chair at her school, and three years as a District Course Chair to facilitate quarterly professional development. She is currently a Master Teacher with Math for America DC, where she develops and presents professional development for both novice and veteran teachers. Noelani has also served as a member of two teacher advisory councils with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Noelani earned a B.S. in family science at the University of Maryland College Park and a M.A.T. in secondary mathematics education from Howard University. She is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in educational administration and policy at George Washington University. Noelani is certified in secondary mathematics.

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