More than 300 of the country’s leaders in education, government, business, philanthropy and media will converge on the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in midtown Manhattan as part of the 2012 “Education Nation” National Summit beginning Sunday, Sept. 23.
Pflugerville High School teacher Dixie Ross has been chosen by the local NBC affiliate KXAN to represent teachers from Texas and across the country in the national conversation, which will focus on successful examples of innovation in education. Summit sessions, moderated by top NBC News journalists, and NBC’s on-air programming will highlight a series of case studies from communities across the country, providing tools and takeaways for participants and viewers.
“I’m excited about going to the convention and representing Pflugerville High School and public schools in general. It should be interesting,” Ross said. “I like to meet people who are excited about education and they’re bringing in people who are involved in education in a variety of ways to talk about the innovative technologies that are available for the education field.”
This is not the first national recognition for Ross. Earlier this year she was selected as a 2011 Presidential Awardee for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Ross was one of 97 teachers from across the country chosen for the award. The 2011 PAEMST program recognizes seventh through twelfth-grade mathematics and science teachers whose innovative methods bring teaching to life in the classroom. She was also the state’s runner-up in the O’Donnell Texas AP Teacher of the Year Award. It was the second year in a row she finished in the top ten for the award. Ross currently teaches AP Calculus at PHS and has been teaching for 27 years.
Ross is an Advanced Placement calculus teacher who has been nationally recognized for her work in getting more minority high school students to enroll in AP classes and pass the AP exams. Because of Ross’s work, students who would have never tried an AP class are not only trying, they are finding success. It propels them in a new direction academically and ultimately impacts their future. She also shares her curriculum and skills with other teachers to help them build an inclusive and rigorous AP program in their own schools.
“Dixie Ross is truly one of the great teachers of our time,” Pflugerville High School Principal Kirk Wrinkle said. “She has proven this time and again, not through the many awards and accolades she has received, but through the number of students she has reached. Dixie has a gift for helping these students see that they have a limitless potential to do whatever they can dream. I can’t think of anyone more qualified to be involved in a national conversation about public education and the direction we should be moving in.”
"Education Nation" seeks to create a thoughtful, well-informed dialogue with policymakers, thought-leaders, educators, parents and the public, in pursuit of the shared goal of providing every American with an opportunity to achieve the best education in the world.
“’Education Nation’ has become a wellspring of forward-thinking and innovative approaches, and has helped to reignite calls for education reform in our country,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
These discussions cover the challenges, potential solutions and innovations spanning the education landscape. By providing quality information to the public, NBC News hopes to provide information to Americans so they can make decisions about how best to improve the country’s education system both in the near and long terms, and to shine a spotlight on one of the most urgent national issues of our time.
“The goal of this year’s ‘Education Nation’ Summit is to showcase and discuss solutions in education, and the New York Public Library is a great partner to help us host this important national conversation,” said NBC News President Steve Capus.
Posted 9/18/12
