Introducing the 2021 State Teachers of the Year

When the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the closure of school buildings in March 2020, America’s teachers went the extra mile to keep students learning however possible. They adapted lessons to keep their students engaged while learning about the pandemic, and kept in touch with students in whatever ways would reach them and their families – including over Snapchat. They dropped pinwheels in preschool students’ yards to brighten their days and mourned the loss of milestone events like prom and high school graduation. And as school buildings began to reopen in fall 2020, they juggled new pandemic safety protocols and worked to keep students and their communities healthy.

The Council of Chief State School Officers’ National Teacher of the Year Program has honored excellent and dedicated educators for nearly 70 years, and today CCSSO is thrilled to introduce the 2021 class of State Teachers of the Year.

The 2021 cohort includes 56 educators from across the country and U.S. territories. These dedicated educators were selected for excellence in teaching and learning and a commitment to the profession.

They teach a variety of subjects in all types of settings, from a one-room schoolhouse in Montana to the Ohio School for the Deaf to a German immersion elementary school in Wisconsin. Overall, 28 teach at the elementary level, nine at the middle school level, and 15 teach at the high school level. One teaches in a K-8 school and three teach at combined secondary schools serving both middle and high school students.  

This year’s cohort includes 49 newly selected state teachers, from 44 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Department of Defense Education Activity. Seven jurisdictions, citing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, opted not to name a 2021 state teacher of the year. The 2020 teachers of the year from those places – Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Guam – will continue to represent their states but will not be eligible for selection as 2021 National Teacher of the Year.

The National Teacher of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from national education organizations, will select four finalists based on the written applications from eligible teachers. The finalists will be announced later this month. The four finalists will conduct virtual interviews with the selection committee and the 2021 National Teacher of the Year will be the announced this spring.

Check out the 2021 State Teachers of the Year!