Who Are America's Teachers of the Year?

• In Event: Division L Roundtable Session 2

Abstract

The Teacher of the Year (TOTY) program is the longest standing teacher recognition program in the United States. The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of state and national TOTY recipients and the schools in which they teach. To accomplish this aim, we develop a new dataset including characteristics of all TOTYs and their schools from 1988 to 2019. Using descriptive and regression analysis, we find that TOTY recipients are most likely to teach in high schools, with elementary education and English language arts being the most common subjects taught. They also have the greatest probability of being selected from schools with fewer free or reduced price lunch eligible students and higher student enrollments.

Authors

• Christopher Redding, University of Florida

• Ted Owen Myers, University of Florida