AEF's 2009 Teacher of the Year Sarah Baird Representing Arizona on Two National Education Advisory Boards

PHOENIX - November 24, 2009 - The Arizona Educational Foundation (AEF) has announced its 2009 Teacher of the Year, Sarah Baird, recently served on two national advisory boards.

Earlier this month, Baird participated in the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) Leadership Summit and Education Forum, and was selected to join the Common Core Standards Validation Committee. Baird is currently a teacher and math coach at Kyrene del Milenio Elementary School in Phoenix and Kyrene del Cielo Elementary School in Chandler.

As part of its 2009 Leadership Summit and Education Forum, SETDA asked Baird to participate in a panel discussion entitled, "Technology, Teaching and Learning: Teacher of the Year Panel on Instruction and Professional Development." California and Oklahoma's Teachers of the Year, along with Jim Shelton of the US Department of Education, joined Baird on the panel.

The Nov. 3 forum in Washington D.C. aimed to spur discussion on technology's role in improving teaching and learning.

Baird's commitment to excellence in education was also recognized by the Common Core Standards Validation Committee. A joint effort by the National Governors Associations' (NGA) Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the Common Core Standards Validation Committee seeks to review and evaluate the current standards development process for college- and career-readiness, and suggest necessary improvements.

Baird was nominated for a position on the committee and then selected to participate by a group of six governors and six chief state school officers. The committee consists of a total of 25 members. After receiving the committee's feedback, the NGA and CCSSO will begin developing the college- and career-readiness standards to be implemented for grades K-12.

Baird's national recognition has been supported by her professional achievements and year-long tenure as Arizona's Teacher of the Year. Earlier this month the Arizona Educational Foundation announced its 2010 Teacher of the Year, Joy Weiss from Phoenix's Balsz Elementary School.

For more information on AEF's Teacher of the Year program and the 2010 AZ Teacher of the Year Lunch please visit www.azedfoundation.org. To learn more about Sarah Baird's national appointments, please visit www.setda.org/web/guest/leadershipsummit and www.ccsso.org.

About Arizona Educational Foundation (AEF): Founded in 1983, the Arizona Educational Foundation's mission is to foster excellence in education by funding programs that enhance the capabilities of Arizona's public schools. AEF's results-driven approach brings leaders in education and business together in a joint partnership that promotes and celebrates exceptional students, teachers, schools and administrators. Its specialized approach recognizes excellence in education while also providing a framework for the continued success of Arizona schools including: strengthening the teaching profession, designing high quality curricula, stimulating student achievement and celebrating the successes in preschool through 12th grade.

AEF's programs include: Arizona Teacher of the Year, A+ Schools of Excellence, Arizona Spelling Bee, Polly Rosenbaum Writing Contest and Principals' Leadership Academy of Arizona. For more information, please visit www.azedfoundation.org or call (480) 421-9376.