Lewiston-Porter special ed teacher is 2014 New York State Teacher of the Year
ALBANY - The New York State Board of Regents announced that Ashli Skura Dreher, a high school special education teacher at the Lewiston-Porter Central School District in Youngstown, NY, has been named the 2014 New York State Teacher of the Year. Dreher was presented with a certificate of recognition by Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch and Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. Dreher was also presented with the Thomas Sobol Award and the David Johnson Award, both created as annual gifts for recipients of the Teacher of the Year award.
Dreher, the 44th New York State Teacher of the Year, has been teaching in the Lewiston-Porter Central School District for fifteen years and is the first teacher in the district to earn National Board Certification for Professional Teaching Standards, one of teaching’s highest honors. She currently teaches special education in an 8:1:1 high school classroom working with students with moderate intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities.
"Ashli is truly a model of teaching excellence; she is the kind of teacher principals want to lead a class and parents want to teach their children,” Commissioner King said. “What I find most impressive about Ashli is her drive to continuously improve her practice. She has achieved the gold standard of teaching, National Board Certification, and is now doing dissertation-level doctoral work. Ashli's students, of course, are the ones who benefit most from her tireless dedication to honing her craft -- they are fortunate to have such an extraordinary teacher."
“New York’s teachers are among the best and most professional in the nation. Still, Ashli manages to stand out,” said NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi. “In her classroom, students with special needs receive a mix of research-based instruction and innovative lessons. Her focus on community and volunteerism, and her close collaboration with parents, make her a sterling example of what happens when great teachers and concerned parents work together on behalf of our children. I join every member of NYSUT in congratulating her.”
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