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A message from the
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

May 15, 2019
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For immediate release
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Contact: Jacqueline Reis 781-338-3115   
   
 
Commissioner Announces 2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year
New Bedford High School English teacher Takeru Nagayoshi
receives state's top educator award
 
NEW BEDFORD – Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley today announced that Takeru Nagayoshi, an English teacher at New Bedford High School, is the 2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Program is the state's top award for educators and annually recognizes excellence in teaching across the Commonwealth by selecting a teacher who exemplifies the dedication, commitment and positive contributions of educators statewide.
 
Mr. Nagayoshi is the state's 58th recipient of this award and automatically becomes the state's candidate for the National Teacher of the Year program.

“We are pleased to congratulate Mr. Nagayoshi on this award for his commitment to helping New Bedford students successfully tackle challenging Advanced Placement work,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Teachers like Mr. Nagayoshi show students what is possible, and he is a great example of what educators and students are accomplishing together across the Commonwealth.”
 
"The success of Mr. Nagayoshi’s students and professional mentees are a testament to his dedication to teaching,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. "The Commonwealth is grateful for teachers like Mr. Nagayoshi who dedicate their lives to making a difference for others.”

Mr. Nagayoshi is in his fifth year of teaching and mainly works with students in New Bedford High School’s Academy of Honors. His Advanced Placement classes include Advanced Placement Seminar, in which more than 92 percent of his students, all freshmen, earned qualifying scores of 3 or above out of 5. 
 
Mr. Nagayoshi has also been active outside the walls of New Bedford High School, having coached and advised teachers in Lawrence, Mass. and Philadelphia through Teach for America. He was also a policy and research fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Education Redesign Lab and a teacher fellow with Teach Plus. He is a member of DESE’s Teacher Advisory Cabinet, and he is also an InSPIRED Fellow with DESE, working with the Department to recruit and retain a more diverse educator workforce. (InSPIRED stands for In-service Professionals Increasing Racial and Ethnic Diversity.)
 
“It is a pleasure to honor Mr. Nagayoshi for all he does for his students,” Education Secretary James Peyser said. "His students have brighter futures because of what they accomplished in his classroom."

“Mr. Nagayoshi cares about his students, his school, the New Bedford community, and our education system as a whole,” Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley said. “I am proud to know that teachers like him are working with our students, and it is a pleasure to recognize him today.”

“One of the most important things in a child’s life is receiving a good education. Inequality begins at the earliest age, and access to quality education should not be based on a parent’s income or ZIP code. Children are our future, and receiving a robust education is the cornerstone of a successful life. Much of that success can be attributed to the passion and dedication of educators like Takeru Nagayoshi. I applaud Takeru for his exemplary work at New Bedford High School and congratulate him on being named Massachusetts Teacher of the Year,” said state Sen. Mark C. Montigny.
 
“Mr. Nagayoshi’s commitment to the success of New Bedford High School students creates the type of learning environment we all want for our children – where innovative thinking is encouraged and celebrated,” said state Rep. Antonio F. D. Cabral. “Preparing students for Advanced Placement coursework is no small task, and Mr. Nagayoshi has done a remarkable job. This recognition is well-deserved and a source of pride for New Bedford.”
 
“As a graduate of New Bedford High School, I am so proud that the Commonwealth is honoring Mr. Nagayoshi. He is a so deserving of this recognition,” said state Rep. Chris Hendricks.
 
“Congratulations to Mr. Nagayoshi on this great honor. His dedication to his students and the community of New Bedford is exemplary,” said state Rep. William M. Straus. “I applaud him for the knowledge he shares every day with his students to help them better prepare for their futures.”
 
The selection process for the 2019-20 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year began last fall with a call for nominations from administrators, teachers, students, parents and others. An initial review of each nominated teacher's written application led to the selection of semifinalists, who then submitted additional supporting material. Four finalists were selected and interviewed by a panel that including past recipients of the recognition. That panel then recommended one finalist to be named Massachusetts Teacher of the Year by Commissioner Riley.

The other three Teacher of the Year finalists for this year's award were Kevin Dua, a high school history and psychology teacher at Cambridge Rindge & Latin School; Marissa Gumas, a math teacher at Blake Middle School in Medfield; and Jenney Pascarelli, a physical education teacher at Memorial Elementary School in Natick.

Mr. Nagayoshi, Mr. Dua, Ms. Gumas, and Ms. Pascarelli will join other outstanding educators, including the Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year, the finalists for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, and Teacher of the Year semifinalists, for an awards ceremony at the State House on June 20, 2019.

“New Bedford is proud, but hardly surprised, that Mr. Nagayoshi has been named the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. His skill, passion and commitment to students are well known. He represents a shining example of the opportunity that New Bedford High School and its Academy of Honors offer our students,” New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said.
 
“Mr. Nagayoshi is a fantastic example of some of the amazing teachers we have in New Bedford,” New Bedford Superintendent Thomas Anderson said. “Students know they can count on him to both challenge and support them, and they leave his class as critical thinkers who are better prepared for other challenging work in high school and beyond.”
 
“We are thrilled to see Takeru honored as the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year!” New Bedford High School Principal Bernadette Coelho said. “He continues to find ways to grow and improve and is a fantastic model of a caring adult and a life-long learner for our students.”

About Takeru Nagayoshi
Takeru Nagayoshi holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from Brown University and a master’s degree in education from Boston University.
 
He believes that the best and brightest students should become teachers and asks himself, “What is it that I can do to embody excellence for my school community and to push the conversation forward for why teaching is one of the best professions out there?”
 
Mr. Nagayoshi, who is from New Jersey and lives in Providence, R.I., has spent his classroom career to date at New Bedford High School. His previous honors include winning the Sontag Prize in Urban Education in 2018.
 
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