WASHINGTON, D.C. — A gathering that students at Thurgood Marshall Academy in Southeast Washington, D.C., thought was a pep talk about college applications turned into a surprise celebration Monday, when Mayor Muriel Bowser named longtime teacher Ramon Griffin the 2027 DC Teacher of the Year.
Griffin has spent 13 years in the classroom, the last seven at the public charter school in Ward 8. He teaches math, elective courses and an Advanced Placement course in African American Studies, and in his first year teaching that AP class, 87.5% of his students passed the exam.
Griffin also helped start the school’s mentoring program for young men, and he was picked to take 10 young men from the city to Atlanta for a community service trip.
OSSE, the District’s state education agency, runs the program. The award carries a $7,500 prize plus another $5,000 for professional development during his one-year term, and Griffin now moves on as the District’s candidate for National Teacher of the Year.
The state superintendent’s office also recognized two finalists, a middle school science teacher at Ida B. Wells and a teacher at Lafayette Elementary. Since 2021, the District has produced three national finalists.
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Filed under: Washington DC Education News
