New York State Master Teacher Program
The NYS Master Teacher Program fosters a collaboration among the selected outstanding k-12 STEM educators, whereby they develop expertise in the areas of content, pedagogy, and students' families and communities. The Western New York region of the NYSMTP works with 250 teachers from over 50 school districts.
FEATURED
Julia Robinson Math Festival
Cheektowaga Union East hosted the first Julia Robinson Math Festival (JRMF) in the Buffalo area in partnership with the NYS Master Teacher Program. It was wonderful to see students and their families having fun and doing math together. Thank you to everyone who helped make the Math Festival a huge success!
Buffalo Math Collaborative and Chautauqua Math Collaborative
Dr. Kara Imm led the second week of meetings with our Master Teachers and participating school districts. We are excited to continue this professional development throughout the school year.
Erin McClure was recognized at the 75th Annual AMTNYS Conference as the Region A Regional Award Winner. Awardees are recognized for their collaboration, service, and impact on the profession of mathematics teaching.
Anton Banko Excellence in Elementary Science Teacher of the Year Award Winner, Bridget Lyon
Bridget Lyon was awarded the Anton Banko Excellence in Elementary Science Teacher of the Year Award at the 2025 STANYS Conference. This award recognizes a New York State K-6 teacher for demonstrated excellence in the teaching of elementary science.
NYSMTP WESTERN REGION NEWS
Upcoming PD for Master Teachers
January 2026 - July 2026
See below for engaging PD opportunities! See full descriptions of each workshop and minicourse by clicking the link to view its flyer.
Dr. Kara Imm
A professional learning community of K- 9 teachers and leaders, across grand bands, schools, and districts who come together to:
- Design learning experiences for kids, study them in real time, and reflect on what and how mathematical learning is happening
- Deepen the mathematical pedagogical content knowledge needed for teaching (our own mathematics + how children make sense of mathematics)
- Share ideas in a space designed to build on teachers’ love of kids and math (#lovekidslovemath)
- Provide a model for empowering our students mathematically through cognitively demanding tasks and routines that feature equitable access and that foster student agency, ownership, and identity.
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Willow Ridge Elementary
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Union East Elementary
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Maryvale Middle School
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Amherst Middle School
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Sweet Home Middle School
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Cleveland Hill Middle School
Buffalo Math Collaborative Flyer
Professional Writing Workshop
Dr. Julie Henry and Dr. Michael Jabot
Are you interested in sharing your teaching ideas with a wider audience? The Western NY cohort is again hosting a writing program for NYS Master Teachers who want to publish their teaching ideas and experiences in professional journals. Interested teachers can work alone, with another Master Teacher or a college faculty co-author to generate topics and outlines for articles. Teachers who are ready to complete the writing process will be invited to the Professional Writing Workshop to write their articles and submit them for publication. This year’s writing coaches will be Dr. Julie Henry and Dr. Michael Jabot.
Dates: July 13-16, 2026
Location: Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, NY 14731
January 2026 - July 2026
See below for engaging PD opportunities! See full descriptions of each workshop and minicourse by clicking the link to view its flyer.
Problem Solving Through Games and Puzzles: The Workshop Part 2!
Erin McClure, Stephen Johnson, and Adam Eschborn
Come play games with us to build fluency, strengthen math identity, and deepen community and communication skills!
Participants will arrive ready to teach a favorite game and lead a brief pedagogical and content-focused discussion from Math Games with Bad Drawings by Ben Orlin. After several rounds of playing and reflecting, we’ll share our high school elective outline/curriculum. An optional pathway is available for teachers who want to use games for math nights, clubs, or non-curricular enrichment.
Open to grades 6–12 math teachers and math club/family night facilitators. Our goal is to adapt each game across levels—after all, “a 10-year-old can enjoy most games.”
Date: Saturday, March 28th, 8:30am-12:30pm; lunch break 11am-11:30am
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 259
Problem Solving Through Games Workshop Registration
Problem Solving Through Games Workshop Flyer
Canva for the Classroom: Simple Templates, Real Classroom Uses
Catherine Stojanovich
Looking for simple ways to make classroom materials more engaging without spending hours designing them from scratch? Canva offers thousands of ready-made templates teachers can quickly personalize for everyday classroom use. In this session, we will explore the basics of Canva’s template library and how to find designs that work well for classroom materials. We will then look at creating slides for warm-ups, editing PDFs, designing classroom posters, and creating templates for student projects, awards, or communication materials. The focus will be on adapting templates by adjusting text, colors, images, and layouts. Participants will explore templates, icons, images, and simple design tools within Canva. Teachers will leave with ready-to-use materials and ideas they can apply immediately. Best for K–12 educators with beginner to intermediate Canva experience.
Date: Saturday, March 28th, 9:30am-11:30am
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 266
Canva for the Classroom Workshop Registration
Canva for the Classroom Workshop Flyer
Click, Create, Connect: Interactive Digital Notebooks with Canva & Google Slides
Deanna Przepiora and Jamie Mancuso-Dulak
What if your interactive notebooks could be engaging, organized, creative, and paperless? In this hands-on workshop, participants will design digital interactive notebooks using Canva and Google Slides. We will explore how to build a unit-based notebook and add interactive elements such as drag-and-drop activities, reflection pages, embedded practice, and visual note-taking layouts that support student engagement and ownership. Participants will have time to begin creating their own notebook and receive design feedback during the session. Teachers should come prepared with a unit and any materials they want to use. Strategies for implementation, organization, and supporting independent learning will also be shared. This workshop is best suited for upper elementary through high school teachers (Grades 4–12) across all subjects looking to increase engagement through digital design.
Date: Saturday, March 28th, 12pm-2pm
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 266
Click, Create, Connect Workshop Registration
Click, Create, Connect Workshop Flyer
Conference Ready: Proposal Writing and Workshop Crafting 101
Lisa Brosnick
You have something worth saying — so why aren't you on the conference stage yet? This session gives you the tools and confidence to submit that proposal and design a workshop educators will actually remember.
We will begin by examining what makes a conference proposal stand out, using real examples of accepted and rejected submissions. From there, we'll explore the anatomy of a compelling workshop — how to build an arc that engages adult learners and lands on a takeaway that sticks. We'll share winning workshop design elements and a peer feedback protocol to structure our work. We will conclude by drafting our own proposal language in real time and leaving with a polished working draft ready for submission.
This workshop is best for K–12 educators who are ready to take their expertise public — particularly those who have considered presenting at a regional, state, or national conference but haven't yet taken the leap.
Participants will leave with a working proposal draft, a repeatable framework for designing future workshops, and the clarity to know exactly what they bring to the professional learning conversation.
Review Roundup
Join STANYS and the NYS Master Teacher Program as they host Review Roundup, a half‑day professional learning experience designed to support educators in preparing students for NYSSLS‑based assessments. This collaborative event brings together science teachers from across the region to share expertise, exchange strategies, and co‑create high‑quality instructional resources. This event is open to all teachers, free of cost!
9am-10am: Flexible Learning Sessions
Participants may choose one of the following formats based on their interests and needs:
- One 50‑minute deep‑dive session, offering a focused exploration of a single topic. Sessions include high school Chemistry, Physics, and Earth & Space Sciences Investigations, Literacy strategies, and using AI to create 3-D lessons.
- Two 20‑minute mini‑sessions, allowing teachers to sample multiple ideas, resources, and review approaches. Sessions include: NYSSLS101, using PLDs, Educator Guides & Course Maps, and the Cluster Format of NY Science assessments.
These sessions are led by Master Teachers and experienced STANYS educators, providing practical tools for classroom use.
10am-12pm: Collaborative Work Groups
For the remaining two hours, teachers will join course‑specific work groups (e.g., Life Science: Biology, Chemistry, Earth & Space Sciences, Physics, Middle Level Science, Elementary Science). In these collaborative sessions, participants will:
- Work with colleagues who teach the same course
- Develop and refine review materials
- Share classroom strategies for three‑dimensional learning and assessment
- Create resources aligned to the NYSSLS performance expectations and exam formats
Participants will leave with ready‑to‑use materials and a network of colleagues to support ongoing collaboration.
Whether you’re creating lesson plans, grading, communicating with families, or designing student activities, AI can help you work smarter, not harder.
What You'll Learn:
✅ How to use AI for planning, differentiation, and content creation
✅ Time-saving hacks for grading, feedback, and classroom communication
✅ Tools for designing visuals, assessments, and engaging student materials
✅ Responsible and ethical AI use in education
Walk away with ready-to-use examples, templates, and confidence to put AI to work for you. Perfect for teachers of all grade levels and content areas with no tech expertise required!
Dates: Wednesdays, April 8th and 22nd; 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 259
The Image Above Gives Data About the NYS Master Teacher Program
- 124,000+ students across New York State have a NYS Master Teacher
- There are 921 current Master Teachers
- More than 549 Master Teacher Emeritus
- Giving us a total of 1,470 Master Teachers statewide
- 61% Teach High School
- 15% Teach Middle School
- 15 % Teach Elementary School
- 9% Teach Across Grade Levels
- 100% of the Master Teachers state that their collaboration with other NYS Master Teachers have provided them with professional renewal and inspiration for their work as STEM educators
- 99% of MTs agree that their status as a NYS Master Teachers has increased their opportunities to develop their leadership skills.
- 97% of MTs agree that their experiences in the NYSMTP have increased their opportunities to share their work with teachers in their school or district.
- The percent of High Needs Districts with NYS Master Teachers:
- 100% Large City
- 58% New York City
- 57% Urban/Suburban/ High Needs
- 51% Rural High Needs
The NYSMTP invites applications from eligible K-12 STEM Teachers & Counselors! In 2022, Governor Hochul announced the expansion of the New York State Master Teacher Program to create a cohort of counselors and to encourage more teachers with CTE certificates related to STEM careers projected to be in high demand to apply. The program creates a statewide network of the highest performing educators dedicated to sharing the expertise with peers and attracting the brightest minds to careers in the STEM fields and education. Through participation in the NYSMTP, selected educators engage in professional learning and receive $15,000 stipends annually over four years. Visit suny.edu/masterteacher for detailed information about eligibility and the application process. "New York is home to many talented teachers, and we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to educators across our state." -Governor Hochul
The NYS Master Teacher Program invites outstanding, experienced K012 STEM teachers and K-12 counselors who are committed to: reflection, continuous professional growth, collaboration, creating and sustaining a supportive and engaging learning environment, excellence in STEM education for all students, and making a difference within and beyond schools to apply for a four-year Master Teacher fellowship. Governor Hochul said, "I'm proud to announce the expansion of the Master Teacher network and the open application for the next round of STEM teachers and counselors.". A NYS Master Teacher said, "The experiences I had [with the Program] inspired me to bring back to my classroom the plethora of ideas and examples that fellow educators shared, that supported me in many ways to become a better more effective educator. THAT is what the Master Teacher Program does best.
"Since 2013, New York's Master Teacher program has recognized our state's most talented and dedicated educators for their persistence in engaging students in STEM fields. These teachers are instrumental in the development of our future leaders, and it is a privilege to recognize them every year."