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Target Science Teachers Receive Honors for Teaching Excellence TWO TEACHERS INVOLVED in the Los Angeles Educational Partnership's Target Science teacher network received awards for their excellence in teaching and their contributions to their communities. Ann Ifekwunigwe, from Carthay Center School in Los Angeles, was selected to serve as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow in Congressional offices and committees and Diana Takenaga-Taga from Windsor Hills Magnet School, received the Presidential Award in Elementary Science from California. "This gives me personal satisfaction and it will probably help me in my involvement in science education because I am involved in science locally and state wide," Takenaga-Taga said. The Albert Einstein Distinguished Fellowship Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Energy, was established by Congress in 1994. The program creates fellowships for distinguished elementary and secondary school science and mathematics teachers. The Presidential Award, administered by the National Science Foundation and directed by the White House, was established during the Reagan Administration. The award recognizes outstanding elementary and secondary teachers for their commitment to teaching science and mathematics in each state. Ifekwunigwe is a 10-year teaching veteran, certified by the National Board of Teaching Standards and a a recent recipient of the Los Angeles Educational Partnership's Excellence in Education Award. The mission of the Einstein fellowship program is to provide the Congressional office, committees and federal agencies with the insights, fresh ideas and extensive knowledge, wisdom and practical experience that outstanding science, technology and mathematics teachers can provide. "I'm honored that I was chosen to perform such important work. The opportunity for myself as a teacher to work in a legislator's office or on a Congressional committee to influence educational policy making on a national level is truly remarkable," Ifekwunigwe said. Takenaga-Taga, a UCLA graduate, is currently teaching kindergarten at Windsor Hills Magnet School and is pursuing her doctorate degree at USC. For the past two years, she has participated as a MetLife Fellow in the National Teacher Policy Institute (NTPI), conducting classroom action research and informing statewide policymakers about education issues. The Los Angeles Educational Partnership is a local site of The Teachers Network -- IMPACT II, the sponsor of NTPI. "My suggestions to others teaching in the science field are to promote inquiry science into the classroom, to share their experiences with their colleagues and be very aware of how their students learn and what they make aware of science," Takenaga-Taga said. "Target Science has been very fortunate to have both of these fine teachers on board and we look forward to seeing more outstanding achievements from the many that follow," said Target Science Director Patricia Dung.