Teachers in New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Washington state are finalists for the National Teacher of the Year honor from a state education leaders group.
The Council of Chief State School Officers says the winner typically receives presidential recognition and travels the country for education advocacy.
Three of the finalists are art instructor Jonathan Juravich from Liberty Tree Elementary in Powell, Ohio; American Sign Language instructor Amy Andersen of Ocean City High School in New Jersey; and Washington's Mandy Manning, who teaches refugee and immigrant students at Ferris High School in Spokane. They are the teacher of the year in their respective states.
The other finalist, Kara Ball, was similarly honored among educators under the Department of Defense umbrella for her work at an elementary school for Camp Lejeune.
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