Maryland 2007 Milken National Educators

Kiara Delle Hargrove
Teacher
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
Baltimore, MD
Subject(s) Taught: Science
Grade(s): 9-10

Science teacher Kiara Delle Hargrove gets urban high school students excited about chemistry at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in Baltimore, one of the state's top performing high schools. Hargrove frequently turns lessons into fun, active experiments, such as a demonstration about distilling water from a can of soda, which became a competition to see who could distill the most water. She integrates reading and writing strategies into her lessons, insisting that the writing and spelling in her students' science papers be as accurate as the science and math. Teaching a variety of academic levels at once, from special education to gifted, she differentiates instruction to reach every student. Hargrove facilitates remedial math and science study skills among incoming freshmen through the Summer Bridge Program, and serves as the ninth-grade advisor. As co-advisor of the Math Engineering and Science Association (MESA), she helps elevate the study of math and science among girls, especially African-Americans, at Sudbrook Magnet Middle School. Hargrove was chair of the School Improvement Team from 2006-07 and is co-author of the School Improvement Plan. She has influenced many of her fellow teachers to go beyond traditional approaches to teaching.

Mabrooka Chaudhry
Teacher
Atholton High School
Columbia, MD
Subject(s) Taught:Social Studies
Grade(s): 9, 11-12

At Atholton High School in Columbia, social studies teacher Mabrooka Chaudhry uses a student-centered approach to teaching, empowering students to exchange and debate ideas and explore through inquiry in a safe environment. Chaudhry teaches a highly popular History of World Religions elective course, for which she created the curriculum. She leads online discussion groups and assigns a great deal of writing, helping her students excel in other classes and on standardized tests. Her students consistently perform well on the district's quarterly assessments in U.S. History, and 100 percent of her 2005-06 U.S. History students earned a three or above on the AP American Government exam. In Fall 2007, she began serving as the U.S. History Curriculum Team Coordinator, coordinating the school's U.S. History teachers for common planning and sharing of best practices. Chaudhry has facilitated the Multicultural Club, the Human Rights Awareness Club and the Muslim Student Association, and has served on various committees, including the Teacher Leadership Cadre, the School Improvement Team and the Black Student Achievement Program.