Monica Norwood

Little Rock, AR - Mathematics
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Receiving the Presidential Award is both a privilege and an honor that validates my efforts to be a lifelong learner. Many people assume that elementary education is easy, requiring less specialization of content knowledge. After receiving both National Board Certification in Literacy and the PAEMST award in mathematics, I hope it draws attention to the fact that elementary teachers must be masters of multiple content areas and have sound instructional pedagogy to be successful.
Monica Norwood has taught in the Little Rock School District (LRSD) since 1994 and is the assistant principal at Cloverdale Magnet Middle School. At the time of the award, she was the kindergarten through fifth grade instructional coach at Romine Interdistrict Elementary School. Previously she was a first and second split-grade teacher at Rightsell Academy Elementary School. Earlier in her career, she taught first and second grade at Martin Luther King Elementary School, also in LRSD. She left teaching temporarily to serve as a distress school monitor and literacy specialist for the Arkansas Department of Education.

Ms. Norwood has served as a member of the LRSD Curriculum Council and developed the first grade mathematics curriculum for the district.

As an instructional coach, Ms. Norwood cotaught model lessons in mathematics and literacy. She also served as the special programs coordinator, developed and implemented intervention plans, and served as an after-school tutoring coordinator and teacher. In addition, she wrote grants for specialized field trips for fourth and fifth grade students, such as the "Saturday Excursions."

Ms. Norwood is praised for her ability to energize groups of teachers, students, parents, and community volunteers. She recruited members of the Little Rock, AR, police and fire departments to serve as Mustang Mentors for Literacy. She has also coordinated special programs such as Career Day and Family Math and Literacy Night.

Ms. Norwood is commended for her enthusiasm and passion for mathematics. These qualities and her extensive training and expertise enabled her to significantly impact the achievement levels of students at Romine Interdistrict Elementary School. In 2007 she led the Mathletes Team to a fourth-place finish in the district.

Ms. Norwood has a B.A. in elementary education and African and Afro-American studies from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.Ed. in reading from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Currently she is pursuing an M.S. in mathematics from the University of Vermont. Among many other certifications, she is National Board Certified in Early and Middle Childhood Literacy: Reading-Language Arts.
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