Designed to recognize and promote hands-on math teaching in upper elementary and middle school classrooms, the Rosenthal Prize carries a cash award of $25,000 for the single best activity, plus up to five additional monetary awards for other innovative activities. The winning teacher(s) will have the opportunity to share their innovative activities with educators around the world.
The application window is now open. Click here for the eligibility requirements and an application form, and to learn more.
Math professors and K-12 teachers around the world are now eligible to apply.
Congratulations to the 2018 Rosenthal Prize winners!
Congratulations to Elizabeth Masslich, winner of the 2018 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation and Inspiration in Math Teaching for her lesson “Geometry Project: DARTBOARD.” In Elizabeth’s lesson, students learn geometric probability using shapes on a dartboard. Elizabeth is a teacher in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin metro area, and was awarded a $25,000 cash prize.
Additional congratulations to the 2018 first runner-up, Hector Rosario of the Atlanta, Georgia metro area, for his lesson “Squareland: Into How Many Squares Can You Cut a Square?” In Hector’s lesson, students generate and analyze patterns by cutting squares into smaller squares while making conjectures and trying to prove their claims. Hector was awarded a $5,000 cash prize.
The Museum also wishes to congratulate the 2018 runners-up, Dwaynea Golden of Hinesville, GA, and Kristen Rudd of Bergen County, NJ, who each received a $1,000 cash prize.
Congratulations to Matt Engle, winner of the 2017 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation and Inspiration in Math Teaching for his lesson “Bringing Similarity Into Light: Experiencing Similarity and Dilations Using Shadows.” In Matt’s lesson, students examine the shadows of shapes to explore concepts such as ratio, dilation, and proportionality in triangles. Matt is a teacher at Monterey Bay Academy in La Selva Beach, CA, and was awarded a $25,000 cash prize.
Additional congratulations to the 2017 second place winner, Heather Danforth-Clayson of Helios School in Sunnyvale, CA, for her lesson “Derangements and Random Rearrangements: An Exploration of Probability.” In Heather’s lesson, students explore rearrangements of number sets by conducting hands-on experiments in probability.
The Museum also wishes to congratulate the 2017 runners-up, Elisabeth Jaffe from Baruch College Campus High School in New York, NY, and David Poras from Weston Middle School in Weston, MA.
Matt Engle (second from right) poses with (from left to right) David Poras (runner-up), Elisabeth Jaffe (runner-up), Heather Danforth-Clayson (second place winner), Saul Rosenthal (Sponsor and MoMath Trustee), and Cindy Lawrence (MoMath Executive Director and CEO).
Congratulations to Traci Jackson, winner of the 2016 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Math Teaching for her lesson “Creating Color Combos: Visual Modeling of Proportional Relationships!” In Traci’s lesson, students explore proportional reasoning by mixing colored solutions, creating different color combinations to visualize ratios. Traci is a teacher at Oak Valley Middle School in San Diego, CA, and was awarded a $25,000 cash prize.
Additional congratulations to the 2016 second place winner, Dena Lordi of Diamond Bar High School in Diamond Bar, CA, for her lesson “Where Can I Find a Weightless Stick?” In Dena’s lesson, students trace the changing balance point on a scale as weights are added in order to identify the mean value of a set of numbers.
The Museum also wishes to congratulate the 2016 runners-up Crystal Frommert, Jemal Graham, and Maria Hernandez.
Traci Jackson (center front) poses with (from left to right) Cindy Lawrence (MoMath Executive Director and CEO), Maria Hernandez (runner-up), Jemal Graham (runner-up), Dena Lordi (second place winner), and Saul Rosenthal (Sponsor and MoMath Trustee).
Congratulations to Jillian Young, winner of the 2015 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Math Teaching! Jillian created a lesson that helps students learn about surface area and volume using the game Minecraft. Jillian is a teacher at Elwood Kindle Elementary School in Pitman, NJ, and was awarded a $25,000 cash prize.
Jillian Young (center right) poses with (from left to right) Heather Herd (runner-up), Eileen Finney (runner-up), Larry McMillan (runner-up), Saul Rosenthal (Sponsor and MoMath Trustee), Cindy Lawrence (MoMath Executive Director and CEO), Ralph Pantozzi (2014 Rosenthal Prize Winner), and Glen Whitney (MoMath President and Founder).
Congratulations to Ralph Pantozzi, the winner of the 2014 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Math Teaching! Ralph, a teacher at Kent Place School in Summit, NJ, was awarded a $25,000 cash prize.
Saul Rosenthal (Trustee and Sponsor) and Ralph Pantozzi (winner) pose for a photo at the announcement of the winner of the third annual Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching.
Congratulations to Trang Vu and Brent Ferguson, respectively the winner and runner-up of the 2013 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Math Teaching! Trang, a teacher at La Jolla High School in La Jolla, CA, was awarded a $25,000 cash prize, and Brent, a teacher at The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, NJ, was awarded a $10,000 cash prize.
Brent Ferguson (runner-up), Saul Rosenthal (Trustee and Sponsor), and Trang Vu (winner) pose for a photo at the announcement of the winner of the second annual Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching.
Congratulations to Scott Goldthorp and Patrick Honner, respectively the winner and runner-up of the 2012 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Math Teaching! Scott, a teacher at Rosa International Middle School in Cherry Hill, NJ, was awarded a $25,000 cash prize, and Patrick, a teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn, NY, was awarded a $10,000 cash prize.
Patrick Honner (runner-up), Saul Rosenthal (Trustee and Sponsor), and Scott Goldthorp (winner) pose for a photo at the announcement of the winner of the first annual Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching.
The annual Rosenthal Prize for Innovation and Inspiration in Math Teaching is designed to recognize and promote hands-on math teaching in the upper elementary and middle school classrooms. Each year, the winning teacher is awarded a cash prize of $25,000, and the winning activity is shared with interested teachers around the world.
To recognize and reward exceptional 4th through 12th grade teachers around the world who employ innovation(s) appropriate to the upper elementary or middle school classroom.
To demonstrate to the education profession and the general public that innovative math teaching exists and can successfully reach the middle grades.
To replicate the successful innovative activity of the winning teacher, distribute it to classrooms across the country, and positively impact math education in the United States and beyond.
To encourage innovation and incorporation of hands-on methods in classrooms around the world.