April 22, 2014 Dear School Administrator, I am writing this letter to recommend that Brittany OBrien be hired as a science

educator within your district. I have had the opportunity to work with Brittany within the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF). This foundation is a nonprofit organization that works with novice STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) educators by providing continuous, on-going professional development for a 5-year time period. Brittany was chosen as a teaching fellow through a competitive, national application process. The application process assessed Brittanys potential to develop the content knowledge needed for teaching, exemplary teaching practices, and the qualities of a teacher-leader. Within her first year in the fellowship, Brittany has already shown growth in her teaching, and her continued work in the fellowship will ensure continued development. Within KSTF, Brittany has had opportunities to become a member of our community of educators, sharing resources, insights, and support. The support that we provide includes: on-going professional development, which includes: participation in an on-line educator community; attendance at Summer, Fall, and Spring in-person meetings; access to materials grant funds, which will allow her to purchase $1200 of materials for classroom use each year; access to professional development grant funds, which will allow her to develop and attend professional development that is useful to her in her own school context. As her program officer for teacher development, I have had opportunities to work individually with Brittany and to observe her interactions during our meetings. She exhibits important characteristics of a teacher. She is always punctual; she completes her professional development work thoughtfully and timely. She interacts well with the other teachers in the cohort, offering constructive criticism and offering alternative ideas freely. She easily relates teaching methodologies and concepts to her classroom, interpreting the ideas presented in workshops from the perspective of her students. Perhaps most importantly, however, she is enthusiastic, always energetic in her participation and passionate about improving her pedagogy. From these observations, I am confident that Brittany will be an excellent teacher. She will work well with the team of professionals in your district, both listening to the ideas of her colleagues and offering her own ideas. She will work tirelessly to ensure that all of the students in her classroom will have the opportunity to learn. Therefore, I highly recommend that you hire Brittany OBrien as a science educator. Sincerely, Kimberly Masloski Program Officer for Teacher Development Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (740) 317 - 3705