The Fishman Prize is an annual award for inspiring teachers working in high-poverty public schools.  Ms. Zunkiewicz teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus and Pre-Calculus, as well as serving as a math coach.  She has developed a successful Calculus program and holds her students to high expectations.  In her AP Calculus class, the exam passing rate has increased from 11 percent to 80 percent since she started at Lennard High School.  More recently, her students earned a 93 percent average on their first semester exam, surpassing all 26 high schools in Hillsborough County.

Ms. Zunkiewicz is one of only four teachers in the nation to receive the award this year.  More than 820 teachers from 46 states and the District of Columbia submitted applications.  One-hundred teachers were invited to submit teaching videos and letters of reference, from which 21 were selected as semi-finalists.  Each was observed at work in the classroom by The New Teacher Project before ten finalists were selected for interviews with a panel of judges.

In addition to receiving $25,000, each Fishman Prize winner participates in a six-week summer residency at The New Teacher Project where they will meet with leaders in education, engage in helping more teachers improve their classroom practice, and collaborate on a publication that captures their insights and knowledge.