“Dean Bryson may be one of the most creative teachers I have encountered. … He finds ways to make science meaningful for our students through engaging lessons and authentic real-world learning experiences. …”

Dean Bryson is in his fifth year of teaching ninth grade physical science at New Tech Collinwood High School. He is a proud graduate of Bowling Green State University and Howard University. For the past two summers, Dean has served as a corps member advisor for Teach For America’s Houston Institute, supporting and coaching brand new teachers. He implements project-based learning (PBL) and teaches standards through authentic-learning tasks. While there is often tension between PBL and standards-based instruction, Dean has learned to effectively embed standards within his projects without sacrificing data-driven instruction. Outside of his classroom, Dean advises the social justice club and the “BG Bros,” a male mentoring group at Collinwood.