William Floyd High School chemistry teacher Dr. Martin Palermo was recently selected for the New York State Education Department’s VITAL (Virtual Implementation of Teaching and Learning) Educator Program! The VITAL Educator Program intends to build an educator’s capacity to transform learning by addressing students’ diverse needs, which includes students with disabilities, English Language Learners, social emotional learning and culturally responsive-sustaining education through cutting-edge virtual strategies, innovative tools like AI and more.

Dr. Palermo will participate in an intensive six-month program that offers dynamic online modules, collaboration in Professional Learning Community (PLC) cohorts and coaching sessions. This program is designed to empower educators to champion virtual learning across New York State and develop a cadre of expert, or VITAL, educators who are able to turnkey professional learning content to colleagues throughout the state. Through successful completion of the program, Dr. Palermo will earn official NYSED designation as a VITAL Educator as well as a $14,500 stipend, positioning him at the forefront of educational innovation.

“I am very excited for this opportunity to learn cutting-edge strategies that can best support students’ diverse learning needs, while also addressing the challenges of increasing students’ digital literacy,” said Dr. Palermo.

Dr. Palermo is a highly decorated educator that has been the recipient of many accolades throughout his 18-year teaching career. The Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS) recognized him as the 2024 Suffolk County High School Science Teacher of the Year in addition to selecting him for the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2022. He has also previously earned the Empire State Excellence in Teaching Program Award and the Stony Brook University “40 Under Forty” award in addition to being a nominee for the NYS Teacher of the Year Award in 2023. He’s a published author, peer reviewer for science journals and a New York State Master Teacher Emeritus. He was also one of only two educators across New York State selected to serve on the former governor’s re-opening advisory council after the COVID pandemic state-mandated school closures in 2020. Dr. Palermo earned his Ph.D. in science education, his master’s degree in teaching science and his Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry at Stony Brook University.