Tarleton State University\u2019s College of Education and Tarleton State Fort Worth have selected Erica Del Rio, a fourth-grade teacher at Glen Park Elementary, as the recipient of Fort Worth ISD\u2019s Chair for Teaching Excellence in Math or Science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Established in 1994, the Chairs for Teaching Excellence<\/a> program recognizes Fort Worth ISD educators who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and measurable impact on student achievement. The program\u2019s return in 2025 reflects a renewed commitment by the district and its community partners to publicly celebrate the educators who shape classrooms, school communities, and student confidence every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through sponsorship and participation in the selection process, Tarleton State\u2019s College of Education and Tarleton State Fort Worth reaffirm their shared commitment to supporting outstanding educators and strengthening partnerships with regional school districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInvesting in excellent educators is one of the most powerful ways to advance the field of education,\u201d said Dr. Lesley Leach, Dean of the College of Education. \u201cRecognizing teachers who demonstrate innovation, leadership, and impact not only honors their work, but it also reinforces what is possible for students when teaching excellence is valued and supported.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year\u2019s Tarleton State University Chair for Teaching Excellence in Math or Science, Erica Del Rio, was selected through a rigorous, multi-stage process that included analysis of student achievement data, a teaching demonstration, and an interview with a selection committee. Her selection reflects not only instructional expertise, but also a deep <\/a>commitment to helping students develop confidence, curiosity, and strong foundations in science and mathematics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Erica Del Rio is a fourth-grade teacher at Glen Park Elementary whose work reflects a deep commitment to student-centered learning and academic excellence in math and science. Known for creating engaging, inquiry-based lessons, Del Rio fosters a classroom environment where students are encouraged to ask questions, think critically and build confidence in their abilities. Her instructional approach emphasizes strong foundational skills while inspiring curiosity and a love of learning, helping students see themselves as capable problem-solvers both inside and outside the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Del Rio\u2019s selection also highlights the meaningful connection between Tarleton State\u2019s graduate programs and the educators they serve across North Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRecognizing outstanding educators is central to our mission at Tarleton State Fort Worth,\u201d said Dr. Rachael Capua, Vice President of External Operations & Dean of Tarleton State Fort Worth. \u201cErica Del Rio\u2019s dedication to excellence in teaching reflects the type of leadership that strengthens classrooms, schools and the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Through a partnership with Fort Worth ISD, Tarleton State University\u2019s College of Education and Tarleton State University Fort Worth are proud to support the Chairs of Teaching Excellence, honoring educators whose work has a lasting impact on student learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138,"featured_media":1383,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":33,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-partners","category-students"],"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"heard","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/author\/heard-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/214\/2026\/01\/FWISD-Chairs-for-Teaching-Excellence-300x157.png","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Our Partners<\/a>","Students<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Our Partners<\/span>","Students<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 months ago","modified":"Updated 3 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on January 15, 2026","modified":"Updated on January 15, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on January 15, 2026 4:39 pm","modified":"Updated on January 15, 2026 4:39 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/138"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1382"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1384,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382\/revisions\/1384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/coe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}