2025 National Board of Directors Election Candidate for At Large High School Representative Representative

Bree Barnett DreyfussBree Barnett Dreyfuss

Physics teacher and Science Department Chair, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, CA 94566
BreeBarnettDreyfuss@gmail.com

Education

B.S. Physics, California State University, East Bay (formerly Hayward)
Masters of Arts in Teacher Leadership, St. Mary’s College of California, Moraga

Professional Experience

  • Ambassador Program Coordinator, STEP UP program, AAPT (August 2018 to present)
  • Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton Unifi ed School District (August 2005 to present)
  • Mentor & Coach, Exploratorium New Teacher Institute (June 2011 to June 2015)

Honors and Recognitions

  • Paul W. Zitzewitz Award for Excellence in K-12 Physics Teaching, August 2025
  • AAPT Fellow, Winter 2022
  • 2021 Local PhysTEC Teacher of the Year, CSU East Bay
  • Paul Robinson Service Award, NCNAAPT Fall 2019

Memberships

  • American Association of Physics Teachers
  • Northern California/ Nevada section of AAPT
  • Exploratorium Teacher Institute
  • National Science Teachers Association
  • California Association of Science Educators
  • American Physical Society

AAPT Activities

  • AAPT Area Committees Evolution Working Group, Co-Chair (September 2024 to January 2026
  • NCNAAPT Section Rep (2024-present)
  • AAPT Committee on Women in Physics, Committee member (2023), Vice Chair (2024) and Chair (2025)
  • AAPT SEA Change self assessment, working group member (September 2021 to March 2022)
  • AAPT Committee on Physics in High School, Committee member (2019-2021)

Other Professional Activities

  • DEI Committee, California Association of Science Educators (2022 to present)
  • Instructional Leadership Team, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton Unifi ed (2022 to present)
  • Contra Costa County 4-H Camp Coordinator, Camp Staff Leadership Project Leader (2023 to present)
  • President, Northern California/ Nevada Chapter of American Association of Physics Teachers (2023 to present)
  • VP Marketing, Northern California/ Nevada Chapter of American Association of Physics Teachers (2014-2023)
  • Secretary, Northern California/ Nevada Chapter of American Association of Physics Teachers (2009-2014)
  • Americorps TEAMS Fellow (2004-2005)
  • Alpha Phi Fraternity, Eta Delta Chapter, Chapter Advisor (2009-2011)

Candidate Statement

I did not know about AAPT in college. I did not learn about it in fact for several years even after I started teaching. I wish I had known about AAPT at the start of my career, so that I could have benefited from membership sooner. Now, I visit a credential program in my area each year to meet the physics teacher candidates and tell them about all the opportunities available from AAPT and their local sections. It is a small thing to do that can have far reaching implications on new teachers.

I once asked an Admin if he minded my emails with questions, complaints and concerns on behalf of my department, for they were many. He said, “No, because we know you are always going to help make whatever positive change needs to happen.” Once I have identified a need, I strive to get started on a solution, to take action. If elected as the High School Representative to the Board of Directors, I want to follow in the footsteps of others that have been active in making positive changes within AAPT.

I want to help meet the goals outlined in AAPT’s strategic plan, to share AAPT membership opportunities with more physics teachers. I believe increasing membership is the best way to improve physics education in this country. I want to not only encourage other high school teachers to join AAPT, I want to see them to help shape AAPT so it provides what they need. There are more high school physics teachers than post-secondary ones in the U.S. but high school teacher AAPT memberships have been in steady decline. As the VP of Marketing for the Northern California/ Nevada section of AAPT, NCNAAPT, I worked on several outreach efforts that helped to build our community. There are others like me that do not know about AAPT when they start teaching physics and I am committed to sharing the benefits of AAPT with them.

When so many teachers work in silos, teach multiple preps and often with limited resources, sharing our best practices together can have a positive impact on all of our students. When I’ve attended more general science conferences and workshops, I found the physics resources to be few and far between. Only in AAPT could I find physics focused curriculum help, with the added benefit of seeing perspectives on the content and pedagogy from K-12 teachers, college professors, PER researchers, and other experts in teaching and learning. Now as an AP teacher, the opportunity to meet with post-secondary teachers at AAPT is priceless. I want AAPT to be the place that physics teachers across the country, and of all levels, go first for resources, camaraderie, and the newest innovations to improve our teaching. There is no reason for us to re-invent the wheel, thousands of times in our own classrooms.

I have been active in my local section, NCNAAPT, for 15 years and held an officer position for almost as long. I have served as Secretary, VP of Marketing, Section Rep and now as President. We are fortunate that our section has a long and rich history of leadership and commitment to improving physics teaching in our area. As an officer in NCNAAPT, I have helped with programming two meetings a year, reached out to local teacher colleges and led grass roots campaigns against cuts to local physics programs. Within NCNAAPT we are proud to say our section is “By Physics teachers. For Physics teachers.” Our leadership listens to what members want in programming and we encourage their involvement at all levels. Asking members to introduce our keynotes, having round table discussions, or inviting members to expand one-on-one conversations to full on talks in the future can help to strengthen their involvement. I have encouraged other members to present at local meetings, national meetings, to write The Physics Teacher articles, etc. We have to motivate the next generation of leaders before the current generation leaves if we want to continue to grow. As an AAPT Board member, I will continue to encourage other members to be more involved in national meetings and the Communities that interest them.

Within AAPT, I have been a member of the Committee on Physics in High School, the SEA Change self-assessment working group and now serve the Committee on Women in Physics as Chair. Most recently I have co-led the Area Committees to Communities Reform working group. We have spent the last year discussing feedback from AAPT members, reviewing our governance structure and drafting recommendations to the Board to make this change. It was a great experience to work on this project with other AAPT members, focused on making positive change so that all members can more easily find communities of peers within AAPT. I am proud of the work done on this reform and look forward to seeing more involvement by members in these Communities in the future.

Getting more involved in AAPT led to the opportunity to join the STEP UP project. Since 2018 I have been a part of STEP UP, a partnership between AAPT, APS and PhysTEC to inspire young women to pursue physics. The STEP UP curriculum includes two in-class lessons and a pedagogical guide of strategies for teachers. This project is near and dear to my heart because I want everyone to have the opportunity to learn and enjoy physics. Not every school offers physics and even if they do, not everyone has the same access to it. As the Ambassador Program Coordinator in STEP UP, I trained and supported teams of teacher leaders from across the country. Working with other physics teachers from a variety of backgrounds, in schools that are different from my own, helped me to see the commonalities in physics teaching. Since joining the project, I’ve seen my project managing skills grow. I’ve been fortunate to present on behalf of STEP UP multiple times, improving my presentation skills. I have helped develop professional development resources for teachers based on discussion and reflection. We grew our community of teachers, bringing in partners at local universities and school districts. The teachers in our community want to see more women and other marginalized groups in their classes, they want to learn how to support all students and build a positive classroom community.

I know that I have grown as a teacher and a leader within my physics teacher community because of my involvement in AAPT. I encourage all members to get involved, to help make the changes they want to see at both their local and national levels. I firmly believe we are all better together and look forward to serving all members and helping to further grow AAPT