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Meet the Arizona Teacher of the Year 2026 Honorees

Each year, the Teacher of the Year program recognizes 15 candidates for our state’s highest recognition for teaching excellence.

Arizona Teacher of the Year 2026

Tiffani Jaseph from Copper View Elementary School in the Sahuarita Unified School District

Tiffani Jaseph is a dedicated special education professional who has been a teacher for 15 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and a Master of Arts in special education, both from the University of Arizona. Driven by her deep passion for children, Jaseph began her career in general education. However, she quickly discovered her true calling in special education.

Jaseph has taught in three Arizona school districts. In the Sunnyside Unified School District, she taught in an extended-day special education program for 4th and 5th graders, providing specially designed instruction in her classroom while also supporting students’ needs in the general education environment. In Yuma, Arizona, she taught in a special education resource setting, facilitating intervention groups for students from K-6th grade. Currently, Jaseph teaches at Copper View Elementary School in Sahuarita, Arizona, where she focuses on accommodating students with higher support needs. She is committed to including her students in the general education environment whenever possible, while also ensuring her classroom is accessible for both academic and social-emotional needs. Her classroom emphasizes inclusive, strengths-based instruction tailored to diverse learning styles. At Copper View, Jaseph has earned the honor of being named site Teacher of the Year and has also been a finalist for District Teacher of the Year.

2026 Teacher of the Year Ambassadors for Excellence

The Arizona Teacher of the Year Award is our state’s highest state-level recognition for public school educators. The program has been coordinated by the Arizona Educational Foundation (AEF) for the past 41-years, with AEF serving as the State Coordinator of the National Teacher of the Year program. Burnton will join other State Teachers of the Year from across the country in a year of professional learning and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like meeting the U.S. President and visiting the Oval Office, training at Google Headquarters in California, to learning to be an astronaut at International Space Camp.

Jaseph was one of fifteen educators honored by AEF this year as part of the Teacher of the Year program. Five quarterfinalists and five semifinalists were identified in August, with the five finalists, known as “AEF Ambassadors for Excellence” taking the stage at the awards ceremony on October 18th to find out live who won.  The ceremony was held at the Madison Center for the Arts in Phoenix. Governor Katie Hobbs and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne addressed the crowd of 600 individuals representing the education and corporate sectors. Desert Financial Executive Vice President, Cathy Graham, presented the award. Desert Financial has served as the presenting sponsor of the Arizona Teacher of the Year Awards for the past five consecutive years.

2026 Teacher of the Year Semifinalists 

2026 Teacher of the Year Honorable Mentions

The prize package for the Arizona Teacher of the Year includes $15,000 from the Arizona Educational Foundation and travel to National Teacher of the Year events, including a trip to the White House to meet the President and a weeklong trip to International Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Burnton will also be considered for an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University.

The 2026 Arizona Teacher of the Year, four Ambassadors for Excellence, and five semifinalists, also receive professional speech and media training to aid them in delivering hundreds of presentations during their year of recognition. AEF also has generous partners who provide gifts to the top ten teachers including scholarships from the Arizona K12 Center to pursue National Board Certification, the opportunity to ride on the APS fire engine during the Fiesta Bowl Parade, and a “Fiesta Bowl Experience” package including tickets and on-field recognition provided by Fiesta Bowl Charities. In addition to serving as presenting sponsor of the ceremony, Desert Financial Credit Union provides each teacher with an iPad, keyboard case, and $25 gift card.