Indian American elementary teacher Revathi Balakrishnan was among 56 “State Teachers of the Year” honored by President Barack Obama at the White House.

• Balakrishnan is a talent and gifted specialist teacher at Patsy Sommer Elementary School in Austin, Texas, and was chosen as the Texas Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers as part of the National Teacher of the Year Program.
• In addition to being chosen to the CCSSO honor, Balakrishnan in 2016 was named Patsy Sommer Elementary School Teacher of the Year, Round Rock Independent School District Elementary Teacher of the Year and Region XIII Elementary Teacher of the Year, as well as Texas Teacher of the Year and Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Texas Association of Supervisors and Administrators.
• The University of Madras and Northeastern University graduate, earning a bachelor’s and master’s in economics, respectively, was also honored in 2011 by the Texas Association for Gifted and Talented as the Region XIII Gifted and Talented Teacher of the Year.

The National Teacher of the Year Program identifies exceptional teachers in the country, recognizes their effective work in the classroom, engages them in a year of professional learning, amplifies their voices and empowers them to participate in policy discussions at the state and national levels.