Aris Pangilian

Aris Pangilinan, also known as Mr. P, grew up in the Philippines with 11 brothers and sisters, and instead of pursuing a doctorate he sent his younger siblings to college. He was a class valedictorian and has a B.S., cum – laude, in secondary mathematics education and a Master of Arts in Educational Management with Measurement, Evaluation, & Testing. He was a high school and college teacher in the Philippines for seven years. For the last 18 years he has worked in DC Public School, teaching AP Calculus AB, AP/PLTW/AFE Computer Science E, P, & A and Pre-Engineering. 

Aris is an immigrant, an English Language Learner, the first in his family to go to college, and was a working student who worked full time during the day and studied at night. 

He uses a flipped-classroom approach and project-based learning and has developed a variety of pedagogical strategies and teaching styles to engage especially his less accomplished students in underserved communities. His teaching has led to outstanding academic results. Under his tutelage his students have won numerous STEM competitions, passed and scored well in college – credit exams, received paid internships, led several student – centered initiatives, performed numerous community services, and were accepted in prestigious universities with full-ride scholarships. 

For his efforts to improve academic access for all students regardless of their background, Aris has won several local, national, and global awards, including the US Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science (including Computer Science) Teaching from the National Science Foundation and President Obama.