NORTHRIDGE WOMAN WINS TOP HONOR FOR MATH, SCIENCE TEACHERS.

Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer

Colleagues call Caroline Piangerelli a born teacher, one of the gifted few who can connect with students and make them truly understand math.

And on Thursday, White House officials agreed, announcing that the Northridge resident has won the nation's highest honor for math and science teachers.

Piangerelli is one of four teachers from California, and 107 nationwide, granted the award by President Clinton this year. Her former principal, who nominated her for the honor, said it could not have gone to a more deserving teacher.

``I've easily been in over 1,000 classrooms, and I have never seen anyone who's Caroline's equal,'' said Ruth Bunyan, the retired principal of Roscoe Elementary School in Sun Valley.

Piangerelli, who left Roscoe last year to work on two state and local programs to improve math education, said Thursday that she was stunned by the announcement.

``I'm trying to catch my breath right now,'' she said. ``It's like winning the lottery - you think about it, but you don't think seriously about it.''

Piangerelli will receive a $7,500 grant - to be used for enhancing math and science education in local schools - plus a trip to Washington, D.C., for the awards ceremony. Created in 1983 by President Reagan, the annual awards are administered by the National Science Foundation.

As a young teacher at Roscoe, Piangerelli quickly stood out, Bunyan said. She possessed both an ability to communicate with young children and a broad understanding of education theory. She maintained high standards for her students and treated them with respect.

The combination worked, Bunyan said.

``She didn't just teach them cutesy stuff on the surface,'' Bunyan said. ``She goes for depth of understanding. She taught them how to apply and understand fully what they were doing.''

Piangerelli said she tried to involve her students in math lessons by having them discuss with each other how they solved story problems or geometry assignments. Her students would sit in a circle on the floor, exchange ideas and then apply their classmates' suggestions to the next round of problems.

The technique showed students the reasoning behind the right answers and boosted their confidence, she said. ``The children were teaching each other, essentially,'' she added.

Piangerelli now works with Los Angeles Systemic Initiative, a five-year project to improve the Los Angeles Unified School District's math and science education. She's also a regional coordinator for Math Matters, a statewide program with similar goals.

Although her posts give her the ability to influence teaching at a number of schools, Piangerelli said she misses the elementary classroom.