Maryland's best teacher won't be directly instructing students anymore.

On Tuesday night, the Board of Education approved Superintendent S. Dallas Dance's recommendation to appoint Joshua Parker, the 2011-2012 Maryland and Baltimore County Teacher of the Year, as a Title I GAP Reduction Specialist, a newly created position.

"I'll be out of my own classroom, but instead be in many classrooms in a teacher-focused role," said Parker, a former Windsor Mill Middle School English teacher.

The Title I grant program, which operates through the No Child Left Behind Act, provides additional resources to economically disadvantaged schools to promote student achievement. Parker will work with Lansdowne and Deep Creek middle schools, two of 46 Title I schools in Baltimore County.

"I'll mostly be working with professional development and bridging the gap between these subgroups," he said.