Press Releases
The Surprise of a Lifetime Awaits Up To 40 of America’s Top Elementary Teachers
Milken Family Foundation continues tradition of recognizing and rewarding outstanding educators with national honor and $25,000 cash award
October 1, 2012
SANTA MONICA, CA (October 1, 2012) — In schools across the nation, exemplary elementary teachers will learn, during surprise schoolwide assemblies, that they have been selected as 2012 Milken Educator Award recipients. The honor, one of education's most prestigious recognitions, comes with an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000. These unsung heroes will be heralded with a fanfare typically reserved for stellar performances by athletes and entertainers.
The recognition is not intended as a lifetime achievement award. Recipients are selected in early to mid-career for what they have achieved… and for the promise of what they will accomplish in the future. Milken Educators point to their Award as a pivotal milestone. Encompassed in the recognition is the responsibility to stretch their professional practices and leadership to even higher levels.
Hailed by Teacher Magazine as the "Oscars of Teaching," what separates this Award from others is that the recipients have no idea that they will be honored. Not only is the entire selection process confidential, but so is the real purpose of the schoolwide assemblies where the Awards are presented. When an educator's name is called, thunderous applause and standing ovations erupt from students, colleagues and dignitaries. Media surround the Award-winning teacher to capture the excitement of this unexpected celebration. In a moment's time, these exceptional educators gain a significant financial prize and experience the unfamiliar but well-deserved acclaim and acknowledgment they rightly merit.
"Our public education system is at the heart of America's promise and is essential in safeguarding the American dream for future generations," said Lowell Milken, chairman and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation. "With research confirming that effective teachers represent the single most important school-related factor in raising student achievement, it is important to honor them, learn from them, and inspire more capable people to join the profession. As the program's motto extols, the future belongs to the educated."
The Awards story doesn't end with the surprise notification. New recipients are invited to join the Milken Educator Network, a group of distinguished educators whose expertise serves as a valuable resource to fellow educators, legislators, school boards and others shaping the future of education.
"The visibility and reputation of the Milken Educator Awards result in unlimited opportunities for educators to powerfully impact education at local, state and national levels," said Dr. Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Educator Awards and a 1994 Indiana Milken Educator.
The Foundation has been recognizing and rewarding the noble profession of teaching through the Milken Educator Awards for 26 years. Since first presented to a dozen California teachers, the program has grown to become the nation's preeminent teacher recognition program having honored more than 2,500 K-12 teachers, principals and specialists with over $63 million in individual, unrestricted $25,000 awards. More than $135 million in funding has been devoted to the overall program, which includes powerful professional development opportunities throughout the recipients' careers in education. The exponential impact of Milken Educators is helping to improve American K-12 education.
The Awards alternates yearly between elementary and secondary educators. Each participating state department of education appoints an independent blue ribbon committee to review candidates that are sourced through a confidential selection process and recommend candidates to the Foundation.
Award Criteria:
Candidates for the Milken Educator Awards are selected on the basis of all the following criteria:
- Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by effective instructional practices and student learning results in the classroom and school;
- Exemplary educational accomplishments beyond the classroom that provide models of excellence for the profession;
- Individuals whose contributions to education are largely unheralded yet worthy of the spotlight;
- Early- to mid-career educators who offer strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership; and
- Engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community.
View the 2012 Milken Educator Awards kickoff YouTube video for a peek at the surprise of a lifetime that awaits up to 40 of America's best educators:http://www.mff.org/newsroom/news.taf?page=videos&init=&dateYear=&vid=1200
For more information about the Milken Educator Awards, visit http://www.mff.org or call the Foundation at (310) 570-4775. You can connect with the Foundation at www.twitter.com/milken, www.facebook.com/milkeneducatorawards and at www.youtube.com/milkenaward.
An education reformer for three decades, Lowell Milken created the Milken Educator Awards to recognize exemplary teachers and established the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) to generate more talented teachers, www.niet.org. NIET houses TAP™: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement and the Best Practices Center. Lowell Milken recently provided the founding gift for the Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law. For more information about Lowell visit www.lowellmilken.com.