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Contact: Nicole Kranzler, 773-3426

100 OUTSTANDING EDUCATORS TO BE SURPRISED WITH $25,000 MILKEN NATIONAL EDUCATOR AWARDS

Milken Family Foundation’s 17-year tradition honors some of America’s best teachers during National Notifications, October 7-17

PIERRE (September 22, 2003) – They don’t know it yet, but some of America’s best educators are about to hit the jackpot, and two will be from South Dakota!

Dubbed the “Oscars of Teaching” by Teacher Magazine, the Milken National Educator Awards were created in 1985 to reward, retain and attract the highest caliber professionals to our nation’s schools. From October 7-17, 100 unsuspecting educators across the country will be surprised with the news of their $25,000 Awards – which can be used any way they choose – during emotional, school wide assemblies attended by state and local officials, students, peers and community leaders. 

Last year, three South Dakota educators received the Milken Award: 

• Karen Lukens, Hawthorne Elementary School, Sioux Falls;  
• Kari Jungclaus, Rapid Valley Elementary School, Rapid City; and  
• Rodell Jon Frey, Aberdeen Central High School, Aberdeen.

Providing a first rate education for every child is one of the most important issues facing our country. And although research shows that there is no greater factor in successful student learning than the quality of teachers in our schools, the work of highly regarded educators is rarely recognized.

Education pioneer Lowell Milken – chairman and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation – created the Awards to celebrate the efforts of some of our nation’s most outstanding teachers, principals and specialists in K-12 education. Under his leadership, the Milken National Educator Awards has become the largest teacher recognition program in the U.S. By the end of October, 1,977 exceptional educators from 47 states will have been recognized, totaling over $49 million in Awards from the Foundation since the program’s inception.

“By choosing to practice in the most noble and important profession, our nation's talented educators make a lasting contribution to young people’s minds, imaginations and character," said Milken. "We are proud to honor the outstanding work of these gifted teachers, providing them with the recognition they so richly deserve.”

Educators are recommended for this prestigious honor without their knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by each state’s department of education. Candidates for the Milken Educator Awards are selected on the basis of numerous criteria, including:

• Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by outstanding instructional practices in the classroom, school and profession;  
• Outstanding accomplishments and strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership; and  
• Engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community at-large.

Recipients are presented with their unrestricted $25,000 Award checks at the annual Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference, an all-expenses-paid professional development conference held this year for the first time in Washington, D.C. They also join the Milken Educator Network, a coalition of over 2,000 top educators who have access to a variety of expert resources to help cultivate and expand innovative programs in their classrooms, schools and districts.

For more information about the Milken National Educator Awards, visit http://www.mff.org.

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