Educator Profile    Educators

Brad LeDuc (KS '13)

Teacher

Washburn Rural High School
Topeka, KS

Subject(s) taught: Drawing, Painting and AP Studio Art
Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, 12

At the time of the Award, Brad LeDuc was:

Teacher
Washburn Rural High School
Topeka, KS

Subject(s) taught: Fine Arts

https://www.bradleduc.com


Biographical Information

When a third of the student body at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka, KS, enrolls in art courses, it’s clear that fine arts teacher Brad LeDuc is making an impact.  LeDuc's classes aren't just attended by aspiring artists, but are open to all students who year after year discover talents they never knew existed.

LeDuc’s rigorous standards have led to Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses in the arts that challenge students to achieve at higher levels. Since LeDuc's arrival at Washburn, graduation rates have jumped from 80% to 95%. One contributing factor is his Pyramid of Intervention, a peer-to-peer mentorship program in which stronger students help those with less confidence or skills. As just one example, his personal efforts changed the future for a troubled student facing serious disciplinary consequences into a promising high school graduate with a college art scholarship. 

LeDuc's contributions are linked to virtually every aspect of the school's culture. A socially-conscious instructor, his lessons often focus on issues of poverty and abuse. The portraits his students paint of children in Sierra Leone for the Memory Project are then given to the youngsters as invaluable keepsakes. His leadership in creating an annual Cultural Heritage Week generates collaboration among all of the school's departments and greater understanding community-wide.

As a professional painter and printmaker himself, LeDuc doesn’t mislead students about the rigors of an artistic career. The "Art Lock In" is an annual "all-nighter" during which guest artists work alongside students. His students have consistently graduated at the top of the class, been accepted to the most prestigious art institutions in the country, and won numerous awards at regional and national levels. How fitting that LeDuc himself has now been recognized with the national Milken Educator Award.

 


Related Connections

Milestone: Documentary About BradLeDuc (KS '13) Earns EMMY® Award

Milestone: Brad LeDuc (KS '13) Named Secondary Art Educator of the Year

Article: The Power of ‘Fingertip Knowledge’

Article: Unsung Heroines


Brad LeDuc Newsletters

Lowell Milken Presents Two Awards, Delivers One Message to Students
Oct 18, 2013


Brad LeDuc In The News

SHS Teacher Honored as Secondary Art Educator of the Year
The Topeka Capital-Journal  |  Aug 20, 2018  |  Topeka, KS

Topeka teacher's paintings to be featured at Holton Art Walk
The Topeka Capital-Journal  |  Aug 24, 2014  |  Topeka, KS

Fellowship Encourages Teachers to Celebrate Unsung Heroes
The Topeka Capital-Journal  |  Jul 05, 2014  |  Topeka, KS

WRHS Teacher Wins Top National Award
WIBW-TV  |  CBS  |  Oct 18, 2013  |  Topeka, KS

Washburn Rural High School art teacher gets prestigious $25K award
Topeka Capital-Journal  |  Oct 17, 2013  |  Topeka, KS

Additional Information

Degrees/Certifications

2016 M. Ed., Washburn University

2001 B.A., Fort Hays State University


Awards/Honors

2014 Lowell Milken Center Fellow


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