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West Virginia Teacher Surprised with Milken Educator Award and $25,000 Cash

The 2014 “Oscar of Teaching” Presented by Superintendent of Schools
Michael Martirano and Milken Family Foundation’s Dr. Jane Foley

December 04, 2014

SANTA MONICA, CA — At a surprise school-wide assembly today, one unsuspecting educator learned that he had been selected as a 2014 Milken Educator Award recipient.

Dr. Ernie Adkins, a K-2 principal for Mercer County’s Princeton Primary School in Princeton, West Virginia, was presented the prestigious award in front of the entire school community and state and local officials by West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Michael Martirano and Dr. Jane Foley, senior vice president, Milken Educator Awards.

The honor, described as “the Oscars of teaching” by Teacher Magazine, comes with an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000 and public recognition of recipients from around the country who are furthering excellence in education and raising student achievement.

Adkins has a proven track record of raising the performance of schools where he has been a teacher or administrator. In his first year as a vice-principal in Mercer County, Adkins’ used innovative interventions and successful team-building strategies to help his school meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) benchmark for the first time ever.

As principal at Princeton Primary since its opening three years ago, Adkins has led the new campus to an auspicious beginning. Ninety percent of the students are reading at or above grade level by the end of kindergarten, giving them the best foundation for ongoing academic success.

The Milken Family Foundation first presented the Milken Educator Awards in 1987. Recipients can use their $25,000 award in any way they choose. More than $137 million in funding, including over $65 million in individual $25,000 awards, has been devoted to the overall program, which includes powerful professional development opportunities throughout recipients’ careers.

Alternating yearly between elementary and secondary educators, the Awards are sourced through each participating state department of education, which appoints an independent blue ribbon committee to confidentially review candidates for recommendation to MFF.

Past recipients have used their Awards to finance their children’s education or their own continuing education. Others have financed dream field trips, established scholarships and even funded the adoption of children.

To get regular updates on notifications, follow the #TeachForTheStars and #MilkenAward hashtags on Twitter and Instagram.

For information about the Milken Educator Awards, visit http://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/newsroom/media-kit or call MFF at (310) 570-4775.  Like the Awards at www.facebook.com/milkeneducatorawards, follow us at www.twitter.com/milken, watch the reaction videos at www.youtube.com/milkenaward and find us on http://instagram.com/milkenfamilyfdn.

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