In addition to helming her kindergarten classroom at Madison Elementary in Norman, Hailey Couch (OK ’18) also leads the Climate Committee. Its goal: improving staff morale, boosting retention rates and creating authentic connections among students, staff and parents.
With guidance from Andrew Franz (NY ’17), four students from Buffalo win a national competition that sends their experiment on the effects of microgravity on bacterial growth to the International Space Station.
Just a few weeks after we surprised Becky Streff (NE ’18) with her Milken Award in North Bend, the Platte River overflowed its banks and flooded the town. As the community came together, the fifth-grade teacher turned the devastating floods into a teachable moment.
The Volunteer Corps Club grew out of 2019 Tennessee Milken Educator Shelly Gaughan’s own passion for community service: “It was really important to me to make sure I was providing our kids with meaningful learning opportunities.”
Since his Milken Award surprise at Smalley Academy in New Britain, Manny Zaldivar (CT ’16) has transitioned from first-grade teacher to administrator. Here, he reflects on his first year as an assistant principal at New Britain’s Chamberlain Elementary School.
Students need critical thinking tools to help them discern fake news from real information—and they need it in elementary school. Sarah Compton (WI ’18) shares her approach to teaching media literacy.
In North Carolina’s Gaston County Schools, Principal Meghan LeFevers (NC ’18) and School Psychologist Tammy Wilson are pioneering a new way of looking at IQ scores.
Cleaning up his desk at the end of the year, Mike Sana (HI '15) uncovers a note that reminds him "why we do what we do."
As the Fourth of July approaches and we prepare once again to celebrate our country's birthday, Milken Educators reflect on the role of teachers in America.
As the school year comes to a close, Milken Educators share the rituals they've developed to prepare students to move on.