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The Milken Educator Awards: 40 Years of Elevating America’s Outstanding Educators


The prestigious honor, hailed by media as the “Oscars of Teaching,” has recognized outstanding teachers for 40 years. The idea for the Milken Educator Awards started in the early 1980s when Lowell, the chairman and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation (MFF), began exploring strategies for strengthening the education profession. The initiative not only aims to reward great teachers, but also to “Celebrate, Elevate and Activate” those innovators who are guiding America’s next generation of leaders. Thirty pioneering professionals will be honored this 2026-27 season, celebrating a history of changing lives in communities across America and empowering recipients to broaden their impact on the American K-12 profession.

The first Awards were presented to a group of 12 outstanding teachers and administrators in California. Now Milken Educators are surprised at boisterous schoolwide assemblies before cheering students, respected colleagues, distinguished officials and the media. Who will be next?

The surprise notifications for fall 2026-27 might be coming to a school near you! Follow the tour live via #MilkenAward and #MEA40 on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn.

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