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High Impact, High Reward: Phoenix Academic Coach Surprised With National $25,000 Milken Educator Award

Alhambra Elementary School District’s Angelica Garcia earns acclaim for her exceptional work fostering achievement growth, professional development, and lifelong learning

January 15, 2026

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — This morning’s state visit to Westwood Elementary School in Phoenix turned into a national recognition for K-4 academic coach Angelica Garcia. Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne joined Dr. Joshua Barnett – representing the Milken Family Foundation as CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching – to celebrate Westwood’s growth and honor Garcia as America’s newest Milken Educator Award recipient. As students, colleagues, media, and visiting dignitaries erupted in applause, Garcia stepped up to receive her Award, along with its unrestricted $25,000 cash prize. 

“Angelica Garcia is a dedicated leader and trusted mentor who gets results,” said Dr. Barnett. “She understands that education is a ‘multi-contact’ sport that involves talented teachers and administrators, clear expectations and communication, data-informed decisions, and a culture of continuous improvement. Membership to the national Milken Educator Network will strengthen her influence on the community and the profession. Congratulations!” 

Garcia is Arizona’s 46th recipient since The Grand Canyon State joined the Milken Educator Awards program in 1998. She is Arizona’s sole 2025-26 Milken Educator Award recipient and one of 30 outstanding educators across the U.S. being honored with the Award this school year. 

“The most important work in our schools is performed by talented and dedicated educators who inspire and support their pupils every day,” Superintendent Horne said. “These teachers are my heroes! Congratulations to Angelica Garcia for her exceptional service to Arizona students and for this prestigious and well-earned Milken Educator Award.” 

Today Garcia joins a national network of over 3,000 Milken Educators spanning the Awards’ nearly 40-year history as the nation’s preeminent teacher-recognition program. Hailed as the “Oscars of Teaching,” the Awards initiative has no formal application or nomination process. Outstanding K-12 educators are sought out while early to mid-career for what they have achieved—and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the Award. 

This season will reach more than $76 million in individual cash prizes since the Awards’ first presentation in 1987 and over $146 million invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall, empowering recipients to broaden their impact and encouraging young, capable people to consider a career in education. 

More About Angelica Garcia 

Solution-Oriented Approach: Angelica Garcia brings a calm, steady confidence to Westwood Elementary, where she is a self-starter who sees a need, finds solutions and elevates everyone around her. As the school’s academic coach, she supports teachers across kindergarten through fourth grade with positivity, humility and deep instructional expertise. Whether preparing teams for instruction, motivating and supporting staff, or building schoolwide systems, Garcia leads with heart and purpose every day. 

An Analytic Mind: Garcia is known for transforming data into meaningful action. She guides teachers in analyzing student performance and using that information to drive instruction, resulting in improved outcomes for learners across the school. In English language development, she oversaw high-intensity intervention cycles resulting in high growth. Through the district’s adoption of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching’s Learning Standards as the foundation of student-centered coaching, Garcia has helped create a shared instructional language school- and districtwide. Her one-on-one coaching is equally powerful, reflected in the positive student outcomes from pre- and post-assessments. 

Well-Rounded Support: Garcia’s leadership extends beyond coaching. She has served on the district’s Essential Standards Committee, led the Teacher Assistant Team, and facilitated diverse professional development opportunities. She contributes to multiple school and district committees, mentors new teachers, and trains instructional assistants in intervention and testing systems. As a Student Council mentor, she connects students with leadership and service opportunities, from morning announcements to campus beautification projects. 

Education: Garcia earned two degrees from Grand Canyon University: a Bachelor of Science in elementary education in 2017 and a Master of Arts in curriculum and instruction in 2020. She also earned a Master of Education in leadership of pre-K-12 educational organizations from American InterContinental University in 2024. 

The Milken Educator Award Reaps Lifelong Benefits

• The $25,000 cash Award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their children’s or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.
• Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around specific topic areas; and Activating Milken Educators (AME) promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs. Milken MeetUps abound across the nation to deepen learning and connection and expand innovation in education.
• The honorees will attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum June 12-14 in Washington, D.C., where they will network with their new colleagues, as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders, about how to further develop their voice into roles that lead to real change.
• Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels. 

Follow the Milken Educator Awards tour and use the #MilkenAward hashtag on: YouTube (MilkenAward)| Facebook (MilkenEducatorAwards)| Instagram (MilkenFamilyFdn)| TikTok (MilkenAward)| X (Milken) | LinkedIn (MilkenFamilyFdn). 

Visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772 for more information.

About the Milken Educator Awards: “The Future Belongs to the Educated”
The first Milken Educator Awards were presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987. Created by philanthropist and education visionary Lowell Milken, the Awards provide public recognition and individual financial rewards of $25,000 to K-12 teachers, principals, and specialists from around the country who are furthering excellence in education. Recipients are heralded in early to mid-career for what they have achieved and for the promise of what they will accomplish. The Milken Family Foundation celebrates more than 40 years of elevating education in America and around the world. Learn more at MFF.org.

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