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STEM Innovator and School Leader Cassandra Batson Rockets to Stardom with $25,000 Milken Educator Award

Lowell Milken names Rockville educator as sole honoree in Maryland this school year

November 13, 2026

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The daughter of immigrants from Vietnam, Cassandra Batson of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (CESJDS) learned at an early age that education is the answer to achieving the American Dream. Today, Batson was announced as a national Milken Educator, joining the ranks of a prestigious network of more than 3,000 professionals spanning coast-to-coast and contributing to a 40-year legacy of shaping the future of K-12 education. 

At a vibrant school assembly, Lowell Milken, founder of the Milken Educator Awards, surprised the middle school principal and head of the upper school campus with the recognition before cheering students, colleagues, community leaders and media. In gratitude to the extraordinary dedication educators make to bettering the lives of others, the Award comes with an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize Batson can use however she chooses. 

Batson worked as a classroom teacher and STEM coordinator at CESJDS before becoming an administrator. She is Maryland’s sole 2026-27 Milken Educator Award recipient and the first honoree from Rockville since 1998. Overall, Batson is the 69th Milken Educator since the state joined the Awards initiative in 1993. 

“Outstanding educators like Cassandra Batson have the most important job in our country. They not only prepare students for academic success, but also instill in them intellectual curiosity, confidence, a compassion for others, and a commitment to contributing productively to our global society,” said Lowell Milken. “I thank Cassandra for choosing education as a profession and look forward to the possibilities that will arise for her as she becomes a member of the national network.”

The Milken Educator Awards, celebrating 40 Years of Elevating Educators and honoring up to 30 recipients for 2026-27, have no formal applications or nominations. Exemplary 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. 

Since the Awards’ first presentation in 1987, more than $76 million in individual cash prizes and over $147 million has been 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 Cassandra Batson

Early Background: From pioneering STEM initiatives to fostering a collaborative school culture, Cassandra Batson has made a lasting impact on Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, where she serves as middle school principal and head of the upper school campus. With 15 years in the profession, Batson has expanded innovative STEM learning opportunities and programming while strengthening relationships among faculty, students and families. Raised outside Denver, she began her career teaching middle school science in the district she attended before moving to Maryland in 2016. The daughter of immigrants who came to the U.S. from Vietnam in the 1980s, Batson developed an early appreciation for education as a gateway to a bright future.

Hands-On Learning Sparks Higher-Order Thinking: At CESJDS, Batson distinguished herself through her engaging science instruction and meaningful connections with students. As the first upper school STEM coordinator, she designed curriculum; led a Sunday STEM series, Innovation Minimester Seminars, STEM Center Fellowship, and the STEMinism club; and oversaw schoolwide STEM events. She also established the annual High School STEM Conference, introducing students to STEM careers and emerging ideas through keynote presentations, discussions with professionals and hands-on activities. She then extended the experience to middle school students. Batson became the first teacher to introduce a Candea Initiative elective, bringing social entrepreneurship into the middle school curriculum. She also chaired the middle school math and science departments and served on campus-level leadership and operational teams before advancing to her current role.

A Trusted Instructional Leader: Batson creates an environment where academic achievement and students’ social and emotional development go hand in hand. She encourages students to embrace their identities, pursue their interests and approach challenges with confidence. Equally committed to mentoring and supporting faculty, Batson makes teachers feel heard, respected and empowered. Colleagues praise her as a source of guidance and inspiration, affectionately calling her a “unicorn principal,” while families value her warmth and spirit of partnership, and students look to her as a trusted leader.

Education: A graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, Batson earned double Bachelor of Arts degrees in biochemistry, and molecular, cellular and developmental biology, in 2010, and a Master of Arts in science curriculum and instruction in 2014.

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; Activating Milken Educators (AME) promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs; and the Milken Educator Collective connects recipients with shared content areas, grade levels, or professional roles. 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 from June 4-6, 2027, in Washington, D.C., where they will network with their new colleagues, as well as veteran Milken Educators and other leaders, about how to amplify their voices as beacons of excellence in the profession.
• Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels. 

The Milken Educator Award might come to a community near you! Who will be next? Join us as we surprise these remarkable individuals and celebrate their dedication to excellence in education! Follow the tour and use the #MEA40 and #MilkenAward hashtags 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 over four decades of elevating education in America and around the world. Learn more at MFF.org.

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