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Arkansas Educator Honored With Milken Educator Award—and $25,000—for Innovative Leadership and Dedication to Student Success

LISA Academy North Middle-High School’s Jaime Garcia celebrated at surprise assembly

November 05, 2025

North Little Rock, Ark. —  A schoolwide assembly at LISA Academy North Middle-High School in North Little Rock took a surprising turn today when the Milken Family Foundation entered the gymnasium for a special announcement: Jaime Garcia, the school’s dean of academics, is the newest Milken Educator Award recipient. The prestigious recognition comes with an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000. Dr. Joshua Barnett, representing the Milken Family Foundation as CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, was joined by Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva to present the Award to Garcia before a gymnasium of cheering students, educators, dignitaries and media. 

“We are proud to recognize extraordinary educators like Jaime Garcia, whose dedication to this school and student body sets a national standard for excellence,” said Dr. Barnett. “We celebrate Jaime today, not only for his outstanding leadership, but also for his deep passion to help every student at LISA Academy North Middle-High School thrive.” 

Garcia is the sole Arkansas recipient for 2025-26 and the state’s 84th recipient since Arkansas joined the Milken Educator Awards program in 1991. 

“From the classroom to the front office, Jaime Garcia has made excellence the standard,” said Secretary Oliva. “His leadership and commitment inspire both students and educators to aim higher, think deeper and never settle for average. Congratulations to Jaime Garcia on this great honor!” 

The Milken Family Foundation’s 2025-26 tour will honor 30 educators coast to coast – adding to the Milken Educator Network of more than 3,000 professionals nationwide. Created by philanthropist and education visionary Lowell Milken in 1987, the Milken Educator Awards represent America’s preeminent educator recognition initiative, inspiring educators, students and communities to “Celebrate, Elevate and Activate” the K-12 teaching profession. By the end of this season, more than $76 million in individual financial prizes and more than $146 million will have been invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall. 

Outstanding educators like Garcia are not aware of their candidacy for the Award. Recipients 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. 

More About Jaime Garcia 

Leading with Calm Strength and Support: Students and teachers at LISA Academy North Middle-High School rely on Jaime Garcia’s calm, supportive presence to help advance student achievement to new heights. As the dean of academics, Garcia oversees curriculum alignment, instructional coaching, state assessment coordination, and data analysis of student performance. Leading with a solution-oriented, data-driven mindset—drawn from his experience as a math instructional coach and secondary math teacher—Garcia mentors teachers, observes classes, guides professional learning community (PLC) implementation, and develops leaders through enrichment programs and structured support. 

Encouraging Mentor for Students and Staff: With an aptitude for math, Garcia’s ability to take the “fear factor” out of the subject for students has served him well. He implemented a math mentorship program that benefits students across several grades: in small groups, middle school students grow their confidence and math skills with the help of senior class mentors, who enjoy early release Fridays for their participation. Garcia encourages students to flex their math muscles outside of the classroom, whether through the school’s career readiness leadership program (CRLP) in math or on the school’s MathCounts team, which he has led to compete in consecutive state competitions. During his tenure at LISA Academy, Garcia served on the instructional leadership team (ILT) and on curriculum development committees, while leading professional development sessions and sharing his peer mentorship program at conferences. 

Partners with Parents for Success: Garcia is a welcoming resource at LISA Academy for all students and their families. His ability to communicate with Spanish-speakers has been instrumental to unlocking student success and parent engagement for the school’s growing Hispanic population. Garcia is also a Handle With Care behavior management team member at the school. 

Education: Garcia earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics in 2012 from the University of Arkansas at Monticello and a Master of Science in applied mathematics in 2015 from the University of Central Arkansas. 

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 in Washington, D.C., from June 12-14, 2026, 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 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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