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New Jersey Middle School Teacher Surprised in Lawrenceville With First $25,000 Milken Educator Award of 2025-26

Lawrence Middle School’s Jeanette Capritti is the first of 30 educators nationwide to be honored with the Milken Educator Award this school year

October 15, 2025

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — And we’re off: the 2025-26 National Milken Educator Awards tour has officially launched in Lawrenceville, New Jersey! In an all-school assembly this morning at Lawrence Middle School, seventh grade English language arts teacher Jeanette Capritti received the surprise of a lifetime: a $25,000 Milken Educator Award. Surrounded by cheering colleagues, students, dignitaries and media, Capritti was celebrated as the sole recipient in New Jersey this season and the first ever in Lawrence Township Public Schools history. 

Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Dr. Jane Foley took the stage to present Capritti with the Award, alongside New Jersey Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer. Capritti is New Jersey’s 39th recipient since the Garden State joined the Milken Educator Awards program in 2002. 

“Congratulations to Jeanette Capritti, whose exceptional dedication and passion for teaching shines in everything she does for the benefit of colleagues, students and the community,” said Dr. Foley, who is a 1994 Indiana Milken Educator herself. “Her instructional innovation, captivating classroom environment, and broader leadership and mentorship highlight why she will make a meaningful addition to the Milken Educator Network.” 

Today Capritti 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. 

“The Milken Educator Award is one of the most prestigious recognitions in education, shining a spotlight on the extraordinary talent and dedication found in our classrooms. Jeanette Capritti’s selection as New Jersey’s latest recipient is a powerful affirmation of her innovative teaching on writing and literacy, and her unwavering commitment to student success,” said Education Commissioner Dehmer. “Her achievement reflects the very best of our state’s educators, and we are proud to celebrate her as a model of excellence.” 

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 Jeanette Capritti 

Innovative Instruction: Jeanette Capritti leads with excellence, purpose, and heart as a seventh grade English language arts teacher at Lawrence Middle School in Lawrenceville. Known for her magnetic energy and instructional creativity, she creates a classroom environment where students are inspired to think deeply, write authentically, and grow both academically and personally. Her innovative teaching includes immersive events—like sci-fi “book tastings,” where mood lighting, music, and thought-provoking questions draw students into the genre—and the use of personal, student-led storytelling to foster voice, structure, and identity. 

Achieving Academic Gains: Capritti’s efforts to foster critical thinking, student ownership, and meaningful engagement have led to measurable success. Her students consistently demonstrate significant growth in reading and writing as measured by the NJSLA, with exceptional student achievement results. 

Exemplary Leadership: Beyond the classroom, Capritti devotes lunch periods to tutor students, volunteers to chaperone student dances, and teaches literacy through the Summer Destinations Program to enhance academic success. She has led the development of a “Writing 2.0” elective course to strengthen student writing skills and designed grade-level common assessments and curriculum. This work has contributed to measurable growth on the NJSLA for the seventh grade cohort. She also leads professional development in her district on best practices in writing instruction, which are carefully designed to be cross-curricular and accessible for teachers in any content area. Capritti mentors student teachers from Rider University and guest lectures at The College of New Jersey, where she inspires aspiring educators with her knowledge, passion and experience. Her experience in curriculum, care for students, and teacher support make her a trusted and respected voice in her school and district. 

Education: Capritti earned a Bachelor of Arts in English secondary education in 2019 and a Master of Education in literacy in 2024, both from The College of New Jersey. 

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 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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