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Award Notification:  Joni Readout (IA '17)

Master Teacher Joni Readout Wins IA Milken Award

Why are students, staff and a slew of visiting dignitaries crowded into Central Decatur's gym? Iowa Department of Education Director Dr. Ryan Wise and Dr. Gary Stark, chief executive officer of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, are speaking at the assembly, congratulating the school on its academic achievement growth. But there's another reason for the event, which comes to light when Stark, representing the Milken Family Foundation as a 2001 Milken Educator from Arkansas, surprises TAP Master Teacher Joni Readout with Iowa's 2017-18 Milken Educator Award and $25,000. Click to watch the outstanding educator's big surprise.