Milken Educator Award
American education award program
The Milken Educator Awards is an educator recognition program in the United States that provides unrestricted grants of $25,000 cash to teachers deemed successful, in surprise ceremonies. Created in 1985 by education reformer and philanthropist Lowell Milken and first presented in 1987, this initiative of the Milken Family Foundation has presented awards to over 2,900 teachers across the United States, averaging around 30-40 teachers per year. Teacher Magazine nicknamed the program the "Oscars of Teaching." The award currently gives $25,000 in unrestricted funds to teachers who are early in their career, or mid-career, to reward them "for what they have achieved—and for the promise of what they will accomplish in the future." Recipients are ambushed at school assemblies or other public events to be publicly celebrated with the surprise announcement of the awards. For example, in January 2016, a Hawaii high school science teacher was "shocked" to receive the award, given at a school-wide assembly.
History
Since its founding and first award presentation, the Milken Educator Awards has recognized over 2,900 teachers with awards that include an individual, unrestricted cash prize of $25,000. Through the program, the Milken Family Foundation has awarded over $74 million to the award recipients.
Selection process
There is no nomination process to be considered for the Milken Educator Award. Candidates are confidentially recommended to the Foundation by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by each state's department of education.
Qualifications
Based on guidelines established by the Foundation, participating states' departments of education appoint blue-ribbon committees that recommend candidates for selection. Identification and selection procedures are confidential, and the program does not include a formal nomination or application procedure.
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