Conceived and created by Lowell Milken, the Milken Educator Awards (MEA) is the nation’s preeminent teacher recognition program. Over 2,900 exemplary teachers, principals and specialists have been surprised with individual, unrestricted prizes of $25,000 since 1987, totaling over $70 million. Recipients of the Award are surprised in ceremonies in front of their colleagues and students, often during all-school assemblies. In front of cheering students, proud colleagues, distinguished officials and the media, each recipient is thanked for their contributions to education, both for what they have accomplished and for their future potential. Often called the “Oscars of Teaching,” the awards have even inspired admiring students to ask recipients for autographs! And while the celebrity treatment is well-deserved, the Awards aren’t all about the glitz and glamour. They’re about bringing attention to these classroom heroes, serving at once as validation, motivation and inspiration to current and future quality educators.

Recipients are heralded early to mid-career for what they have achieved—and for the promise of what they will accomplish in the future. Honorees join the national Milken Educator Network, gaining access to game-changing development tools and a powerful cohort of education professionals. The Network is a valuable resource to those shaping the future of education. Veteran Milken Educators frequently go on to leadership roles at state, national and international levels.  

Research shows that teacher quality is the driving in-school factor behind student performance. In fact, the most effective teachers produce up to five times the learning gains of those least effective. And in an era when U.S. students must increasingly compete with students worldwide for opportunities, the Milken Educator Awards' motto has never been more salient: “The future belongs to the educated.” Find out more at www.milkeneducatorawards.org/