After years of work and research in education reform, teacher quality and student outcomes, in 1999 Lowell Milken founded TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement, a proven, comprehensive school reform to attract, develop, motivate and retain the best talent for the American teaching profession. As a result of TAP’s rapid growth, powerful outcomes and increasing demand from schools, districts and states, in 2005 Lowell Milken established the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) as an independent public charity to support and manage the TAP system nationwide. 20 years later, NIET’s record of raising student achievement and closing achievement gaps in high-need schools is widely recognized as the longest-standing, most proven means to improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement within individual classrooms, schools and districts across the nation.
By focusing on the most powerful lever for change—educator effectiveness and the leadership that supports teachers—NIET has partnered with schools, districts, states and schools of education to build educator excellence and give all students the opportunity for success. Collectively, NIET's work—spanning school improvement solutions, teacher and leader development, the TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement, rubric and observation systems, principal support and higher education educator preparation partnerships—has positively impacted more than 275,000 educators and 2.75 million students.
Find out more at www.NIET.org
“If we are to achieve the promise of education for all young people, we must focus reform efforts on talented teachers and principals—people who are the heart and soul of education, the inspiration for the young people they teach. Yes, if we are to make education the answer for every young person in our nation, then we need to find ways to elevate the teaching profession by providing powerful opportunities for advancement, professional growth and competitive compensation.” - Lowell Milken
