(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – LaMesa Marks-Johns, Ed.D., a teacher at Shacklette Elementary School in the Jefferson County school district, is Kentucky's newest recipient of the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, which includes a financial reward of $25,000.
Marks-Johns was notified of her award today, when Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit and representatives from the Milken Family Foundation visited her school.
Marks-Johns has been a teacher for five years and is a member of Shacklette's Instructional Leadership Team, the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan Committee and the CHAMPS school discipline program committee. She is active in the community, working with youth through her church and a community center.
Marks-Johns was nominated for the award by Shacklette Principal Mary Keith, who said that she " … is dedicated to ensuring that all students succeed academically. She has very high expectations for all students in the classroom and is an outstanding educator. Our school's writing, reading and science scores have all gone up since she began teaching 4th grade."
At the Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference in Los Angeles next May, Marks-Johns will receive a check for $25,000. There are no restrictions on the use of the award -- the winners may use the money in any way they choose.
The award provides public recognition and a cash reward to elementary and secondary school teachers, principals and other education professionals. The foundation was established in 1985, and the first awards given in 1987. Kentucky has participated since 1993, with 47 recipients since then. This year, up to 100 educators from 48 states and the District of Columbia were selected as winners.
The Milken Educator Network is a voluntary association of nearly 2,000 Milken Educators and other exemplary educators and business leaders from across the country who are dedicated to improving teacher quality and utilizing research and expertise to shape education policy at state and local levels.
The Milken Family Foundation was established in 1982 to discover and advance inventive and effective ways of helping people help themselves and those around them lead productive and satisfying lives. The Santa Monica, California-based foundation advances this mission primarily through its work in education and medical research.
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