NASBE Friend of Education Award
The National Association of State Boards of Education recently awarded Robert S. Marshall the 2003 Friend of Education Award.
The award—which recognizes non-education related businesses and individuals that make significant contributions to public education—was presented at the annual NASBE conference on Oct. 18.
Mr. Marshall is the president and CEO of the Gaithersburg, Md.-based AWS Convergences Technologies, which operates the largest network of weather stations in the world.
He was honored for the development of the first online technology inventory system under Maryland’s Plan for Technology in Education. The company also created WeatherNet Classroom, a Web-based weather teaching tool for schools.
National Social Studies Award
The National Council for the Social Studies honored four teachers with its Teacher of the Year Awards. The awards honor social studies teachers in grades K-12 who demonstrate unique classroom teaching techniques, encourage the development of democratic values, and help students become good citizens.
The winners, who will be honored at the NCSS conference on Nov. 14, each receive a $2,500 award. The recipients are listed below alphabetically.
Linda C. Gunsaulis, Arnett Elementary School, Arnett, Okla.; Merrell Franklin, Berendo Middle School, Los Angeles; Geraldine Hastings, Catonsville High School, Catonsville, Md.; Leslie Wallace Skinner, Richland Northeast High School, Columbia, S.C.
NEA Teaching Excellence Awards
Five public school teachers have been recognized by the National Education Association for excellence in teaching. The winners, who were presented the Horace Mann-NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence, each received a $10,000 cash award and financial assistance to attend the organization’s awards gala in December when one of the five finalists will receive an additional $25,000 award.
The winners are listed below alphabetically.
Wendy Doromal, Timber Creek High School, Orlando, Fla.; Tommy O’Briant Freedman II, Peterson Elementary School, Red Springs, N.C.; Marian Galbraith, West Side Middle School, Groton, Conn.; Jolene Hyatt, La Junta Primary School, LaJunta, Colo.; Vaughn Tokashiki, Benjamin Parker Elementary School, Kaneohe, Hawaii.
Ford Foundation Leadership Awards
The Ford Foundation recently honored individuals from three educational programs with Leadership for a Changing World Awards. The awards recognize leaders who create social change in their communities.
The foundation awarded each program a $100,000 grant and an additional $15,000 each to support the programs over the next two years. The recipients are listed below by program.
Chicago Arts Partnership in Education: Arnold Aprill.
Parents United for Responsible Education, Chicago: Johnny O. Holmes, Wanda Hopkins, Ismael Vargas, Julie Woestehoff.
Low-Income Families’ Empowerment Through Education, Oakland, Calif.: Sylvia Cabrales, Heather Jackson, Leilani Luia, Anita Rees, Diana Spatz.
Partnership Awards
The National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore recently awarded ten 2003 Partnership Awards. The awards recognize NNPS members that utilized research-based tools to run school improvement partnership programs linking schools, families, and communities.
The winners are listed below by category.
Partnership State Award: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Partnership District Awards: Local District B, Los Angeles Unified School District; Local District F, Los Angeles Unified School District; Naperville Community Unit School District 203, Naperville, Ill; Saint Paul Public Schools, St. Paul, Minn.
Partnership School Awards: Arminta Street Elementary School, North Hollywood, Calif; Early Childhood Center, Chaska, Minn.; Highlands Elementary School, Naperville, Ill.; Roosevelt Elementary, St. Paul, Minn.
Partnership Organization Award: Families In Schools, Los Angeles.
Other Honors and Awards
Last week, the Council of Chief State School Officers presented its Distinguished Service Award to Lawrence W. Lezotte, a national education consultant and spokesman on school improvement and research.
Mr. Lezotte received the annual award, which honors outstanding Americans, at a banquet on Nov. 7.
