Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Vol. 41, No. 66

November 1 , 2007

“Treat” to Remember: Surprise! Blue Springs High School Teacher

Wins $25,000 Milken Award

Sara Crump, an English and language arts teacher at Blue Springs High School, was – to her shock and delight – the center of attention at an all-school assembly this morning when she was named a winner of the 2007 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.

Ms. Crump did not know that she was being considered for the honor – which includes an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000 – when her name was announced by Richard Sandler, executive vice president of the Milken Family Foundation.  Missouri Commissioner of Education D. Kent King assisted with the announcement.     

Ms. Crump taught in the Independence School District for 13 years before joining the Blue Springs High School faculty two years ago.  She is already regarded as an exceptional and inspirational teacher by her students and colleagues. 

Ms. Crump teaches English and writing in grades 10-12 and also teaches courses at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she is planning to begin work on her doctoral degree.  She is a member of the school district’s communication arts committee for grades 6-12.  

She is regarded as a demanding and creative teacher who establishes positive relationships with all types of students; and she is credited with inspiring numerous students to become teachers. The Milken National Educator Award provides public recognition to teachers, principals and specialists who are furthering excellence in education.  The program alternates each year between elementary and secondary educators. New recipients are taken completely by surprise during schoolwide assemblies overflowing with proud students, colleagues, an entourage of local and state officials and news media.

“Teachers have the most important jobs in America,” says Milken Family Foundation Chairman and Co-Founder Lowell Milken. “We entrust them with the enormous responsibility of preparing our young people with the skills, knowledge and experiences needed to be successful in a most challenging 21st century. The Milken Educator Awards say, in a very public way, that greatness in education must be recognized and rewarded.”

Research has shown that the single most important school-based factor driving student performance is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. The most effective teachers produce as much as five times the learning gains of the least effective teachers.

Including this year’s selections, since its inception, the Milken Educator Awards have recognized more than 2,300 educators with more than $58 million. The 2007 recipients will receive their $25,000 checks during the Milken National Education Conference that will be held in Los Angeles next spring.

Missouri has participated in the Milken Educator Award program since 1996, under the coordination of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.    Two Missouri teachers will be honored in 2007, and a total of 39 outstanding educators have been recognized since Missouri joined the national program.

Before an audience of national business, government and education leaders, the newest Milken Educators will be honored at a gala Awards ceremony so spectacular that it has been dubbed by Teacher magazine as “the Oscars of teaching.” They will also join the Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,300 distinguished educators, whose expertise serves as a valuable resource to fellow educators, legislators, school boards and others shaping the future of education.

Award Criteria

Unlike most teaching awards, the Milken Educator Awards have no formal nomination or application process.  Educators are recommended for this prestigious honor without their knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by each state’s department of education. Candidates for the awards are selected on the basis of the following criteria: 

• Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by effective instructional practices and student learning results in the classroom and school;

 

• Exemplary educational accomplishments beyond the classroom that provide models of excellence for the profession;

 

• Strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership; and 

 

• Engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community.

 

For more information about the Milken Educator Awards and the surprise notification events held throughout the United States, contact the Milken Family Foundation.