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Kimberly Educator wins ‘Oscar Award of Teaching'
Posted: 10/11/2011 4:37:13 PM
Kimberly High School technology education teacher Kevin Janota was honored with an “Oscar of Teaching” on Tuesday, being named a Milken Family Foundation award winner. Janota is one of 40 Milken award winners nationwide, an honor Teacher Magazine calls the “Oscars of Teaching.”
From the DPI:
State Superintendent Tony Evers made a visit to Kimberly High School, not just to praise the school’s impressive academic achievements, but to join the recognition of Kevin Janota, the school’s technology education teacher, as the Wisconsin recipient of a 2011 Milken Educator Award. The $25,000 cash award is one of 40 that will be given by the Milken Family Foundation nationwide this year.
“Kevin’s energy for technology education and his dedication to continually improving the tech ed and engineering program for his students make him a respected teacher and colleague,” Evers said. “He is among the top education leaders in our state and nation and a deserving recipient of the Milken Educator Award.”
Over the past seven years, Janota has taken what was once a very typical technology education course at Kimberly High School and developed it into a highly rigorous, college-level, technology education and engineering program centered on hands-on, project-based curriculum that uses cutting-edge technology. The program is widely popular among students and has garnered the admiration of many in the community. His students work together to plan, design, build, and operate Rube Goldberg machines and supermileage vehicles, and ultimately compete with their creations against other students around the country.
Janota was selected as a Milken Educator without his knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel and the Milken Family Foundation. Recipients are selected on the basis of numerous criteria, including exceptional educational talent shown through 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.
“Our public education system is at the heart of America’s promise and is essential in safeguarding the American dream for future generations,” said Lowell Milken, chairman and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation. “With research confirming that an effective teacher is the single most important school-related factor in raising student achievement, it is clear to see the critical role that outstanding teachers play in shaping our country. We created the Milken Educator Awards to proclaim in a very public way that greatness in education must be recognized and rewarded. As the program’s motto extols, the future belongs to the educated.”
“While the Milken Educator Award shines a spotlight on exemplary teachers, it also serves as a beacon illuminating ever-expanding opportunities and new pathways of leadership,” said Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Educator Awards, who announced the award.
This is the 25th year the Milken Family Foundation has conducted a national notification tour to announce Milken Educators. This is the 13th year the foundation has presented an educator award in Wisconsin. The awards program is intended to attract, retain, and motivate outstanding talent to the teaching profession. Since inception, the program has awarded more than $63 million to more than 2,500 educators. In addition to the monetary award, the educators are invited to join the Milken Educator Network, a voluntary association of exemplary educators and business leaders, whose expertise serves as a resource to fellow educators, legislators, school boards, and others who are shaping the future of education.
The Milken Educator Awards were created to recognize and reward the highest caliber professionals in our nation’s schools. The Milken Educator Awards program, dubbed the Oscars of Teaching by Teacher Magazine, is the largest educator awards program in the nation. For more information, visit the Milken Family Foundation website at http://www.mff.org.