It’s that time of year again–please consider nominating Mineral Point educators for the following awards. They are some of the most prestigious honors that can be earned in the state. Please read below for details on the two categories, Fellowship and Leadership.
Kohl Educational Foundation Fellowship Award
Teacher nominations for the 2021 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Fellowship Award can now be obtained from http://www.kohleducation.org/teacherfellowship/public/nominate_a_teacher.php. The deadline for submission is October 13, 2020 at 5 pm.
Fellowships are $6,000, with an additional $6,000 grant going to the school of each Kohl Fellow. Established in 1990, the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation awards 100 Fellowships annually from among all applicants throughout the state.
NOMINATION PROCESS
Nominations will only be accepted online at the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation website. Once nominated, a principal will receive an email notification of his or her nomination, and also receive a link to begin the application process.
Teachers must be nominated for a Fellowship to be eligible to compete for a Fellowship. Teachers can be nominated by students, parents, other teachers, community members, or administrators. Because the program’s purpose is to recognize the contributions of Wisconsin classroom teachers, staff members whose assignments are administrative or supervisory are not eligible. All PK-12 classroom teachers who plan to continue teaching in their current or similar capacity for a minimum of 50% full-time equivalency during the 2021-2022 school year are eligible to be considered for the 2021 award.
Special services teachers are also eligible. Special services teachers are those who serve in a PK-12 capacity other than that of a classroom teacher. Like classroom teachers, they must have daily face-to-face contact with students. Teachers employed as virtual school teachers associated with a school district are also eligible for nomination. Special services roles can include, but are not limited to: special education, gifted and talented (or other exceptional needs), instructional resource or interventionist, speech language pathologist, school counseling, school psychologist, school nurse, school social worker, or instructional media personnel.
Pre-school teachers must teach in a Pre-K program that is affiliated with an elementary school or school district, must be employees of the district, and must be a licensed teacher in Wisconsin.
Previous Fellowship recipients are ineligible. Applicants who have been nominated in the past but not selected as a Fellowship recipient may apply again if nominated.
SELECTION PROCESS
Once verified as complete, applications will first be reviewed regionally at either the teacher’s Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA), or for teachers in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), through the MPS District Office. CESA agencies will reach out and create Regional Selection Committees, to include students, parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, civic and business leaders, and local newspaper people. Teachers will be notified by their CESA or MPS Regional Selection Committee whether or not they have progressed to the Statewide Selection Committee.
Successful 2021 applicants’ materials will be forwarded to a State Selection Committee by Tuesday, January 5, 2021. Applicants not advancing to the Statewide Selection Committee will be notified by their CESA agency or MPS. Representatives of the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation, CESAs and MPS, the Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, the Wisconsin Parents Association, and state education-related associations serve on the State Selection Committee. Applicants who have reached the Statewide Selection Committee will be contacted in late February, 2021 with the results.
Kohl Educational Foundation Leadership Award
Nominations for the 2021 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Leadership Award can now be obtained from http://www.kohleducation.org/principalleadership/public/nominate.php. The deadline for submission is October 13, 2020 at 5 pm.
Leadership awards are $6,000, with an additional $6,000 grant going to the school of each selected Herb Kohl Leader. The Herb Kohl Educational Foundation awards 16 Leadership Awards annually from among all applicants throughout the state.
NOMINATION PROCESS
Nominations will only be accepted online at the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation website. Once nominated, a principal will receive an email notification of his or her nomination, and also receive a link to begin the application process.
Principals must be nominated for a Kohl Leadership Award to be eligible to compete for a Leadership Award. Principals can be nominated by students, parents, other teachers, community members, or school district administrators. Because the program’s purpose is to recognize the contributions of Wisconsin school building administrators, assistant principals (including administrative or supervisory roles such as Dean of Students), district administrators and superintendents are not eligible.
Additionally, previous Herb Kohl Principal Leadership Award recipients are ineligible, however, an applicant who has previously received a Kohl Student Scholarship when in high school or a Teacher Fellowship is still eligible. Principals who have been nominated in the past but not selected as a Leadership Award recipient may re-apply if nominated. Nominations must be submitted on the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation website.
A principal does not need to be an Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA) member to be eligible for a Principal Leadership Award.
SELECTION PROCESS
AWSA will review each applicant’s packet for necessary materials and completeness. Successful applicants’ materials will be forwarded to a State Selection Committee. Representatives of the Kohl Educational Foundation, CESAs and MPS, the Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, and state education-related associations serve on the State Selection Committee. Applicants nominated for the 2021 award, and have reached the Statewide Selection Committee level, will be contacted in early 2021. Award recipients will be notified of their selection by the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation in late February, 2021. AWSA will choose the public school Elementary and Secondary Principal of the Year from among recipients of the Herb Kohl Leadership Award.