The Illinois State Board of Education is now accepting nominations for the 2020-21 Teacher of the Year awards, which recognize the best of the teaching profession in Illinois, and the Those Who Excel awards, which honor people who have made significant contributions to public and nonpublic elementary and secondary education. District 97 is currently seeking nominations for the following award categories:
Teacher of the Year
- Teacher of the Year - Outstanding teachers at all levels and subject-areas in an Illinois public or nonpublic school with five or more years of experience. Illinois Teacher of the Year nominees who teach the following are eligible for both Illinois Teacher of the Year and the following ancillary awards:
- Bilingual Teacher of the Year
- Early Childhood Teacher of the Year
- Special Education Teacher of the Year
- Outstanding Early Career Educator* award - teachers with one to four years of experience.
Anyone—including colleagues, staff, administrators, students or parents—can nominate as long as they can attest to the qualities the educator possesses that makes them worthy of state recognition.
Those Who Excel
- Administrator - includes district superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, coordinators, directors or others whose responsibilities are more than 50 percent administrative.
- Team - includes teams of teachers or administrators, civic organizations, parent organizations, school boards, booster clubs, etc.
- Community vounteer
- Student support personnel - includes school nurse, psychologist, social worker, guidance counselor or speech/language therapist.
- Educational service personnel - includes aides/paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, custodians, administrative assistants, bus drivers, crossing guards, resource officers, etc.
Anyone—including colleagues, staff, administrators, students or parents—can nominate as long as they can attest to the qualities the individual possesses that makes them worthy of state recognition. Submit nominations through our new streamlined online portal.
Start the Nomination Process
The district can only submit two entries per category. If there is someone you believe should be considered to represent the district in one of the categories, please send a brief blurb (one or two paragraphs) about the individual, why you are nominating him/her, and how he/she embodies the district's vision and supports the aspirational goals we have for our students to [email protected] by Monday, April 27.
Please visit www.isbe.net/elevatingeducators for additional information about the awards.