The Milken Family Foundation, in cooperation with BJE, established the Jewish Educator Awards program in 1990 as an adjunct to the Foundation's Milken National Educator Awards program.

Each year, the program gives public recognition and financial awards to teachers, administrators and other education professionals who have made significant contributions to excellence in education in day schools affiliated with BJE.

These educators reflect the highest ideals of Jewish and secular education, fostering the lifelong pursuit of knowledge and nurturing a value system that can guide students through adulthood.

Recipients also demonstrate an outstanding ability to develop Jewish children's understanding of the connections between their religion, their classroom activities and their life outside of school.

Goals

Outstanding educators who continue to learn are essential to the fostering of student growth, the improvement of schools and the enhancement of the education profession. Hence, the goals of the Jewish Educator Awards are:

• To honor and reward outstanding Jewish day school educators for the quality of their teaching, their professional leadership, their engagement with families and the community, and their potential for even greater contribution to the healthy development of children.

• To increase public support and recognition for Jewish day school educators who make outstanding contributions to the development of their students.

• To increase public awareness of the importance of their role in the community and in society.

• To encourage able, caring and creative people to choose the challenge, service and adventure of education as a career.

Selection

The Program annually offers four awards of $15,000 each to educators based upon their demonstrated excellence as teachers, administrators or other education professionals who work directly with students and other teachers.

The award recipients are selected by a committee of educators, professional and lay leaders from the Jewish community who have a long-standing concern for and involvement with education in Jewish schools.

To be eligible for consideration, educators must teach a minimum of 15 hours per week at the K–12 level and they must have been teaching for a minimum of seven years in a BJE-affiliated school.

The criteria considered for the selection of Jewish Educator Award recipients include:

• Exceptional educational talent and promise, as demonstrated by outstanding practices in the classroom, school and community.

• Evidence of originality, dedication and capacity for leadership and self-direction.

• Commitment to influencing policies that affect children, their families and schools.

• Strong long-range potential for even greater contribution to children, the profession and society.

• Distinguished achievement in developing innovative educational curricula, programs and/or teaching methods.

• Outstanding ability to instill in students character and self-confidence.

• Outstanding ability to develop Jewish children's understanding of the connections between their religion, their classroom activities, and their activities beyond the classroom.

• Commitment to professional development and excellence and the continuing Judaic and/or secular study necessary for it.

• Personal involvement in responding to the needs of the Jewish and secular communities.

• Criteria for administrators also include outstanding ability to attract, support and motivate committed education professionals.