Teaching Profession News in Brief

U.S. Educator Awarded Global Teacher Prize

By Jordan Moeny — March 24, 2015 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A language arts teacher from Maine last week won the Global Teacher Prize that comes with a $1 million award.

A teacher for more than four decades, Nancie Atwell founded and teaches a reading and writing workshop at the Center for Teaching and Learning, a demonstration school she founded in Edgecomb, Maine, in 1990. Ms. Atwell has also been a vocal advocate of the importance of reading books in schools, and particularly of the importance of giving students the freedom and space to engage deeply with books and develop a love of reading.

She was one of three U.S. teachers in the top 10 finalists, out of 1,300 teachers from 127 countries who applied for the Varkey Foundation award. The foundation is the philanthropic branch of Gems Education, a Dubai-based company that works to improve access to education across the globe.

A version of this article appeared in the March 25, 2015 edition of Education Week as U.S. Educator Awarded Global Teacher Prize

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession No, Teachers Don't Take More Time Off Than Other Professionals. Here's How They Compare
Concerns about teacher absences have been voiced for years. New research compares absences between teachers and similar occupations.
5 min read
Illustration of an empty classroom.
Medesulda/DigitalVision Vectors
Teaching Profession 'My Dad Is Nocturnal' And 10 Other Funny Things Kids Have Said to Their Teachers
Kids say the darndest things. That’s why America’s classrooms are full of unfiltered hilarity.
A large amount of glossy painted stones made to look like yellow laughing emojis
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Could Reimagining Teaching Help Teachers Love Their Jobs More? Here’s How
Some districts and schools have created new roles and opportunities for teachers.
6 min read
Tight crop of teacher fist bumping blurred Black school girl.
E+/Getty
Teaching Profession Substitute Teachers Would Like You to Stop Treating Them Like Babysitters
A research review found that substitute teachers get little respect and professional training.
6 min read
 Back view of a male teacher in classroom lecturing to elementary school students.
E+