A WESTERN IOWA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HAS RETURNED FROM WASHINGTON D.C. AFTER RECEIVING A NATIONAL HONOR FOR HER WORK MENTORING TEACHERS AND IMPROVING STUDENT EDUCATION.
JILL RIDDER WAS PRESENTED WITH HER UNRESTRICTED $25,000 CASH PRIZE FROM THE MILKEN FAMILY FOUNDATION FOLLOWING HER SURPRISE NOTIFICATION IN JANUARY AT THE WOODBINE SCHOOL WHERE SHE WAS HANDED THE MILKEN EDUCATOR AWARD.
SHE WAS ORIGINALLY TOLD THE SCHOOL WAS BEING HONORED FOR IMPROVED TEST SCORES.
MORE THAN 75% OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS IN WOODBINE ARE PERFORMING AT LEAST A YEAR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL IN READING OR MATH.
RIDDER IS THE ONLY IOWA EDUCATOR SINGLED OUT FOR THE NATIONAL AWARD THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
THE ALL-EXPENSES-PAID TRIP TO D.C. AND $25,000 CASH PRIZE WERE PART OF EACH EDUCATOR’S AWARD, WHICH PROVIDES LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP TO THE NATIONAL MILKEN EDUCATOR NETWORK, MENTORSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND ACCESS TO A BRAIN TRUST OF OVER 3,000 MILKEN EDUCATORS WORKING TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF K-12 EDUCATION.
Photo from Milken Family foundation
