National Finalists Announced in NFTE’s Model Teacher Challenge
NEW YORK (PRWEB) June 19, 2018 -- NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship) has announced the national finalists in the Model Teacher Challenge, a highly competitive annual challenge issued to teachers across the U.S. who teach NFTE courses to middle school and high school students. For more than 30 years, NFTE’s award winning entrepreneurship curriculum has been activating the entrepreneurial mindset in youth from under-served communities. Last year alone, the organization reached more than 35,000 students in the U.S. and another 40,000 abroad.
The NFTE Model Teacher Challenge (MTC) is a national competition that challenges educators to perform at the highest levels in order to promote consistent student achievement and entrepreneurial mindset growth. The MTC has identified top teachers in school districts across the country who are each stellar examples of highly skilled, disciplined and passionate educators. This cohort demonstrates effective classroom management strategies, sound pedagogical content knowledge, data-driven decision-making, and a belief that growing a student's entrepreneurial mindset can change their life trajectory.
The 2018 national finalists are:
- Connie Moore-Kelly, a math and entrepreneurship teacher at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, CA
- Danny Gray, a business teacher at Thornwood High School in South Holland, IL
- Jodie Woodruff, an entrepreneurship teacher at the Metropolitan Regional Technical and Career Center in Providence, RI
- Ka-Ling Scoppettone, a business teacher and department chair at Silver Creek High School in San Jose, CA
- Ray Parris, a teacher at Hialeah Miami Lakes Technical Magnet School in Miami, FL
- Stephen Thomas, a business teacher at the Seagoville Pathways in Technology (P-TECH) Early College High School in Dallas, TX
The MTC seeks to encourage the development of exemplary teachers through creative incentives and opportunities for professional development and collaboration. The current competition cycle began last fall, at the start of the school year, then the field of competitors was winnowed down through regional semi-final and final rounds over the past six months.
The six national finalists named today are in the running for the MTC’s $25,000 top prize. The winning teacher receives $20,000 and their school receives $5,000 to fund resources that support entrepreneurship education. The national winner will be announced at NFTE's Entrepreneurial Teacher Summit next month.
Shawn Osborne, President and CEO of NFTE, says, "We place a high value on the role of the teaching profession in increasing student achievement. The educators participating in the Model Teacher Challenge exemplify the kind of teaching we believe can benefit every young person. They're nurturing the development of the entrepreneurial mindset in their students and they're truly changing the lives."
The Model Teacher Challenge is made possible through the support of the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, a private philanthropy that promotes entrepreneurship education as a driver of economic growth and innovation.
About NFTE
NFTE is an internationally recognized nonprofit that activates the entrepreneurial mindset in young people. NFTE’s Entrepreneurship Pathway program integrates the development of the entrepreneurial mindset with academic and industry skills to ensure that all NFTE youth are career-ready. Research shows that the entrepreneurial mindset—skills including innovation, self-reliance, comfort with risk, communication, and problem-solving—prepares young people for lifelong success. Equipped with the mindset, as well as the business and academic skills that NFTE teaches, NFTE students are ready to thrive in the innovation economy no matter what path they choose. NFTE focuses its work on under-resourced communities. Through its nationwide network of U.S. offices, NFTE programs reached almost 35,000 students in over 1000 schools last school year. Partnerships in eight other countries allowed NFTE to serve an additional 40,000 young people internationally. Learn more at http://www.nfte.com.
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