Five recipients recognized for leadership, research, innovation, and meaningful impact on learners and the digital learning community
ATLANTA, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- DLAC – The Community Advancing Digital Learning – today announced the recipients of the 2026 DLAC Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations whose work is advancing quality, innovation, access, and learner success across K–12 digital learning.
The 2026 recipients represent a range of contributions to the field, from creating stronger connections and a sense of belonging for virtual learners to advancing research, strengthening digital learning systems, supporting students and families, and reimagining what a virtual school can be.
"Every year, the DLAC Awards give us an opportunity to recognize the people and organizations doing exceptional work across our field, including some whose contributions often happen quietly behind the scenes," said Allison Powell, Chief Academic Officer of DLAC. "This year's recipients demonstrate that meaningful innovation in digital learning can take many forms. Whether they are building community for thousands of learners, translating research into better practice, creating the systems that allow programs to grow, or finding new ways to make students feel known and supported, they share a commitment to keeping learners at the center of the work. We are honored to recognize their impact."
2026 DLAC Award Recipients:
Susan Matheson
Individual Excellence in Digital Learning Award
Susan Matheson was recognized for her leadership in increasing student engagement and creating meaningful connections across the Stride network of schools.
Through her leadership of the K12 Zone, nearly 199,000 students and staff participated in 3.8 million sessions during the past year. Designed to help virtual learners build friendships and community, the K12 Zone has expanded beyond its original social purpose to support counseling, career exploration, instruction, activities, and thousands of teacher-created experiences.
Matheson's work demonstrates how intentional design can address one of virtual education's most persistent challenges: ensuring students feel connected, supported, and part of a community. Her leadership has brought together engagement, belonging, safety, and innovation at a scale that is having an impact across thousands of learners and educators.
Dr. Rebekah "Becky" Redmer
Research Impact Award
Dr. Rebekah Redmer was recognized for research focused on strengthening the evaluation and professional growth of online educators.
Her work addresses a longstanding challenge in digital learning: traditional teacher evaluation models were largely developed for brick-and-mortar classrooms and may not fully capture the practices associated with high-quality virtual instruction. The Redmer Model provides a research-based framework designed specifically for online teaching, creating a shared language that educators and evaluators can use to examine instructional quality and support professional growth.
The model has already moved from research into practice, including implementation at Jenison Innovation Academy, where it is helping educators and evaluators establish relevant goals, engage in deeper reflection, and have more meaningful conversations about instructional improvement. The work demonstrates how research can directly influence practice while providing a framework with potential application across the broader digital learning field.
Mike Agostinelli
Unsung Super Star Award – Individual
Mike Agostinelli was recognized for the behind-the-scenes leadership, infrastructure, and systems that have helped Montana Digital Academy (MTDA) grow and serve students across Montana.
His contributions have supported the scaling of MTDA's distance learning programs, expansion of dual-credit opportunities, development of the Digital Learning Clearinghouse and Frontier Learning Lab, and multiple major technology transitions. While students and educators may never see many of the systems and processes that make these programs possible, Agostinelli's work has helped create the foundation on which they operate.
His colleagues described a leader who consistently makes students the "north star" of the work while ensuring others have the tools and support they need to succeed—often without seeking recognition for himself. His impact reflects the spirit of the Unsung Super Star Award: essential leadership that may happen behind the scenes but has a lasting effect on programs, educators, and learners.
Kortni Spaulding
Unsung Super Star Award – Individual
Kortni Spaulding was recognized for her innovative and highly personal approach to supporting students and families at Optima Academy Online.
Spaulding has helped reimagine what counseling and student support can look like in a virtual environment, including facilitating more than 450 virtual reality counseling sessions, building a Parent Teacher Coalition that grew from four families to nearly 300, and developing relationships with more than 75 community partners.
Her work also includes personally supporting families through crises, developing a "Testing Roadshow" to better serve students during assessment periods, using student data to strengthen academic interventions, and preparing other counselors to continue and expand these approaches. As she moves into a broader leadership role, the systems, relationships, and practices she has developed are positioned to continue benefiting students and families throughout the organization.
Prisma
Unsung Super Star Award – School/District
Prisma was recognized for creating a virtual learning model designed around the needs of individual learners rather than recreating a traditional school experience online.
The school combines interdisciplinary project cycles, competency-based badges, individualized coaching, authentic demonstrations of learning, and embedded social-emotional development to create an educational experience that is both academically rigorous and highly relational.
According to its nomination, Prisma learners average 204% annual growth in mathematics, 86% of new learners report making friends within their first six weeks, and the organization has maintained 100% coach retention year over year.
The nomination also highlighted Prisma's success in re-engaging learners who had previously felt disconnected from school. By combining academic innovation with meaningful relationships, learner agency, and a strong sense of community, Prisma offers an example of how digital learning environments can be intentionally designed to help students feel seen, challenged, supported, and excited to learn.
Recognizing Excellence Across Digital Learning
The DLAC Awards recognize individuals, schools, programs, organizations, and researchers whose work is making a meaningful contribution to the digital learning field. Award recipients are selected through a nomination and review process involving members of the digital learning community.
The 2026 recipients are being recognized during DLAC Ignite, held October 19–21, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. Winners receive complimentary conference registration, a DLAC Award trophy, conference recognition, and opportunities to share their work with the DLAC community throughout the coming year.
Additional information about the DLAC Awards and this year's recipients is available at deelac.com/awards.
About DLAC
DLAC – the Community Advancing Digital Learning – brings together educators, school and district leaders, researchers, policymakers, organizations, and partners committed to advancing high-quality digital learning opportunities for all learners.
Through conferences and events, research and publications, professional learning, community engagement, advocacy, and the National Standards for Quality, DLAC connects and supports the people and organizations shaping the future of K–12 digital learning.
For more information, visit www.deelac.com.
Media Contact
Lauren Mass, DLAC, 1 6163408066, [email protected], www.deelac.com
SOURCE DLAC
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