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In the midst of the 2024 holiday season, a Charlotte educator has another special reason to celebrate. Vanessa Smith, a first grade teacher at Croft Community School, was named a national Milken Educator Award winner on Wednesday, receiving a $25,000 prize. Smith is North Carolina’s 57th recipient of the Milken Award since the honor began in 1987.
The Croft Community School Colts gathered to celebrate recent academic gains – or so they thought. Following remarks from Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Deputy State Superintendent Dr. Derrick Jordan, Milken Educator Awards Vice President Stephanie Bishop took the stage to surprise Smith with the prestigious recognition and the unrestricted cash prize to be used however she likes.
“Vanessa Smith’s creative instructional practices not only positively impact her students,” State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said, “but also inspire her fellow educators. Using tailored instructive methods, Smith ensures students’ academic needs are met, creating a positive impact on their growth. Her commitment to professional development for educators across Croft Community School uplifts the entire school, its students and future Croft Community Colts. By modeling innovation, collaboration and a relentless dedication to student success, Smith exemplifies the profound value educators like her bring to our schools and communities.”
Using innovative methods like singing memorable chants and songs, Smith establishes a solid foundation for literacy and math development that will serve her first grader students well as they continue their educational journeys. Students frequently demonstrate increased proficiency and significant growth from the beginning to the end of the school year.
Smith is active in professional development throughout her school and community through mentoring beginning teachers, hosting new and veteran teachers in her classroom for observation and helping the Professional Learning Community (PLC) prepare for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills.
Smith became the first-ever teacher in residence for “Classroom Central,” where she represented teachers across North Carolina’s southwest region as a teacher leader on the board, making educational decisions that impact her peers while providing a voice for equity in education. At the district level, she has presented on the impact of the pandemic in Title I schools.
Smith is National Board Certified. She earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary and special education from Seton Hall University in 2019.
The Milken Family Foundation bestows the award annually to recognize exceptional early-to-mid career education professionals. Candidates for the award are identified through a confidential selection process and then reviewed by blue ribbon panels appointed by state departments of education. Those most exceptional are recommended for the award, with final approval by the Milken Family Foundation.
Along with the $25,000 prize, recipients join the national Milken Educator Network, a group of nearly 3,000 top teachers, principals and specialists. The network serves as a rich resource for fellow educators, legislators, school boards and others dedicated to excellence in education.
The honorees will also attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in April 2025, where they will network with their new colleagues, as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to increase their impact on K-12 education.
In addition, they will learn about how to become involved in the Milken Friends Forever (MFF) mentoring program, in which new Milken Educators receive personalized coaching and support from a Milken Educator veteran on ways to elevate their instructional practice and take an active role in educational leadership, policy and practice.
Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels. The Milken Educator Award is not a lifetime achievement honor. Recipients are sought out while early to mid-career for what they have achieved – and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the award.
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