Amanda Raupe of Putnam City Schools Named 2016-17 Oklahoma Milken Educator
Hilldale Elementary teacher earns $25,000 for setting first-graders up for success
OKLAHOMA CITY (January 10,
2017) — Hilldale Elementary School in Putnam City Schools — the
fifth-largest school district in Oklahoma — is known for turning around student
achievement. Today, an all-school assembly was turned on its head when
first-grade teacher Amanda Raupe was called to accept a $25,000 Milken Educator
Award for her contributions to the school’s significant achievement growth.
Raupe is the only Milken Educator Award recipient for Oklahoma this year
and among up to 35 honorees who will receive the prestigious honor nationwide
for 2016-17. This season marks the 30th year of the Milken Educator
Awards, hailed by Teacher magazine as
the “Oscars of Teaching.”
Milken Family Foundation Senior Program Administrator Greg Gallagher presented
the recognition to Raupe, joined by State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Joy Hofmeister, Oklahoma Secretary of Education and Workforce Development Natalie Shirley and Putnam City Schools
Superintendent Dr. Fred Rhodes.
“Amanda Raupe is a hands-on leader and mentor who goes the
extra mile for students and colleagues,” said Dr. Jane Foley, senior vice
president of the Milken Educator Awards and a 1994 Milken Educator from
Indiana. “From providing her first-graders with a solid foundation for success
to sharing best practices with fellow faculty, Amanda has served as a valuable
team player in Hilldale’s progress. I congratulate her on this well-deserved
honor and warmly welcome her into the Milken Educator family.”
Raupe is the grade-level team leader and a school
leadership team member. She is considered a vital contributor to turning
Hilldale — a high-poverty pre-K through fifth-grade school — around. In addition,
more than half of the students are English learners (ELs). As such, Raupe
dedicates core classroom time to phonics and phonemic awareness, as well as
refines her math instruction with a grant she received from the Oklahoma
Educators Credit Union. Students catch up in her class, with each surging up at
least four levels on reading assessment tests in one year, and many jumping to
eight levels — double the expected growth rate.
Hilldale’s
student achievement progress in reading and math over time recently earned it
the designation of Oklahoma Reward School and raised its state report card
grade from a D in 2012 to a B in 2015. Raupe familiarizes her students with
assessments early on, studying data regularly and using it to create small,
flexible learning groups that change as students reach their learning targets.
“Teachers are the most important people in the schoolhouse
for lifting student outcomes. Clearly, Amanda has set the bar high,” said
Hofmeister. “She goes above and beyond to ensure that her students’ needs are
met, and as a lifelong learner, is always pursuing new ways to excel at her
craft. We are incredibly proud of Amanda and her dedication to the
schoolchildren of Oklahoma.”
“Foundations for college- and career-readiness can’t start
early enough, and Amanda’s dedication to developing strong readers at an early
age goes a long way toward preparing our youth for a bright future and closing
the workforce gap in our state,” said Shirley, who is also president of
Oklahoma State University at Oklahoma City. “We’re thrilled with her success
and proud that a home-grown teacher from the Oklahoma State University system
has made a significant impact on so many lives in such a short time.”
Raupe
is known as a go-to person at Hilldale for thoughtful, high-impact ideas born
of intense research. Solutions-oriented, she has led recent changes in the
school’s literacy program, poring over new textbooks and materials and studying
the rubric in order to make data-driven, substantive recommendations. Raupe
mastered the LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling)
curriculum, completed its training modules, and helps colleagues implement the
new curriculum in their classrooms.
“Amanda Raupe exemplifies the commitment and excellence of the finest of the teaching profession,” added Rhodes. “She knows children deserve our love, compassion and respect, our unflagging energy and our best efforts. She nurtures her students while also understanding that her preparation and skill as a teacher will help her young students succeed in school and life. Too often the important, incredible work of teachers like Amanda goes without acknowledgement. That’s why it’s wonderful to have the Milken Educator Awards shine a light on the good that teachers do.”
Raupe’s
expertise and mentoring capabilities extend to Putnam City Schools and the
community at large. She is a member of the district’s English Language Arts
curriculum team, has mentored future educators from nearby universities and
has contributed to presentations at national literacy conferences.
Raupe
earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Oklahoma State
University in 2011.
More information about Raupe, plus links to photos and
a video from today’s assembly, can be found on the Milken Educator Awards
website at http://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/educators/view/amanda-raupe.
Milken
Educators are selected in early to mid-career for what they have achieved and
for the promise of what they will accomplish. In addition to the $25,000 prize
and public recognition, Raupe’s honor includes membership in the National
Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 top principals, teachers
and specialists dedicated to strengthening education.
In addition to participation in the
Milken Educator Network, 2016-17 recipients will attend a Milken Educator Forum,
March 23-25, 2017, in New Orleans. Educators will have the opportunity to
network with their new colleagues and hear from state and federal officials
about the importance of maximizing their leadership roles to advance educator
effectiveness.
More than
$138 million in funding, including $68 million in individual $25,000 awards,
has been devoted to the overall Awards program, which includes powerful
professional development opportunities throughout recipients’ careers. Many
have gone on to earn advanced degrees and be placed in prominent posts and on
state and national education committees.
The Awards alternate yearly between elementary and
secondary educators. Unlike most teacher recognition programs, the Milken
Educator Awards has no formal nomination or application process. Candidates are
sourced 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.
Past
recipients have used their Awards to fund their children’s education or their
own continuing education. Others have financed dream field trips, established
scholarships and even funded the adoption of children.
To get regular updates on the surprise Milken
Educator Award events, follow and use the #MilkenAward hashtag on Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram. The Milken Educator Awards tour is on social media at www.facebook.com/milkeneducatorawards, www.twitter.com/milken, www.youtube.com/milkenaward, and http://instagram.com/milkenfamilyfdn.
For more
information about the Milken Educator Awards, visit www.MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call
MFF at (310) 570-4772.
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