Last week, Florence Drake Elementary School teacher and soccer coach Jason Murray was given the Milken Educator Award along with a $25,000 cash prize to use however he wants. Murray teaches third and fourth grade at the Sparks elementary school and joined 2,900 other instructors across the nation who are equally dedicated to strengthening the educational system in America. The award was presented to Murray by Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, Public Instruction Superintendent Jhone Ebert, and Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken.
“Through his active engagement, impressive results and effective leadership in and out of the classroom, Jason Murray is making an indelible impact on students, colleagues and the community,” Lowell Milken stated in a press release. “What’s more, Jason has already demonstrated himself as a champion for motivating other capable people to join the profession. It gives me great pleasure to welcome Jason into the national Milken Educator Network of excellence, where he will have the opportunity to expand his reach.”
The Milken Educator Awards were established through the Milken Family Foundation in 1987 to provide public recognition and $25k cash rewards to principals, specialists, and teachers who serve at elementary and secondary schools across the nation. Its near 3,000 recipients are touted in their career for what they have achieved in the past and what they promise for the future regarding elevating the education of their students, equaling about $73 million given out in individual awards. The significant cash reward is unrestricted, meaning that recipients can spend that money however they want. Past beneficiaries have spent their funds on things like continuing either their children’s or their own education, creating scholarships, adopting children, and financing dream field trips for their students.
Along with national recognition and the cash prize, honorees are invited to attend an all expenses paid trip to the Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in April and may join the Milken Friends Forever mentoring program to receive personalized support and coaching from a designated Milken Educator veteran. Unlike other teacher recognition programs, Milken Educator Awards recipients are found through a confidential selection process and does not involve a formal application process or nomination. Candidates are reviewed by state-specific blue ribbon panels where the exceptional candidates are recommended with the final selection made directly by the Milken Family Foundation.
What stands out about Jason Murray’s method of teaching is his way of designing interactive lessons using technology to keep his students engaged, and monitoring that on a personal, daily basis to adjust his lesson plans as needed. Murray helped implement a “Walk to Learn” program that involves teachers sharing the ownership of student outcomes and was instrumental in raising Drake Elementary’s ELA proficiency from 48 to 70 percent in the years 2018-2022. In the 2021-22 school year, Murray’s 82 percent student math proficiency was the second highest among the Washoe County School District’s Title I elementary schools, earning Drake Elementary the National Blue Ribbon School achievement in 2022.
Murray graduated with a bachelor’s degree from University of Nevada, Reno in 2003 specializing in elementary education and went on to receive a Master of Education from Grand Canyon University in 2007. As a soccer coach at Drake Elementary, Murray also reminds students that they must hone their skills in improving their education as equally as they do on the field.
“I’m thankful we have innovative and dedicated teachers like Jason Murray,” said Nevada Superintendent Ebert. “Jason is known for his engaging lessons and strategically using technology to support student learning. Thanks to his hard work and ingenuity, his students are developing the future-ready skills they need. I can’t wait to see what he does next.”
For more information about the Milken Educator Awards, visit https://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/.
Congratulations Jason Murray!
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