Batavia teacher tapped for National Education Award

Jennifer Erickson, a third-grade teacher at Alice Gustafson Elementary School in Batavia, has been tapped for the 2016 California Casualty Award for Teaching Excellence.

Erickson is among 42 public school educators who will be honored at the National Education Association Foundation's annual Salute to Excellence in Education Gala, Feb. 12 in Washington, D.C. More than 850 leaders from public education, philanthropy, and the private sector are expected to gather.

Most awardees hold advanced degrees, many are state Teachers of the Year and recipients of other awards, and some are certified by the National Board for Professional Standards.

The state winners were nominated by their NEA affiliates. Each educator's school will receive a $650 award.

Awardees are invited to participate in the Global Learning Fellowship, a yearlong professional development program to build global competency skills and undertake international field study. Fellows create global lesson plans that are shared with educators on open-source platforms.

“We honor these outstanding educators, who truly deserve our recognition and thanks, and we empower them to transform the profession by driving innovation that leads to positive student outcomes,” said Harriet Sanford, NEA Foundation president and CEO. “As Global Learning Fellows, our awardees receive high caliber professional development opportunities that benefit their students, colleagues, and the field.”

The NEA Foundation and the National Education Association jointly present the awards.

Five finalists will be selected from among the 42 state awardees to receive $10,000 cash awards. One finalist will be named the nation's top educator and receive another $25,000 at the gala.

“Educating our youth is so critically important. California Casualty is proud to partner with the NEA Foundation to pause and celebrate excellence in teaching,” said Beau Brown, chairman and CEO of California Casualty.