Literary Review
Awards and Recognition for Exceptional
By Hans A. Andrews
Oct 17, 2007 - 10:08:27 AM

Book Review: Awards and Recognition for Exceptional

Teachers

By Hans A. Andrews, EdD – Author

Every K-12 school and community college should have a teacher recognition program – yet less than half have one!

The need for Awards and Recognition for Exceptional Teachers, K-12 and Community Colleges came out of a national study that Dr. John Erwin, President of Illinois Central College, and I conducted a few years ago. We found that over 45 percent of the community colleges that responded to our survey on faculty ‘recognition programs’ had such a program! We assumed that this figure must be much higher as over 40 percent of the 1,100 community colleges declined to participate in the study.

Further research in a national study of K-12 schools, conducted with over 23,000 teachers, identified 50 percent of the respondents’ schools lacking in any form of teacher recognition programs.

In addition, the number one response received from teacher respondents was one award given to teachers in their schools in any given year. This fact alone provides evidence that a large number of outstanding teachers would never receive proper recognition for their excellence in teaching prior to their retirement!

Awards and Recognition for Exceptional Teachers is the only comprehensive book that has been written on the topic of providing awards and recognition for our K-12 school and college outstanding teachers. I consider this to be a companion book to my last book, Accountable Teacher Evaluation! Toward Highly Qualified and COMPETENT Teachers which lays the groundwork of having competent teacher evaluation processes as a basis for teacher recognition, improvement needs of teachers and remediation or dismissal for those teachers either neglecting or proving to be unable to deliver quality instruction and student outcomes.

Awards and Recognition for Exceptional Teachers provides a philosophy about why recognition is so important as a basic human need. It shows why recognition programs, and not merit pay, has been much better received as a way to provide proper recognition for outstanding teachers throughout the U.S.A. and other countries.

Sample individual community college recognition programs as well as several national teacher recognition programs are presented.

A state-by-state presentation of K-12 recognition programs is outlined. In addition, National K-12 awards and recognition programs such as the National Teacher of the Year, Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), Milken National Educator Awards, The National Teachers Hall of Fame and numerous other programs.

International recognition programs in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and several other countries have been researched and programs outlined in the latter chapters of the book.

Award winning teachers are quoted throughout the book. These quotes highlight the significance of the recognition and awards they received as well as identify what motivates them to continue their outstanding teaching performances.

It is my hope that this book will provide the stimulus for the thousands of K-12 school districts and community colleges that presently lack programs, or have ‘token’ programs now, to learn why they are important. Providing documentation on how recognition programs assist in the retention of outstanding teachers, help recruit strong teachers into those districts offering teacher recognition, and lead to the improvement of student learning outcomes should make this a valuable resource for every K-12 and community college administrator, faculty member and governing board member.

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Dr. Hans Andrews retired as President of Olney Community College after years as a Business Teacher, Director of Guidance and Counseling, Dean of Instruction and part-time university professor. He presently holds the title of Distinguished Fellow in Community College Leadership with Olney Central College in Olney, Illinois. He is the author of six books and over 85 professional journal articles on quality in education topics.

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Awards and Recognition for Exceptional Teachers; K-12 and Community College; Programs in the U.S.A., Canada and Other Countries, is available through Matilda Press http://www.matildapress.com/ for $24.95; ISBN 9-791581-070872; it can also be ordered through numerous national and international internet book stores.