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Milken Family Foundation Surprises Milton Public Schools Teacher with $25,000 Milken Educator Award

MA Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester joined in the presentation of an “Oscar of Teaching” to James Moonan from Pierce Middle School

Video: http://milkeneducatorawards.org/newsroom/videos/view/4693
Photos: http://milkeneducatorawards.org/newsroom/photos/view/398 

November 13, 2013

When James Moonan, a sixth grade math teacher at Pierce Middle School in Milton, Massachusetts, entered the gymnasium for a schoolwide assembly this morning, he had no idea that he was about to experience the surprise of a lifetime. In front of cheering students, colleagues and invited guests, Moonan, who had attended Pierce as a middle school student nearly 20 years ago, heard his name announced as a 2013 Milken Educator Award winner.

The honor, which includes an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000, was dubbed “The Oscars of Teaching,” by Teacher Magazine. Joining Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester to present the state’s 2013 Milken Educator Award was Dr. Jane Foley, senior vice president, Milken Educator Awards. This prestigious Award will be bestowed upon up to 40 of the most exceptional educators across the country and Mr. Moonan is the only teacher in Massachusetts to be honored as a 2013 Milken Educator Award recipient.

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“Our public education system is at the heart of America’s promise and essential to safeguarding the American dream for future generations,” said Lowell Milken, chairman and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation. “With research confirming that effective teachers represent the single most important school-related factor in raising student achievement, it is important to honor them, learn from them, and inspire more capable people to enter the profession. As the program’s motto extols, the future belongs to the educated.”

About the Recipient

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When James Moonan walks the halls at Pierce Middle School, he feels right at home. Not just because he’s the 6th grade math teacher, but he was also a student there nearly 20 years ago. He’s reminded every day what it is like to be in middle school, and it’s this insight that gives him the caring and commitment to help his students achieve.

And achieve they do. His unique teaching style means that each of Moonan’s classes is student-centered, where the students own the curriculum and Moonan is “simply” the facilitator. This allows him to differentiate his instruction so that every child has an opportunity to showcase his or her talents and accentuate their individual learning styles. One colleague notes that Moonan is a prime example of the saying, “If kids don’t learn how you teach, then teach how they learn.” By taking advantage of technology such as SmartBoards, cell phones and calculators – plus adding large doses of real-life experience – Moonan helps make math more relevant to students. His dedication to learning has certainly paid off. In results from the 2012 Math MCAS, Moonan’s Median Student Growth Percentile was 63.5. Additionally, the 6th grade math team’s Composite Performance Index (CPI) was 92.2, and his students’ individual CPI was 93.1 out of 100.

One of the qualities that makes Moonan an exceptional educator is his drive for continuous improvement through professional development. He spent several all-day Saturday sessions at a local university learning how to better support “struggling learners,” as well as honing his professional training on how to creatively teach decimals and fractions. True to his generous nature, Moonan excitedly shared this new knowledge with colleagues at both the school and district-wide levels.

He firmly believes in participating in as many levels of school life as possible. He is a summer school math teacher; a trusted adult who meets regularly with students to assist them with academics, as well as social challenges; a new-teacher mentor; a leader who worked diligently to revise the math department curriculum and establish the school’s common assessment and data-use structure; someone who enthusiastically calls parents to tell them about the good deed their child did that day or an improvement on a test. Moonan has also served on the Site Council, the Math Team, and as advisor to the anti-bullying club after collaborating with a guidance counselor to write the curriculum. While he was a student at Milton High School, he played varsity baseball and was team captain in 2001. Today, he’s still active in MHS sports, serving as head varsity baseball coach and junior varsity baseball coach. Someday, it’s highly likely that he’ll be coaching his current 6th graders when they’re in high school. It’s this level of attention to the whole student – mind, body and spirit – that makes him an exceptional teacher.

Details

The Milken Educator Awards, conceived by Lowell Milken to attract, retain and motivate outstanding talent to the teaching profession, is the nation’s preeminent teacher recognition program. Since 1987, the Milken Family Foundation, co-founded by Michael and Lowell Milken, has devoted more than $136 million in funding to the Milken Educator Awards, including over $64 million in individual Awards to nearly 2,600 recipients plus powerful professional development opportunities and networking with leading education stakeholders.

Massachusetts Milken Educators

Massachusetts joined the Milken Educator Awards program in 1997.
$1,000,000 cash awards presented to 40 Massachusetts Milken Educator Award recipients.

For More Information

Milken Educator Awards Website: www.MilkenEducatorAwards.org
Massachusetts Department of Education Website: http://www.doe.mass.edu/
Milton Public Schools Website: http://www.miltonps.org/
Milken Family Foundation Website: www.mff.org
Follow the Awards on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

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