Annapolis High School Teacher Wins $25K Milken Award

ANNAPOLIS, MD - From Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Annapolis High School math teacher Allison Felton arrived at an assembly Wednesday expecting to celebrate the school’s efforts to create avenues of wellness for students and staff. A short time later, however, Felton learned that she was the focal point of the assembly, and her stellar work earned her $25,000 and a Milken Educator Award from Michael Milken, co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation, who traveled from California to personally deliver the news, according to a school district news release.

The tougher the problem, the more satisfying the solution. That's what students learn in Felton's algebra classes at Annapolis High School. And it's a larger life lesson as well, as Felton works with high-needs, behaviorally challenged students who come through with flying colors, and higher test scores, after taking her classes.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Felton said minutes after her name was announced. “This is overwhelming. This is the only place I’ve ever taught and it’s special. The support I receive here from (Principal Sue) Chittim and my colleagues is just amazing. Just knowing that I have this support system here … my team, my department chair, everyone has just supported me.”

Felton is the only Maryland recipient of the award and one of 44 nationwide this year.

“Allison Felton is a true rock star,” Chittim said in a district news release. “She truly understands the need for a rigorous mathematics education and supports that regardless of the readiness level of her students. She is committed to increasing their knowledge base and preparing them both for the next most rigorous course and for any assessments.”

Felton is in her sixth year of teaching. She has been the school’s lead Algebra I teacher for the last three years, helping to prepare students not just to meet graduation requirements, but to exceed them.

“Allison has led this team with a vision for student success,” Chittim said. “She is a natural leader of her peers and of students, and her drive and passion have earned her respect from peers, administrators and, most importantly, her students and their families.

A short time after the assembly ended, Felton spoke of the relationships she believes are key in her classroom.

“I tell my students I’ve got their backs 24/7,” Felton told a district spokesperson. “I tell them that we’re going to struggle through this together. I try to run my class as honest as possible. The kids know I’m never going to sugar-coat anything. I think they respect that, and they trust me, and they work really hard for me.”

The Milken Educator Awards, hailed by Teacher magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching” has been opening minds and shaping futures for 30 years. Research shows teacher quality is the driving in-school factor behind student growth and achievement, says the foundation in a news release. The initiative not only aims to reward great teachers, but to celebrate, elevate and activate those innovators in the classroom who are guiding America’s next generation of leaders.

Aiding high-performing students as well as their more-challenged peers, Felton has lifted college readiness levels at Annapolis by promoting critical thinking skills, global awareness and student engagement. Boosting her AP students’ academic test results and increasing the size of her school's International Baccalaureate program, Felton's eclectic and adaptable approach incorporates anything and everything that works, including: innovative teaching strategies, data-driven student assessments and new educational technologies, Milken officials said.

"Great teachers like Allison Felton prove every day that education is the best investment America can make," said Milken.

About Milken Educator Allison Felton

At Annapolis High School, students know that Felton will do whatever it takes to help them succeed in math. The district places a strong focus on ninth-grade success; Felton was hand-picked to work with ninth-graders on the Early Warning Indicator list, students who struggle with attendance, behavior and grades. Despite their struggles in other classes at the high-needs, highly diverse school, they all thrived in and passed Felton’s Algebra I class.

Felton’s students showed 20% growth from 2015 to 2016 in Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) year-end assessments for Algebra I. She works equally well with both high- and low-performing students: In the three years Felton has taught AP Calculus at AHS, an International Baccalaureate (IB) World school, she has increased both the average AP exam score and the size of the program.

In her classroom, Felton uses multiple IB Middle Years Program (MYP) strategies. Students answer debatable, conceptual and factual questions; employ reciprocal questioning, where students quiz their peers on class content; and exemplify “thinking in action” by sharing questions with the class on large white boards. As a member of the school’s MYP Synergy team, Felton has led school-wide professional development on IB tenets like increasing the effectiveness of global awareness, as well as educational technology, instructional strategies, data tracking and assessment, and strategies to support kinesthetic learning. Felton leads the AHS Algebra I team, which has become a beacon of success around the county and now works with the Algebra I teams at two other high-needs schools in the district.

Felton has written Algebra I curriculum used throughout the district and helped schedule review sessions at AHS for PARCC assessments and AP tests. She acts as the backup department chair when needed, mentors pre-service teachers, and was one of two classroom teachers asked to participate in structured walk-throughs as part of the principal’s rating process. Felton co-chaired a 12-day Summer Bridge program AHS hosted for rising ninth graders, managing the educational activities, staff budget, field trips and logistics of daily breakfast and lunch for 130 students.

Felton earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 2010 and a master’s in teaching in 2011 from the University of Pittsburgh.

Felton’s honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 top teachers, principals and specialists dedicated to strengthening education. In addition to participation in the Milken network, 2017-18 recipients will attend a Milken Educator Forum in Washington, D.C., March 20-23. Educators will have the opportunity to network with their new colleagues and hear from state and federal officials about maximizing their leadership roles to advance educator effectiveness.

The Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards program provides public recognition and financial rewards to elementary and secondary schoolteachers, principals, and other education professionals who are furthering excellence in education. By honoring outstanding educators, the program strives to attract, develop, motivate, and retain talented people to the challenge and adventure of teaching.

Also on hand to honor Felton were Gov. Larry Hogan, Speaker of the House Michael Busch, State Superintendent of Schools Karen Salmon, Board of Education President Julie Hummer, board member Maria Sasso, Anne Arundel County Public Schools Superintendent George Arlotto, County Executive Steve Schuh, and Annapolis Alderwoman Sheila Finlayson.

Photos and video courtesy of Milken Family Foundation