RI Teacher Named One Of Nation's Best Educators

BURRILLVILLE, RI — A Rhode Island teacher received an award from a national nonprofit recognizing her as one of the best in the nation.

In a surprise assembly Tuesday, Nancie Lawrence, a reading specialist at Steere Farm Elementary School in Pasacoag, received a $25,000 Milken Educator Award for her work creating a welcoming and rewarding learning environment for her students.

Lawrence, who was formerly a third-grade teacher at the school, challenges her students to think deeply and work hard for results. Her students' overall ELA proficiency rate on the 2019 state exams was 53 percent, compared with 33 percent for the state and 30 percent for the Burrillville district.

Gov. Daniel McKee and Rhode Island Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green joined Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Jane Foley to surprise Lawrence with the national honor, which includes an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize.

Lawrence will join a national network of more than 2,800 Milken Educators and education leaders across the U.S.

"Working with elementary-aged students takes a unique combination of warmth, patience, creativity and passion. Foley said in a statement. "Nancie Lawrence brings all of this and more to her students every day. Her commitment to involve parents, students and teachers in the learning process creates strong bonds in the classroom — and results in excellence for her students."

Lawrence is among more than 60 educators nationwide to receive the recognition during the 2021-2022 school year, and only one of two recipients in Rhode Island.

"Incredible Rhode Island educators like Steele Farm Elementary School’s Nancie Lawrence make a positive difference in lives every day," McKee said. "I join Nancie's loved ones, students, and colleagues in congratulating her on this prestigious recognition as a Milken Educator Award recipient and thanking her for going above and beyond for her school community in so many ways."

Hailed as the "Oscars of Teaching," the Milken Educator Awards celebrate the unique stories of educators making a difference in their students' lives. The awards are not designated for lifetime achievement. Recipients are heralded while early to mid-career for what they have achieved — and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities inherent in the award

Oprah Winfrey, a longtime education advocate, shared her congratulations to this year’s winners in a video message shared earlier this year, thanking “the most incredible educators around the country" and acknowledging her appreciation for the "tireless work" they do.