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Claire Furukawa (HI '91) was an English teacher for 31 years, and in her career, through her vision and persistence, she was able to convince stakeholders of the benefits of heterogeneous grouping and cooperative learning. At the time of her Award, she was a high school English teacher at Kalani High School in Honolulu.

In addition to receiving the Milken Award, she was honored as Honolulu’s District Teacher of the Year and Outstanding Secondary Educator of America.

Featuring:

Claire Furukawa (HI '91)

Articles

Milestones

Dr. Ernie Adkins (WV '98) Named WV Assistant Superintendent of the Year
Dr. Ernie Adkins (WV '14)
Jay Forrest (SC '01) Recognized with the Order of the Palmetto
Jay Forrest (SC '01)

Quotes

"I won $25,000. No, this is not an April Fools joke—I'm on camera right now, and there are a lot of people listening to you!"

— Taylor Matyas, on speakerphone with her husband at her surprise Milken Award notification

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Taylor Matyas (NJ '21)
Instructional Coach

In Memoriam

About Connections

Connections amplifies the voices of Milken Educators by focusing attention on the work and experiences of excellent educators across the nation. Through articles written by and about the work of Milken Educators, as well as features exploring classroom technology, strategies, education news and more, Connections sparks meaningful conversations about education.

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