Press Releases    All Press Releases

Columbia Educator Surprised with $25,000 Milken Award

Forest Lake Elementary's Keighley George presented with prestigious national honor for exceptional leadership and innovative teaching methods

February 20, 2025

Columbia, S.C.  — Forest Lake Elementary School's lead interventionist Keighley George thought she was attending a schoolwide assembly this morning in honor of a visit from State Department of Education officials, but instead, she received a heartwarming surprise. George was presented with the Milken Educator Award, a prestigious national honor hailed as the "Oscar of Teaching" and recognizes exceptional educators for their dedication to excellence in education and leadership. Created by philanthropist and education visionary Lowell Milken, the honor includes an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize that the recipient may use however they choose. The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joshua Barnett presented the Award on behalf of the Milken Family Foundation. 

"Today we celebrate and honor Keighley George for her positive impact on the lives of Forest Lake Elementary students and their families," said Dr. Barnett. "Keighley's influence on her students' growth and her outstanding leadership throughout her school, district and community are shaping the future of education in South Carolina. Congratulations, Keighley!" 

George was honored as part of the Milken Family Foundation's 2024-25 Milken Educator Awards season. The tour will honor up to 45 pioneering professionals coast to coast, marking the 3,000^th Milken Educator in the Awards' ranks and celebrating a history of changing lives in communities across America. Since the presentation of the first Awards in 1987, more than $75 million in individual cash prizes and over $145 million have been invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall, empowering recipients to "Celebrate, Elevate, and Activate" the K-12 profession and encouraging young, capable people to consider a career in education.

"Keighley George has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the success of each and every student at Forest Lake Elementary," said State Superintendent Ellen Weaver. "By providing personalized pathways to success for all students, teaching structured literacy, and using data, she has changed hundreds of lives. Keighley's impact is felt far beyond the walls of Forest Lake, as her leadership and expertise continue to inspire students and educators across her district and South Carolina." 

More about Keighley George 

Tailored Approach Cultivates Confident Students: As a former third grade teacher, George is adept at creatively tailoring her educational approach to students at every stage of learning, ensuring that they are confident in their abilities and achieve academic growth. Through personalized data binders, she tracks academic progress with students and encourages them to self-reflect and set goals for improvement. George's growth mindset is the foundation for meaningful, productive relationships with students, parents, and fellow educators. 

Data-Driven Strategies Create Pathways for Academic Success and Personal Growth: George's positivity and enthusiasm resonate throughout the school in her work both inside and outside the classroom as part of the school's leadership team and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) site team. She revamped the Response to Intervention (RTI) program—a vital framework designed to deliver high-quality education to students with disabilities and mitigate potential learning challenges. As a passionate advocate for students and their families and highly skilled in teaching structured literacy and multisensory education, George organizes data meetings with classroom teachers to assess individual needs and create pathways for success. She spearheads parent university sessions, during which she provides effective strategies for families to reinforce subject matter covered at school, and hosts family literacy nights to support families in enhancing their children's learning at home. 

Teacher-Leader in Community and Beyond: George's leadership extends to the district and state levels where she has assisted with summer school intervention, served as a supervising mentor to student teachers, served on the faculty advisory council, and conducted professional development for her fellow lead interventionists within the district. She serves on the district curriculum committee, the South Carolina Department of Education Social Studies Alignment Guide committee, and has presented regionally and at the state level on literacy, phonics and social studies. 

Education: George earned her Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Presbyterian College in 2013 and her Master of Education in teaching from the University of South Carolina in 2018. 

The Milken Educator Award Reaps Lifelong Benefits 

• The $25,000 cash Award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their children's or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.
• Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around specific topic areas; and Activating Milken Educators promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs.
• The honorees attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles April 1-3, 2025, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to broaden their impact on K-12 education.
• Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels. 

The Milken Educator Award might come to a community near you! Who will be next? Join us as we surprise these remarkable individuals and celebrate their dedication to excellence in education! Follow the tour and use the #MEA3K and #MilkenAward hashtags on: Facebook (MilkenEducatorAwards)| X (Milken)| YouTube (MilkenAward)| Instagram (MilkenFamilyFdn)| LinkedIn (MilkenFamilyFdn)| TikTok (MilkenAward). 

Visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772 for more information.

About the Milken Educator Awards: "The Future Belongs to the Educated"
The first Milken Educator Awards were presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987. Created by philanthropist and education visionary Lowell Milken, the Awards provide public recognition and individual financial rewards of $25,000 to K-12 teachers, principals, and specialists from around the country who are furthering excellence in education. Recipients are heralded in early to mid-career for what they have achieved and for the promise of what they will accomplish. The Milken Family Foundation celebrates more than 40 years of elevating education in America and around the world. Learn more at MFF.org.

---