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Bowling Green Teacher Shane Baker Earns $25,000 Milken Educator Award for Taking on Tech and Student Ownership of Learning

Third grade teacher becomes first Milken Award recipient in Warren County Public Schools

October 26, 2023

Santa Monica, Calif. — Shane Baker, a third grade teacher at Jennings Creek Elementary School in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was surprised at a schoolwide assembly in front of cheering students, colleagues, dignitaries and the media today when he was presented with the prestigious Milken Educator Award.

Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Dr. Jane Foley was joined by Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman and Interim Commissioner of Education Robin Fields Kinney for the festivities. Bestowed by the Milken Family Foundation, the Award comes with an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize and honors exceptional educators across the country for their innovation and excellence. Baker is the first recipient in the Award’s history from Warren County Public Schools.

"At early ages, Shane Baker is turning students into tech stars, equipping them with the skills they need to excel in today's complex, digital world," said Dr. Foley, who is a 1994 Milken Educator herself from Indiana. "Shane's leadership in project-based learning fosters creativity, collaboration, and innovation in his classroom and beyond. I look forward to the expertise he will bring to our national Milken Educator Network."

Hailed as the "Oscars of Teaching," the Awards will honor up to 75 recipients across the country this school year as part of the Milken Family Foundation’s Journey to the 3,000^th Milken Educator. This season will reach $75 million in individual financial prizes spanning the length of the initiative and more than $144 million invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall, empowering recipients to "Celebrate, Elevate, and Activate" the K-12 profession and inspiring young, capable people to pursue teaching as a career.

"I am incredibly honored to be here at Jennings Creek to congratulate Shane Baker on being named a Milken Educator. Gov. Beshear and I understand the valuable impact that educators have on the students that walk through their doors every day. We are proud to be an education first administration. We are committed to strengthening and lifting up the education profession and we are inspired by the work of dedicated teachers like Shane Baker," said Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman.

"Mr. Baker is an exceptional educator, and his dedication to the field of teaching is evident in his daily actions. His commitment to fostering a dynamic and engaging learning environment is remarkable," Coleman said. "He consistently goes above and beyond to create innovative methods of student learning, ensuring that his classroom is a place where every student, regardless of their abilities, feels not just included, but genuinely valued. It's this very ambiance that makes his class a haven for students looking to learn and grow."

"It is great to be in Bowling Green today with the Milken Family Foundation to celebrate Shane Baker, one of Kentucky's outstanding educators. Mr. Baker goes above and beyond what is expected of him as a teacher and a colleague and inspires his students to do the same," Kinney said. "I know teachers do not enter the education profession to gain acclaim or be praised. But what an honor it is to receive this incredible award and be recognized for the exceptional work you do." 

The Milken Educator Award is not a lifetime achievement honor. Recipients are sought out while early to mid-career for what they have achieved – and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the Award.

More About Shane Baker

Innovative Approach to Technology in the Classroom: Using green screens for presentations, creating animated stories, utilizing coding to create 3D printer projects, or incorporating digital tools into multimedia discussions sound like college-level digital skills, but Shane Baker has integrated these high-level digital tools into his third grade classroom! As an EdTech Ambassador for the school district, Baker effectively incorporates technology into his project-based learning curriculum, adeptly adjusting for each student’s unique needs throughout the school year. 

Ensuring All Students Succeed: Baker's classroom is a warm, welcoming place for students of all abilities, and at a school with a high rate of poverty and a significant number of students for whom English is not their first language, Baker uses technology and creativity to create a supportive learning environment for all of his students. What's more, each student is encouraged to own their learning by tracking progress toward both individual and classroom Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound (S.M.A.R.T.) goals. His innovative approach to teaching is paying off for his students; they are often considered the most-prepared and proficient third graders by the end of the school year. 

A visible leader beyond the classroom: Baker's enthusiasm for learning extends beyond the expected responsibilities of the classroom. His students will regularly find him at the school block parties, serving food or leading the games, acting out skits during the school’s annual Literacy Night or participating in choral reading with his students in class. He is a Google Certified Educator, volunteered to teach in the school's "Virtual Academy" during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and served on the site-based decision-making council. Baker's peers will often find him at school well before the first bell rings, creating videos for his lesson plans or refining individualized instruction plans. In addition to school and district leadership, Baker has shared best practices at gatherings of the Kentucky Society for Technology in Education and TeachMeet KY. 

Education: Baker earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Western Kentucky University in 2017. 

More about the Milken Educator Award Journey: "The Future Belongs to the Educated"

• The honorees attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in June 2024, 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.
• 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 a specific topic area; and Activating Milken Educators (AME) promotes group collaboration in and across states to tackle pressing educational needs.
• Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels. 
• 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.  

Follow the Milken Educator Awards 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 first Milken Educator Awards were presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987. Created by Lowell Milken, the Awards provide public recognition and individual financial rewards of $25,000 to elementary and secondary school 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. 

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