Aurora Institute
About Us // Innovator Awards

We are not hosting the Aurora Institute Innovator Awards this year, but hope to revisit bringing them back soon.
Personalization for me is not a mere strategy or approach. It is the very belief that every learner is unique and that they have a right to an education that recognizes and values that uniqueness through interest-based and needs-driven opportunities for learning. It’s a belief that to thrive requires a system of supports - there’s not a single part of my story that has been done in isolation

Carissa Duran

What I’ve really discovered - and this is a quality challenge for all of us in competency-based education - is that we have to go beyond doing our best to becoming effective and the only way we can do that start being critical friends to each other.

Chris Sturgis

There are no stock solutions to the problems and challenges that the students are facing in our schools. We have glimpses everyday of success and we can see some pathways forward, but we’re still in the very early and messy days of this work. To move forward faster, we must give our students their own voice and power within the design and implementation of this system.”

Shawn Rubin

Teacher of the Year Award

The Aurora Institute Teacher of the Year Award is given to a K-12 educator whose efforts as a personalized learning teacher exemplify to the highest degree their commitment to student success, knowledge and skill as a professional educator, and dedication to his or her students.

 

Eligibility Requirements

  • Teaching candidate must currently be serving (at the time the application is submitted) as a personalized learning teacher in grades K-12.
  • At least 75% of the teacher’s instructional time is spent as an educator working in a personalized learning environment.
  • The nomination of an individual can be submitted by the individual or by a reference who is able to support the nomination through personal involvement with the nominee.
  • Nominees for this award are not eligible for the Outstanding Individual Contribution to Personalized Learning Award during the same award year.
  • The nominator, and their affiliated organization, may only nominate one teacher for this award.

To better understand our definition of Personalized Learning and what it looks like in practice, we encourage you to read the following reports:

Outstanding Individual Contribution to Personalized Learning Award

The Aurora Institute Outstanding Individual Contribution to Personalized Learning Award is made to an individual whose insight and innovation has significantly increased the credibility and advancement of K-12 personalized, competency-based education. The award is a tribute to the individual’s outstanding work and leadership in the field. This award recognizes an overall body of work, not merely an isolated breakthrough.

 

Eligibility Requirements

Any individual who has worked in, or provided support to, the field of K-12 personalized, competency-based learning is eligible. The nomination of an individual can be submitted by the individual or by a reference who is able to support the nomination through personal involvement with the nominee.

Nominees for this award are not eligible for the Teacher of the Year Award during the same award year. The nominator, and their affiliated organization, may only nominate one person for this award category. Only one nomination per organization or school will be considered.

To better understand our definition of Personalized Learning and what it looks like in practice, we encourage you to read the following reports:

Past Award Winners

2019

Outstanding Individual Contribution to Personalized Learning Award

David Ruff, Great Schools Partnership

 

Aurora Institute Teacher of the Year Award

Carissa Duran, Del Lago Academy Campus of Applied Science, Escondido Union High School District (CA)

2018

Outstanding Individual Contribution to Personalized Learning Award

Chris Sturgis, CompetencyWorks

 

Teacher of the Year Award

Jason Vest, Hungary Creek MS

2017

Outstanding Individual Contribution to Personalized Learning Award

Shawn Rubin, Highlander Institute

 

Teacher of the Year Award

Rachael Moola, East Pennsboro School

2016

Research Award

Dr. Susan Poyo, Franciscan University of Steubenville (OH)

 

Innovative Practice Award

Dr. Darryl Adams, Coachella Valley Unified School District

 

Outstanding Individual Contribution to Personalized Learning Award

Dr. Jim Rickabaugh, Institute for Personalized Learning

 

Teacher of the Year Award

Trixi DeRosa-Davis, South Carolina Department of Education