The awards program’s publishing partner has provided a variety of valuable benefits to winners and finalists, including a publishing contract offer for teacher Symone James
The Excellence in Equity Awards and Times 10 Publications have announced the list of award-winning educators who are recipients of additional honors presented by Times 10, the awards program’s publishing partner.
The headline winner is Symone James, a teacher at Roger Sherman Elementary School in Connecticut’s Meriden Public Schools. James, one of two winners of the Excellence in Equity Award in the category Champion of Equity – General Education Teacher, has been selected by Times 10 to receive a book publishing contract. After reviewing the details of her nomination, the Times 10 leadership team decided to offer James the opportunity to write a book based on her expertise and practical successes, and to receive an advance on future royalties. The editorial team will work closely with James to support a successful publishing process.
“What we love about Symone James is that she isn’t just talking about equity at her school — she’s driving change,” said Mark Barnes, founder and president of Times 10 Publications. “Symone has taken on roles as a District Equity Leader, School Equity Committee Chair, and creator of a unique book club, which was so successful in her district that she is now teaching others how to implement similar programs in their schools. At Times 10, we want authors who are making an impact on teaching and learning, and we believe Symone will write a book that impacts global change in education.”
Times 10 has also selected one winner from each of the 10 educator award categories, plus the winner of the Best Company Leader category, to receive five complimentary copies of any professional development book of their choice from the Times 10 catalog. These books can be shared with staff and colleagues to support enhanced professional learning. Additionally, every winner and finalist in all educator award categories will receive their choice of one complimentary e-book from Times 10.
“After a lengthy process of designing and launching the Excellence in Equity Awards, followed by the receipt of more than 165 impressive nominations, it’s a thrill not only to announce our winners but to also provide them with a variety of exciting benefits,” said Ross Romano, Program Chair of the Excellence in Equity Awards and Strategic Advisor to the American Consortium for Equity in Education. “I’m so appreciative of our partner Times 10 Publications for enhancing our work to support educators and scale equity in our schools.”
The following 11 award winners were chosen to receive complimentary print books from Times 10 Publications:
- K.C. Boyd, School Librarian, Jefferson Academy Middle School (Washington, D.C.)
- Dr. Latanya Daniels, Assistant Superintendent, Richfield Public Schools (Minn.)
- Oscar De Jesus, Special Assistant to the Superintendent, Compass Charter Schools (Calif.)
- Ashleigh Fritz, Secondary Head of Schools, YES Prep Public Schools (Houston, Texas)
- Valente’ Gibson, Fifth Grade Teacher, Jackson Creek Elementary (Richland, S.C.)
- Lauren Jewett, Special Education Teacher/Case Manager, KIPP Morial Primary (New Orleans, La.)
- Heejae Lim, Founder and CEO, TalkingPoints
- Stephanie McGary of Tots-N-Teachers (Dallas, Texas)
- Micah Miner, District Instructional Technology & Social Studies Coordinator, Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89 (Ill.)
- Susan Schnaufer, District Technology Coach, Salamanca City CSD (N.Y.)
- Stephanie Stern-Protz, STEM.STEAM Experiential Learning Specialist, North Bergen STEM Academy (N.J.)
To find all of the 2022 Excellence in Equity Award winners, including 21 winners in 10 educator categories and 30 winners in 16 industry categories, visit www.ace-ed.org/awards.
Each nominee, finalist, and winner of the Excellence in Equity Awards has made invaluable contributions to improving opportunity and outcomes for students. Contact awards@ace-ed.org to learn about getting involved with future programs.
The American Consortium for Equity in Education, publisher of the "Equity & Access" journal, celebrates and connects the educators, associations, community partners and industry leaders who are working to solve problems and create a more equitable environment for historically underserved pre K-12 students throughout the United States.
