Winthrop Charter School Teacher Wins New America Hero Award

Executives from the Clarion Council and the Florida Charter School Alliance have announced the winners of the New American Hero initiative, a teacher recognition program designed to highlight the success of high-performing schools and reward those teachers who have made a significant investment in their students' lives.

The initiative coincides with National Charter School Week, May 5-11, 2013.

The winners were teachers from participating schools in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Illinois and Indiana who have been nominated by fellow teachers, administrators and parents within the school. 

Specific examples of unique teaching styles and/or student-centered accomplishments of each nominee were considered and evaluated by a team of administrators.  Each of the 44 winners won $1,000 and will be eligible to win the annual New American Hero of the Year $5,000 grand prize.

Among the recipients was Winthrop Charter School middle school teacher Christine Gile-Woodard. She has a master’s degree in educational leadership and bachelor’s degrees in communication media and educational technology. Gile-Woodard has eight years of teaching experience. 

Among the New American Hero winners, 41 of the teachers were from charter schools. Charter schools are tuition-free, not-for-profit public schools that offer a choice for communities, parents, students and professionals that foster educational excellence in America. 

Parents of nearly two million students nationwide choose to send their children to charter schools every day and that number continues to grow rapidly because of charter schools’ customer focused approach to public education that ensures tailored programs meet each child’s needs. The success of charter schools is driven by the wave of highly ambitious and talented professionals who choose to dedicate their careers to providing instruction in an innovative environment that is free from the constraints that bind traditional public educators.

“The American soldier is the hero on the foreign front, but right here in the United States, fighting the battle for the character of our country's next generation of leaders, it's the high performing teacher that is the New American Hero!” said David Alba, executive director of the Clarion Council.

The New American Hero program is in its second year of implementation and is currently in 41 charter schools and three turnaround public schools in five states. It is supported in its entirety by gifts from individuals, businesses and foundations. To learn more about the New American Hero program, how you can participate or for a complete list of winners, visit http://www.newamericanhero.org.