SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today hailed the selection of a third exceptional educator in California to receive the 2003 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards.

Nancy Florez-Muro, language art and social studies teacher at Lake Center Middle School in the Little Lake City School District in Santa Fe Springs is the winner of this distinguished award. (Information on the winner is attached.) Two other teachers received the honor last week in San Diego and San Francisco.

"I am impressed with the innovative steps Ms. Florez-Muro takes to help her students get engaged and excited about language arts and social studies," said O'Connell. "I applaud her enthusiasm and dedication. She is another example of what quality education is all about in California."

Florez-Muro was surprised today by an announcement during an assembly at her school that she was selected for the prestigious honor that comes with an award of $25,000. Recipients may use the money as they wish.

The Milken National Educator Awards are given to teachers and principals relatively new to education. Florez-Muro is in her sixth year of teaching. Nationwide, teachers and principals in 47 states will receive the Milken honor this month. All were selected based on the following criteria:

• Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by outstanding instructional practices in the classroom, school, and profession;
• Outstanding accomplishments and strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership; and
• Engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues, and the community.

Experts agree that the need to attract more qualified teachers is urgent because the demographics and incentives of the 21st century may make it difficult for many individuals to choose education as a career. Currently, California employs 302,000 teachers. Over the next 10 years, schools nationwide will need to hire 2.2 million new teachers, but are expected to come up short by about 40 percent. In California as many as 300,000 additional teachers will be needed in the next decade.

"The need for more teachers is critical in order to ensure our students have the proper tools to create a better future for themselves," said O'Connell. "The most important legacy we can hand down to our children is to make sure they get a good education. The Milken National Educator Awards are instrumental in helping us achieve that goal, as well as help raise the consciousness about the importance of education in our society."

In addition to the $25,000, Florez-Muro will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. in May for the annual Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference. For more information, please contact the Milken Family Foundation's Web site at Milken Family Foundation [http://www.mff.org] (Outside Source).

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Nancy Florez-Muro teaches Language Arts and Social Studies at Lake Center Middle School in the Little Lake City School District in Santa Fe Springs. She started out as a certified public accountant, but switched to teaching as her second career. Ms. Florez-Muro usually stays at school until 5:30 p.m. Her energy serves as a natural motivator for students. She has mastered a wide-range of reading strategies that benefit not only the struggling reader, but also the gifted learner. Ms. Florez-Muro believes that students need to see the "bigger picture" of what they are learning. As a result, she does not teach skills in isolation, but rather teaches children how to apply skills to real-life situations. When presenting a lesson she may emphasize a particular point, then allows students an opportunity to discuss and clarify the point before they report their findings to the whole class. Charts are often used as teaching tools that explain and clarify a point she makes. When Ms. Florez-Muro talks with parents, she gives them time to present their views, clarifies any issues, and then begins to problem-solve. Her teaching is research-based, whether she is focused on spelling, writing, or reading comprehension. Her approach is always, "How can we make this work?"