DC Educator Wins $25K Milken Award For Helping Students Master Reading

WASHINGTON, DC — A DC Public Schools educator received a $25,000 Milken Educator Award on Thursday for her work helping students who are struggling with reading.

Jenelle Bryant, a K-1 reading recovery specialist at Seaton Elementary School in D.C., received the award at a surprise assembly at the school on Thursday.

Nearly 90 percent of students who complete Bryant’s classwork no longer need her support by the end of the school year to master age-appropriate literacy skills.

Bryant, who earned a bachelor’s degree in human development in 2011 and a master’s degree in early childhood education in 2012 from Howard University, was the only educator in D.C. to be recognized with the award for the 2021-22 school year. She joins 60 teachers nationwide who received a Milken Educator Award this year.

Dr. Christina Grant, state superintendent of education for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in D.C., and Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Dr. Jane Foley presented Bryant with the award before cheering students and colleagues.

“Learning how to read proficiently is one of the greatest gifts a teacher can pass along to her students,” Foley, a 1994 Milken Educator from Indiana, said at Thursday’s assembly. “Jenelle Bryant works with young learners to give them confidence at an early age, setting them up for success throughout their entire education. Her students and their families respect and trust her, and for this and so much more, we honor her with the Milken Educator Award today.”

The Milken Educator Award honors educators while they are early or in the middle of their teaching careers. One of the goals of the award is to recognize the promise of what the educators will accomplish.

“As a trainer and mentor for other educators, Jenelle’s expertise is vital to ensuring a strong recovery for our students after the pandemic,” Grant said. “Thank you, Jenelle, and congratulations on receiving the Milken Educator Award for the District of Columbia.”

As Seaton Elementary School's reading recovery specialist, Bryant works with a small group of students each semester who are reading below grade level. She oversees testing and assessment, and works with Seaton’s K-2 teachers to improve literacy strategies and outcomes for all students.

Bryant’s “discontinuation rate,” representing students whose reading skills improve enough that they no longer need her help, is 88 percent, significantly higher than both D.C. Public Schools and the national average.

Along with the financial award, Bryant and her fellow Milken Educator Award recipients join the national Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,800 top teachers, principals and specialists. The network serves as a resource for fellow educators, legislators, school boards and others dedicated to excellence in education.

In June, the honorees will attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to increase their impact on K-12 education.