1. What is the TAP Founder's Award?
Created in 2008 by TAP™ Founder Lowell Milken and funded by the Lowell Milken Family Foundation, the TAP Founder's Award publicly recognizes a school for its distinguished accomplishments implementing TAP. The award comes with a $50,000 cash prize for the school to use to help achieve its TAP goals in subsequent school years.2. How are TAP Founder's Award recipients selected?
The award is a surprise: there is no formal nomination or application process. The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching selects one school each year based on its established criteria (see FAQ #3).3. What are the selection criteria?
Criteria for selecting recipients of the TAP Founder's Award, based on a school's participation in the system for at least three years, include extraordinary distinction in the following areas:- Full and proficient implementation of all four TAP elements;
- Achievement according to state or federal measures; and
- Notable recognition as a center and resource of best practices.
4. When is the Award announced?
Lowell Milken makes the announcement at the National TAP Conference before hundreds of participants from across the country, as well as other influential educators and leaders who are helping to shape the future of education.5. In addition to the $50,000 cash prize, what are other benefits of the Award?
The TAP Founder's Award yields benefits that will strengthen the individual school and support its teachers. Among these additional benefits are prominent public recognition; opportunities to substantively interact on issues of teacher quality and student learning with leaders from government, business and academia; and stipends for attendance at conferences.
Tom Brown, Principal, Holston Middle School, Knoxville, Tennessee
". . . The quality of this year's new teachers to Holston is far superior from candidates that I have interviewed before. We have stepped onto an entirely different playing field."