By Katie Elliott—
MIDDLETOWN, IN— The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) has announced that Shenandoah Elementary School in Shenandoah School Corporation, Indiana, won $10,000 for its selection as a finalist for the NIET Founder’s Award. The prestigious Founder’s Award was created by Lowell Milken in 2008 to honor one school in the United States each year for exceptional implementation of NIET’s principles to build educator excellence and advance student success. Shenandoah Elementary School is among five schools nationwide under consideration for the $50,000 grand prize, which will be announced at NIET’s national conference on February 27.
“Shenandoah Elementary School Principal Brittany Helman understands that preparing students for a bright future starts with developing outstanding educators,” said NIET Founder Lowell Milken. “Principal Helman has inspired instructional leadership, transformed the use of data to drive decision-making, and created a supportive learning environment for all to excel. Congratulations to Principal Helman’s dedicated team, and to Superintendent Dr. Kyle Barrentine for his leadership in placing educator effectiveness at the forefront of student learning.”
Founder’s Award finalists are selected by NIET based on several factors, including improving classroom instruction and student academic growth; creating high-quality professional learning and coaching systems focused on the real-time needs of teachers and students; and engaging teacher leaders and school leaders in building a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
NIET’s partner schools have improved outcomes for educators and students. By elevating teacher leaders and strengthening school instructional leadership teams, Shenandoah Elementary School has continuously improved teaching and learning. From 2021 to 2024, Shenandoah Elementary consistently outperformed the state of Indiana in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. Over this period, the school increased the percentage of students passing the state assessment by 23.1 percentage points in Math, surpassing the state’s improvement of 3.8 points. These impressive results reflect the school’s dedication to excellence and its ongoing efforts to improve student achievement.
“The sustained improvements at Shenandoah Elementary School are a result of their focus on supporting educators,” said NIET Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joshua Barnett. “By providing meaningful professional learning opportunities and fostering a culture of collaboration, they have created an environment where great teaching flourishes and students thrive.”
What Makes Shenandoah Elementary School Unique?
Shenandoah Elementary School is located in rural Middletown, Indiana. The school educates approximately 600 students in grades pre-kindergarten to fifth, with 50% qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Principal Brittany Helman and her leadership team focus on strengthening classroom instruction, building leadership capacity, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Shenandoah Elementary has adopted NIET structures and best practices, including the use of the research-based NIET Teaching and Learning Standards Rubric, weekly collaborative learning cluster meetings, and the creation of a career pathway through teacher leadership roles. With help from NIET, Shenandoah Elementary has grown teacher effectiveness and student achievement.
“The first year of working with NIET provided a powerful change for our teachers,” said Helman. “Through transparency, training, and collaboration, teachers realized our partnership with NIET has created a support system to help them grow in their profession.”
In the past, it was often up to individual teachers to seek their own out-of-school professional development resources and request time off to attend. Now, with NIET’s support and structures, Shenandoah Elementary provides all teachers with dedicated time each week for collaborative professional learning facilitated by teacher leaders. As a result, professional learning is uniquely tailored to the needs of each teacher and their students. Weekly meetings give teachers time to work together to analyze student work and adjust instructional strategies, ultimately increasing the quality of education provided.
“NIET’s structures have supported us in removing the ‘gotcha’ culture and moving to a collaborative and supportive culture of excellence and teamwork,” said Helman. “Our teachers now know and feel that ‘we got you.’”
Shenandoah Elementary has adopted a shared leadership model with the creation of an instructional leadership team and teacher leadership roles. These moves have increased the instructional leadership capacity on the campus and created a collaborative environment where teachers want to work. With the professional learning provided and the opportunities for career growth in place, Shenandoah Elementary has created a pipeline of teachers and leaders with strong instructional skills.
“Our team wants to be at Shenandoah. When someone does leave though, we are prepared,” said Helman. “For example, one of our permanent substitutes stepped into a full-time role after a teacher left. She shared her reason for moving into the teaching position: ‘I want to be at Shenandoah. I love it here, and you supported me so well, even as a permanent substitute. Now I’m ready for that same teacher support.’ This is a testament to how we support our staff and create opportunities for growth within our team.”
Shenandoah Elementary School joins fellow finalists Eastside Elementary School (Warren County Schools, Tennessee); Provencal Elementary/Junior High School (Natchitoches Parish School Board, Louisiana); Somerset High School (Somerset Independent School District, Texas); and Waterloo Elementary School (Laurens County School District 55, South Carolina) in contention for the $50,000 Founder’s Award grand prize.
For images of Shenandoah Elementary School and more information about the NIET Founder’s Award, visit the NIET newsroom. For interviews and more on the Founder’s Award announcement, please contact Laura Blank (laura@keylightcommunications.com) or Katie Elliott (katie@keylightcommunications.com). Follow conference news – including the Founder’s Award – on social media using @NIETteach or #NIET2025.
About NIET
The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) is a national nonprofit based in Phoenix, Arizona that serves states and districts nationwide. For 25 years, NIET has partnered with schools, districts, states, and universities to build educator excellence and give all students the opportunity for success. NIET’s initiatives, including the TAP System, teacher and leader development, school improvement, rubric and observation systems, and educator preparation, have impacted more than 350,000 educators and 3.5 million students across the U.S.
As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are proud to honor our partners’ success and share the results of intentional, sustained investments in educator effectiveness. Learn more in our anniversary report, Building Educator Excellence: 25 Years of Impact.