CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwire) -- 04/30/09 -- The Great Books Foundation, an independent non-profit educational organization that promotes reading, thinking, and the sharing of ideas for people of all ages, today announced it is presenting 16 exemplary K-12 grade educators from the US and Canada with its annual Great Teacher Award. The awards will be presented at a special banquet on Friday evening, May 1st at the Hotel Monaco in downtown Chicago.

Since 2000, the Great Books Foundation has been honoring outstanding teachers who are successfully increasing their students' achievements by putting the Junior Great Books program and its Shared Inquiry(TM) discussion model into practice. This year's winners represent a diverse group of learning environments including elementary schools, high schools, inner-city schools, private schools as well as special needs and gifted programs. The Great Teacher Award recipients were nominated by educators in their local school districts.

"The Great Book Foundation is thrilled to recognize these star teachers who are lifelong learners and who are so committed to innovative teaching strategies that raise student achievement," said Mary Kent Sweeton, vice president of marketing and sales of the Great Books Foundation. "All of this year's Great Teacher Award recipients relentlessly expose their students to quality literature and encourage them to become stronger readers and learners. By shining the spotlight on these outstanding role models, we hope to make it easier for teachers around the country to learn from their best practices."

Junior Great Books is proven to help students develop essential literacy skills -- reading carefully, thinking critically, listening intently, and speaking and writing persuasively. By participating in Shared Inquiry™discussions, Great Books students learn to read for meaning and to support their own interpretation of the text.

"Junior Great Books has led me to see that my eight- and nine-year old students are capable of much more than simply reading comprehension," said Sue Ellis, a third grade teacher at Sarah Smith Elementary School in Atlanta, Ga. "They are able to find many levels to the stories they read and the characters they read about. Sometimes it's like they discover another 'color' they never knew was there."

"Junior Great Books has helped me shape my students into independent thinkers and strengthens their writing abilities," added Lesean Matthew, a third-fifth grade teacher at Fransisco Oller Community School in the Bronx, N.Y. "But most importantly, it raises their confidence and the expectations they have for themselves by providing a chance for my students to be heard and feel valued for all opinions."

The 2009 Great Books Foundation Great Teacher Award recipients include:

--  Ms Nyssa Arcos, Copperfield Elementary, Austin, Texas
--  Mr. Jim Coe, Aragon High School, San Mateo, Calif.
--  Ms. Susan Coti, John Eaton Elementary School, Washington D.C.
--  Ms. Carisa Edmund, National Connections Academy, Baltimore, Md.
--  Ms. Barbara Elias, Long Island City High School, Long Island, N.Y.
--  Ms. Sue Ellis, Sarah Smith Elementary, Atlanta, Ga.
--  Ms. Kirsty Gourlay, Uplands Elementary School, Penticton, British
    Columbia
--  Mr. Lesean Matthew, Fransisco Oller Community School, Bronx, N.Y.
--  Ms. Tracey Pyscher, Minneapolis Public Schools, Minneapolis, Minn.
--  Ms. Joyce Sloan, Richmond Elementary School, Philadelphia, Pa.
--  Ms. Lucretia Stewart, Edward "Pops" Collins School, Bronx, N.Y.
--  Ms. Veann Beutler, Northeast Middle School, Minneapolis, Minn.
--  Ms. Eleanor Palm, Key Elementary School, Washington, D.C.
--  Mr. Rolando Gonzales, Key Elementary School, Chicago, Ill.
--  Ms. Maria Hernandez, Miami Dade School District, Miami, Fla.
--  Dr. Veronica Roberts, Washington D.C. Public Schools, Washington, D.C.
    

The 16 Great Teacher Award recipients are being hosted in Chicago this weekend by The Great Books Foundation. In addition to attending the awards dinner in their honor, they will be the Foundation's guests at Great Books Chicago 2009, an annual cultural event for Great Books enthusiasts from across the country.

About The Great Books Foundation

The Great Books Foundation (www.greatbooks.org) is an independent nonprofit educational organization established in 1947 to promote liberal education for the general public. In 1962, the Foundation extended its mission to children with the introduction of Junior Great Books. Since its inception, the Foundation has helped thousands of people throughout the United States and in other countries begin their own discussion groups in schools, libraries, and community centers. Today, Foundation instructors conduct professional development for thousands of educators each year.

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