October 18, 2022

KIPP Texas-Houston teachers awarded a total of $100,000

KIPP Texas Public Schools is excited to announce that four KIPP Texas teachers in Houston were awarded with the Kinder Excellence Teaching award, which included a $25,000 check presentation for each teacher.

The Kinder Excellence in Teaching Awards (KETA) has awarded over $4 million in grants to more than 275 teachers since the program was established in 2001. The program was created in honor of Rich Kinder’s mother, Edna C. Kinder, who taught special education students for many years in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

The program concentrates on the Houston area, recognizes innovative and results-oriented teaching, and raises public awareness of the importance of effective and committed teachers in the KIPP Texas Public Schools – Houston, YES Prep Public Schools, Teach for America – Houston, and Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston networks.

The following teachers were honored with the Kinder Excellence Teaching award:

Jessica Harris | KIPP Courage, 6th grade

Ms. Harris has set the bar of excellence in what true teaching should look like in a classroom. Ms. Harris sets high rigorous expectations and pushes her students out of their comfort zone. She engages her students in academic habits such as discourse, engaging in argument from evidence, annotating for meaning, asking questions, and defining problems. Ms. Harris is giving her students the space to think critically and synthesize new material.

Jemaniece Gilbert | KIPP Zenith Academy, 2nd grade

Ms. Gilbert is known for her strong work ethic and investment of time for our students. She routinely holds collaborative content team meetings, where she presents an analysis of students’ daily, weekly, and monthly data to her team with the purpose to create strong intervention lessons that will reduce student gaps. She uses this skill to find resources and best practices to not only support her students but all students.

Ashly George | KIPP Academy Middle School, 5th grade

Ashly George began her journey with KIPP Academy Middle School as a champion of equity with a deep commitment to serving and working with the school. She founded and led The Kindness Club for 5th graders who presented behavior challenges, inviting them to practice empathy. Ashly recognizes that every student’s experience is different and that all students can contribute excellence to our school by being their authentic selves. Ashly also brought a diverse perspective to academic instruction by challenging the ELA department to consider how they could improve cultural responsiveness and took the lead in sharing her best practices for differentiation. She enjoys working collaboratively with colleagues to teach beyond the limits of her curriculum to include varied genres and representations.

SaMaya Readore | KIPP Connect Primary, 4th grade

As a KIPP Alum from KIPP 3D Academy, SaMaya Readore was eager to serve her community as a teacher immediately after graduating from the University of Texas in San Antonio. Ms. Readore is a transformational educator who goes above and beyond to ensure that her students are loved, encouraged, seen, challenged, and successful. She also takes the time to build a sense of community and strong relationships in her learning environment.

For more information about the Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award, click here.