Teacher of the Year Program
The South Carolina Department of Education coordinates
the State Teacher of the Year Program through the agency's Division of Educator
Quality & Leadership (DEQ&L).
Each year, the State Superintendent of Education issues an invitation to the 85 school districts and the Department of Juvenile Justice to participate in the state program. Participation is optional.
The South Carolina Teacher of the Year Program is designed to honor those who are representative of the state’s many exceptional teachers. The program has grown tremendously, with eighty-three districts and the Department of Juvenile Justice participating in the 2005-06 program. Just as participation has increased, so has the program’s prestige. Over the past few years, the cash awards for the Teacher of the Year and Honor Roll teachers have risen. In addition, the state winner enjoys a yearlong residency to promote public education and receives a BMW Z4 roadster to use during the tenure.
The excitement surrounding the program continues to grow. The South Carolina Teacher of the Year receives $25,000; the four Honor Roll teachers receive $10,000 each; and the local District Teachers of the Year receive $1,000 each. With these increased incentives came changes in the selection process at the state level. A committee of teachers, administrators, and department staff revised the guidelines making the selection more rigorous. (See South Carolina Teacher of the Year Program Selection Process) A major change involves the announcement itself. In the past, the name of the State Teacher of the Year was announced several weeks before the banquet. The State Teacher of the Year is now announced at the banquet. The event is generously sponsored by statewide and national businesses under the umbrella of the Palmetto Horizon Foundation. (Please see sponsor list.)
In 1991, the South Carolina General Assembly provided funding to allow the State Teacher of the Year to take a one-year residency to coordinate activities of the South Carolina Teacher Forum, whose membership comprises current and former district and state teachers of the year. The Teacher Forum is a professional development organization sponsored by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (CERRA). The State Teacher of the Year serves as chairperson for the Teacher Forum and works with District Teachers of the Year with their local forums. She or he is also appointed by the State Superintendent of Education and the Governor to serve on numerous education committees.
During the forty years the South Carolina Department of Education has participated in the National Teacher of the Year Program, twelve of the state teachers have been named national finalists and two, Martha Marian Stringfellow of Lewisville Elementary School in Chester County (1971), and Terry Dozier, Irmo High School (1985), have been named National Teacher of the Year. Terry Dozier served as a special advisor to former United States Secretary of Education Dick Riley.
The DEQ&L assists the Teacher of the Year in preparing an exhibit for consideration in the National Teacher of the Year Program and assists in meeting all deadlines set by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The National Teacher of the Year Program, presented by the ING Foundation, is a project of the CCSSO and sponsored by Scholastic, Inc.
If you would like further information on South Carolina’s Teacher of the Year Program, contact Kathy Gardner-Jones, Teacher Recognition/Communications, South Carolina Department of Education, DEQ&L, Landmark II Office Building, 3700 Forest Drive, Suite 500, Columbia, South Carolina 29204. Telephone: (803) 734-3451.
Learn more about the Teacher of the Year application process.
Teacher of the Year Links
Application Process
Sponsors
Teacher of the Year
Honor Roll
Photo Gallery
Former Winners
Former Honor Roll