Ruston teacher surprised with $25,000 Milken Educator Award

News originally published by

November 12, 2026, 23:13 GMT

Allison Smith of A.E. Phillips Laboratory School becomes Louisiana’s 55th Milken Educator

RUSTON, La. — Students, staff, and local leaders gathered with Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley at A.E. Phillips Laboratory School this morning for what they thought was a celebration of the school’s academic achievement. Then Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller took the microphone and announced the real news: a $25,000 Milken Educator Award for third-grade English language arts and social studies teacher Allison Smith.

“Teaching is a family calling for Allison Smith, and she answers that call every day for students at A.E. Phillips and Louisiana Tech,” said Dr. Brumley. “The students in her classroom benefit from engaging lessons delivered by a teacher who never stops getting better.”

The award has no application or nomination process. It recognizes K-12 educators early to mid-career for what they have achieved and for the promise of what they will accomplish. The $25,000 prize is unrestricted, so Smith may use it however she chooses. She is Louisiana’s 55th recipient since the state joined the program in 2001, and she joins a national network of more than 3,000 Milken Educators. She will attend the Milken Educator Awards Forum in Washington, D.C., June 4-6, 2027.

More about Allison Smith

Smith teaches at the laboratory school on the campus of Louisiana Tech University, where she mentors the university’s clinical residents and hosts students who observe her classroom. Each day she poses a “Quick Question” tied to that day’s learning goal to check what students understand. Her students end the year with the “Island Project,” designing imaginary islands using geography and economics and then writing descriptive essays about them. She also leads the school’s Kindness Club and helped organize the Northeast Louisiana Teacher Symposium.

Smith earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Louisiana Tech University in 2019 and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2023.

See Smith’s full biography, photos and video on the Milken Educator Awards website.

More about the Milken Educator Award

The $25,000 cash Award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their children’s or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.
Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around specific topic areas; Activating Milken Educators (AME) promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs; and the Milken Educator Collective connects recipients with shared content areas, grade levels, or professional roles. Milken MeetUps abound across the nation to deepen learning and connection and expand innovation in education.
The honorees will attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum from June 4-6, 2027, in Washington, D.C., where they will network with their new colleagues, as well as veteran Milken Educators and other leaders, about how to amplify their voices as beacons of excellence in the profession.
Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels.

Visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772 for more information.

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