Los Angeles teacher celebrated after winning the National Milken Educator Award

Los Angeles teacher Ellen Dooley has been named one of this year’s national Milken Educator Award recipients, earning one of the nation’s highest honors in education, it was announced on Tuesday. As students and colleagues cheered, Dooley accepted her award and its accompanying unrestricted $25,000 cash prize.

The social science teacher has classes from sixth through 12th graders at Milken Community School in Los Angeles, including modern world/Jewish history, U.S. history, and art history.

The announcement was made by Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken during a school assembly at Milken Community School about leadership with Los Angeles Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten. “Dr. Ellen Dooley inspires students to reach high levels of achievement,” Lowell Milken said in a statement. “Ellen understands that education is active, enhanced by rich curriculum, depth of thought and a connection to real-life events and experiences that shape students into compassionate, productive members of society.”

Dooley is one of two California recipients to earn the Milken Educator Award this school year, and among up to 30 recipients nationally.

Beyond Milken Community School, Dooley has mentored students at various schools as a writing coach and supported teenage mothers pursuing high school diplomas. She also served as assistant curator of Latin American art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and as a volunteer instructor with the Prison University Project — now Mount Tamalpais College — at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.

Milken Educator Award honorees will attend an all-expenses-paid awards forum June 12-14 in Washington, D.C., where they will network with their new colleagues, as well as veteran Milken educators and other education leaders.