2015 National Project Learning Tree
Outstanding Educator Awards
Call for Nominations
Since 1994, National Project Learning Tree has formally recognized the efforts of outstanding educators for their commitment to environmental education, their exemplary use of PLT, and their exceptional teaching skills.
Nomination Instructions
Only one nomination can be made by each PLT state program. It is the discretion of the PLT State Coordinator(s) as to who will be nominated for the Outstanding Educator award. PLT State Coordinator(s) may receive assistance from members of their PLT state advisory committee, or from the nominee in completing the nomination.
Please follow the award entry format. Provide complete information for each section, paying attention to the page limitations provided. Each section will be rated according to a maximum allowable number of points, which are detailed and summarized within the nomination form.
Entry Deadline
All nominations are due to the National PLT Office by Friday, Dec. 5, 2014.
Please submit all nominations electronically to Libby Backman at ebackman@plt.org.
Required Format
All nominations must follow a standard format to ensure equitable assessment.
These new parameters include:
Review Process
To ensure an equitable review of the materials, each candidate’s nomination will be reviewed by a selection team comprised of seven individuals. This team will consist of two individuals from the National PLT Office, three individuals from the PLT Operating Committee, and two PLT State Coordinators. This team composition will effectively distribute the responsibility for selecting PLT’s Outstanding Educators throughout the organization and network. All reviewers will score all nominations, and each person’s vote carries equal weight.
The five recipients of the National PLT Outstanding Educator Award will be selected based on highest overall point values, determined by averaging all votes for every candidate. In the event of a tie between two or more candidates, the American Forest Foundation’s Senior Vice President of Education will assess both "tied" candidates and determine their relative positioning. The selection team reserves the right to not score any candidate’s nomination materials that are incomplete and/or do not specifically follow the required format.
Announcement and Recognition
The National PLT Outstanding Educator Awards will be announced in February 2015. Nominees chosen for the award will be asked to provide the National PLT Office with a short biography and at least 10 digital photographs, including a high-resolution head shot. They will be asked to share stories of how PLT has improved their teaching techniques and affected student lives. These responses may contribute to testimonials or quotes in press releases, on websites, in grant proposals, and for other public relations and marketing efforts to help raise PLT’s visibility through the great work they do. Outstanding Educators will also be invited to assist PLT in writing articles for The Branch e-newsletter.
National PLT encourages all state programs to submit a nomination. Each year we are reinvigorated and inspired by PLT’s Outstanding Educators, and we know this year will be no exception. We look forward to sharing your Outstanding Educators’ stories and learning from them. Please review the incentives to nominate below:
All Outstanding Educator Honorees
- Invitation to attend PLT’s International Coordinators’ Conference
5 National PLT Outstanding Educators
- All-expense-paid trip to PLT International Coordinators’ Conference
Scoring Summary for Nomination Materials:
The six sections of the nomination are outlined below, along with the total point value available.
Section Point Value
1 – Background Information 2
2 – Resume 5
3 – Letters of Recommendation (2) 8
4 – Commitment to EE and PLT 15
5 – PLT Work 20
6 – PLT Outreach 20__
Total possible points 70