Delaware's 2020 Teacher of the Year to be named Oct. 15

A group of 20 of the state’s top teachers will be honored at a banquet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, when one of them will be named Delaware's 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Funding for the award ceremony is made in part by a grant from Voya Financial. The Teacher of the Year announcement will be made at the end of the night.

The candidates were nominated by their districts or the charter network during the 2019 calendar year because of their superior ability to inspire students with a love of learning, exemplary demonstration of professional traits and strong sense of dedication and devotion to teaching.

Each nominee submitted a detailed online application exemplifying his or her teaching philosophy. Five Delaware Department of Education staff members independently evaluate each application. A former state Teacher of the Year and a member of the department staff also visit each candidate's classroom to observe his or her teaching. Taking into consideration the ratings from the application review and classroom observation as well as a recorded presentation by the nominees, another independent panel of non-department judges then selects the one teacher who will serve as the 2020 Delaware Teacher of the Year.

The teacher chosen to become the state Teacher of the Year will become Delaware's nominee in the national program, a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers in partnership with the Voya Foundation.

By action of the General Assembly, the Delaware Teacher of the Year will receive a $5,000 grant to use for the educational benefit of his or her students, as well as a personal grant of $3,000. All nominees also will receive a $2,000 grant from the state.