Nominate Alexandria Educators for Teacher and Principal of the Year by Oct. 20

ALEXANDRIA, VA-Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is participating in The Washington Post Principal of the Year and Teacher of the Year Awards, which recognize excellence in education in the region. All ACPS community members — including families, students, staff and Alexandria residents — are invited to make their nominations by Fri., Oct. 20, 2023, using the following criteria:

• To nominate a teacher: Send a written statement of support by Oct. 20, 2023, to the principal at the teacher’s school. Each principal, in partnership with the staff, then selects one nominee from their school to go on to the ACPS finalists round. The Teacher Of The Year for all schools will be announced on November 10, 2023.
• To nominate a principal: Please send a statement of support by Oct. 20, 2023, to Sherri Tullia of the Department of Teaching, Learning and Leadership at [email protected]. The Principal Of The Year will be announced in the spring.

To be eligible for The Washington Post Principal of the Year Award, nominees must be full-time principals (in grades pre-kindergarten through 12) in an accredited school in the Washington metropolitan region, per the newspaper’s list of jurisdictions. The Washington Post recently informed school divisions that the criteria has changed for the Principal of the Year nominations, which expands the number of principals who can be considered for this recognition. With the new criteria, nominees must have a minimum of two years of experience as a principal, one of which must be in the school or school system in which they are currently serving. Nominees must be serving as an administrator for the 2023-24 school year and must meet the following criteria:

• Manage effectively.
• Demonstrate and encourage creativity and innovation.
• Foster cooperation between the school and the community.
• Maintain a continuing dialogue with students and parents as well as faculty and staff.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field of education.
• Encourage team spirit.
• Demonstrate leadership and exemplify commitment.
• Continue to play an active role in the classroom.
• Maintain their position as principal throughout the 2023-24 school year.

To be eligible for The Washington Post Teacher of the Year Award, nominees must be full-time teachers (in grades pre-kindergarten through 12) in an accredited school in the Washington metropolitan region, per the newspaper’s list of jurisdictions. The Washington Post has also modified the Teacher of the Year nomination criteria, which expands the number of teachers who can be considered for this recognition. Nominees must have a minimum of two years of teaching experience, one of which must be in the school or school system in which they are currently serving. Nominees must be serving as a teacher for the 2023-24 school year and must meet the following criteria:

• Instill in students a desire to learn and achieve.
• Understand the individual needs of students, encourage their talents and foster their self-esteem.
• Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of subject matter and the ability to share it effectively with students.
• Foster cooperative relationships with their colleagues and the community.
• Demonstrate outstanding leadership.
• Maintain their teaching position throughout the 2023-24 school year.

The ACPS Principal of the Year and Teacher of the Year will be selected by an ACPS panel in 2024 and will become finalists for The Washington Post awards; ACPS and The Washington Post will announce the winners in April 2024.

Editor’s note: This report has been updated with new, additional nomination criteria released Oct. 13