Central Intermediate School’s assembly transformed into a milestone celebration as Ashley Davis, a fourth-grade math teacher, was awarded the 3,000th Milken Educator Award. Founder Lowell Milken presented Davis with the prestigious honor and an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize, praising her dedication to raising academic achievement and fostering a love for learning.
“I heard him say my name and I listening to every word he said but it was a shock of like…wait what?”
Her creative approaches, like “Lemonade Day,” integrate real-world applications, fostering both academic and social-emotional growth. Davis has significantly influenced Central Intermediate’s inclusion model, creating a supportive environment for general and special education students to thrive.
“Inclusion is important because it just levels the playing field, and what I love about inclusion is that you can come into a classroom and you can’t tell who is who. You shouldn’t be able to tell who is who. You can’t tell who the regular ed teacher or the special education teachers, who the regular education kids are or who the special education kids because it doesn’t matter.”
Beyond the classroom, Davis mentors fellow teachers, leads professional learning communities, and serves on the Instructional Leadership Team. Davis also actively supports her community by coaching youth sports.
“I just love kids. I couldn’t be a nurse because I cant do blood, and teaching has always made sense. I really love coaching. I coach a lot of my kids sports and that’s just like another form of teaching.”
Davis, the first recipient in Central Community School System and 51st in Louisiana, joins the national Milken Educator Network, celebrating exceptional teaching and leadership.
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