• The New Teacher of the Year - Application

  • Overview:


    The New Teacher of the Year program recognizes and celebrates some of the state’s most exceptional new educators. This program provides an opportunity to acknowledge those new teachers who are already demonstrating excellence in the classroom and their commitment to student success that exemplifies Louisiana’s teaching profession. 

     
    The New Teacher of the Year program recognizes the outstanding contributions of a first-year classroom teacher. 

    An exemplary candidate for Teacher of the Year is one who: 

    ● Demonstrates excellence and expertise in the field, guiding students (and for principals, also teachers) of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve success. 

    ● Demonstrates leadership and innovation in and outside of the school building walls and helps students/education stakeholders be successful. 

    ● Builds collaborative relationships with colleagues, students, and families to create a classroom environment that is respectful, inclusive, and positively impacts student growth and learning. 

    ● Deliberately connects the classroom/school to the community to positively impact the students, school and community. 

    ● Is inspiring, compelling, and professional and expresses themselves in an engaging and clear way, and has the ability to connect with and represent the state. 

     
    Qualifications 

    ● On the application deadline, the new teacher has less than one year of full time teaching experience. 

    ● The applicant teaches full time in a publicly funded school in Louisiana.  

  • Bio: Add your professional bio in the textbox below. Please follow the guidelines outlined here. (250 words or less)

     In your bio, please include the following items:
    ● The grade level and subject you currently teach (teachers) or the grades at your school (principals)
    ● The name of your school, including city and state as listed in Louisiana School Finder.
    ● All degrees you hold and include the institution where they were received (i.e., Bachelor of Science
    in Education from the Louisiana State University)
    ● Any awards or points of pride
    ● A sentence or two about pedagogical priorities
    In your bio, please follow the following style guidelines:
    ● Spell out your degrees (i.e., Bachelor of Art not BA)
    ● Only capitalize a subject area when it's a language (i.e., capitalize English but not calculus)
    ● Use your first and last name in the first reference, but your last name only on second and
    subsequent references
    ● Spell out all acronyms the first time they are used
    See examples of professional bios for Regena Hartley Beard, 2026 Louisiana State Teacher of the Year,
    and Justin Wax, 2026 Louisiana State Principal of the Year.

  • Reflection Questions

    Please answer each question fully within the provided guidelines.
  • Reflection Question 1

    Add your response to the following prompt in the textbox below. Note- You may also submit supplemental materials to accompany your response in the last step in this application portal. (Documents may be in any format, such as a chart, news article, video, photos, etc.)

     Why did you decide to become an educator? What impact have you had on students in your first few months in the classroom? In your response, provide specific examples of how you currently and will continue to meet Louisiana’s educational priorities: (You may write about one or more priorities.) 

    • Early childhood leading to kindergarten readiness
    • Literary Instruction aligned to the Science of Reading
    • Foundational math Instruction advancing from conceptual understanding
    • Opportunities ensuring a meaningful high school experience
    • An effective teacher for every student
    • Expand educational choice for students and families
  • Reflection Question 2

    Add your response to the following prompt in the textbox below. You may also submit supplemental materials to accompany your response in the last step in this application portal. (Documents may be in any format, such as a chart, news article, video, photos, etc.)

     There are many challenges to attracting students to pursue a career in education. How did your expectations of teaching align to the realities of teaching? What would you say to young people about why pursuing a career in education is a good choice? (750 words or less)

  • Reflection Question 3

    Add your response to the following prompt in the textbox below. You may also submit supplemental materials to accompany your response in the last step in this application portal. (Documents may be in any format, such as a chart, news article, video, photos, etc.)


    How do you ensure that you are continuously growing as an educator? Where do you want to be professionally in five years? Ten years? (750 words or less)

  • Teaching Video Guide
    2025-2026


    The teaching video should not exceed 15 minutes and may be edited.
    Suggested time for each segment is included, but the candidate may utilize
    the time as needed. Teaching may take place in person, virtually, and/or be hybrid.

    Please follow the included guidance document for more information. 

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  • File Uploads

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  • Awards Program Consent Form 
    Please sign and upload the Candidate Consent form

    Candidate Consent Form

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  • Student Consent Form 
    There must be a signed consent form for all students who appear in teaching video or in any attached photographs, newspaper articles, etc. Please scan all Student Consent Forms into one PDF before uploading. 

    Student Consent Form

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  • Digital Verification of Submission

  • Signing below indicates that your supervisor supports the submission of your application and all information presented in this application is true. Additionally, this signature indicates that you are a state level candidate chosen from your school system.

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