Cumberland Trace Elementary School (CTES) kindergarten teacher Laura Sanders is one of 51 teachers nationwide selected to receive the American Star of Teaching Award this year from the U.S. Department of Education. She received the award from Carolyn Snowbarger of the U.S. Department of Education August 19 during an assembly at the school. Sanders is Kentucky's only winner of the award this year. One teacher will be recognized as an American Star of Teaching in every state and the District of Columbia. A committee of former teachers at the U.S. Department of Education selected the American Stars from among 4,000 nominations based on their success in improving academic performance and making a difference in their students’ lives. Sanders was nominated by Cumberland Trace Principal Dr. Mary Evans and fellow CTES kindergarten teacher Patrice McCrary.

Sanders has a proven record of success in the classroom. For the 2006-07 school year, her students’ reading scores went from 52 percent benchmark in the fall to 91 percent in the spring. For the 2007-08 school year, her kindergarteners started with 58 percent at benchmark and by mid-year, 85 percent met benchmark scores. Sanders assesses the individual needs of each child and works with them individually or in small groups to ensure that each child is working at a pace and level appropriate for the child. She is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing her contributions in education.

“Teachers like Laura Sanders combine a passion for teaching with high expectations that every child can learn,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. “We at the U.S. Department of Education are proud to recognize these dedicated, hard-working professionals who are committed to closing the achievement gap and challenging every child to achieve his or her potential.”

Sanders is the second Warren County teacher to be recognized as an American Star of Teaching since the award program was started in 2004. Oakland Elementary School teacher Donna Carrier earned the award in 2004. The American Stars of Teaching is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, which includes regional and district workshops, roundtables for teachers and principals, regular e-mail updates, and digital learning. By the end of this summer, the teachers of over one million students will have benefited from these Teacher-to-Teacher activities.