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Elevating Student and Family Voices

Honored Schools is a program from the College Football Playoff Foundation aimed at recognizing great teachers, elevating student voices, and creating a consistent culture of teacher appreciation within school communities.

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The Program

Through the Honored Schools online platform, students (and parents on behalf of younger students) within each participating school community are encouraged to recognize teachers  by telling a story of how the teacher made a difference in their life.  Every teacher who is recognized will receive their student’s story and will be publicly recognized at their school and on the Honored Schools website. Also, each recognition story serves as a nomination for the annual Honored Schools Life-Changing Teacher Award.

The Award

At the end of each school year, two or more recognized teachers in each region will be awarded the Honored Schools Life-Changing Teacher Award and will receive a $2,000 DonorsChoose classroom resource and a $500 Visa Gift Card cash award and will be featured, along with the nominating student, on the HonoredSchools.org website.

Award recipients will be selected from each region’s pool of submissions by a local panel of community leaders in consultation with Honored Schools principals. The selection criteria focuses on the important impact the teacher has made on their students’ lives.

How many awards each district will receive depends on how many nominations are made:

Number of Nominations Number of $2,500 Awards
200-500 2 Awards
500-1,000 3 Awards
1,001-1,500 4 Awards
1,501-2,000 5 Awards
2,001-3,000 6 Awards

Award recipients will be blindly selected from each region’s pool of submissions by a panel of State Teachers of the Year and Finalists in consultation with Honored Schools principals.

Our Schools

During the 2024-2025 school year, Honored Schools partnered with 99 schools across Atlanta, GA, Houston, TX, Indianapolis, IN, Inglewood, CA, and New Orleans, LA

For the 2025-2026 school year, Honored Schools is expanding to nearly 300 schools across Clark County, Gwinnett County, Dallas ISD, Indianapolis, Inglewood ISD, Irving ISD, Miami County, New Orleans, Palm Beach County, and Spring ISD.

  • In May 2026, Honored Schools will name Life-Changing Teacher Award recipients in each region from the pool of Honor Stories submitted from schools.

Our Team

Honored Schools is a program from Honored, a national leader in teacher recognition. 

Lauren Cantell
Lauren
Cantell

Project Manager

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“My fourth grade teacher, Ms. Levine, had a profound impact on me. She wasn’t the cuddliest of teachers, but she pushed us to excellence. We were reading Greek and Roman mythology, and I expressed sincere interest in the stories, so Ms. Levine gifted me one of our text books so that I could read it at home. She instilled in me the idea that what I am interested in is of value, and to continue to pursue my passions.”

Lauren Cantell is a project management consultant and educator with extensive experience in educational development and leadership. Holding degrees in psychology and education from Drexel University and Richard Stockton College, she began her career as a classroom teacher at Mastery Charter Schools in Philadelphia. In her seven years as a classroom teacher there, she led initiatives such as the writing pilot and served as a Cultural Context Facilitator.

Lauren transitioned to the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY), where she was the Director of Project Management and later became Chief of Staff. She oversaw projects with the school districts, planned multi-day conferences, and managed budgets exceeding $2M.

Most recently, as a consultant for Mount Holyoke College, ConnectED Workforce LLC, and the College Football Playoff Foundation. Lauren is also an artist and lives in Los Angeles with her dog, Roscoe

Frequently Asked Questions

Invisible
How does my school become an Honored School?

Honored Schools is currently accepting inquiries for participation in our 2024-2025 school year program. If your school would like to learn more about participating in Honored Schools, please send us a note at [email protected]. Honored Schools currently operates only in Atlanta, GA; Indianapolis, Indiana; Inglewood, CA; Houston, TX; and New Orleans, LA.

Who may be recognized?

Full-time classroom teachers of any subject currently teaching at your school may be recognized and are eligible for the Honored Schools Transformative Teacher Award. Other school staff members may also be recognized, but they are not eligible for the award.

Who may recognize a teacher?

Current or former students, and parents or other family members on behalf of students (particularly the younger ones who may need a hand completing the form!)

How do you decide who is awarded the Honored Schools Life-Changing Teacher Award?
Award recipients will be selected from each region’s pool of submissions by a local panel of community leaders in consultation with Honored Schools principals. The selection criteria focuses on the important impact the teacher has made on the nominating student’s life. The panel will also consider the volume of submissions in proportion to school and class size and resource equity.
Will my teacher know about the recognition?

Yes! Your teacher will receive an email with your Honor Story and will know what an impact they’ve had on you. Your school will celebrate all recognized teachers in a variety of ways. Your nominations will also be published on The Honor Roll on honoredschools.org so that other people can read about all of the inspiring teachers at your school. Who knows, your teacher may become internet famous!

If my teacher is selected as the Honored Schools Life-Changing Teacher Award recipient, what happens?

Your teacher will receive a $2,000 DonorsChoose classroom resource and a $500 Visa Gift Card cash award, and will be celebrated at your school and across the country!

How does Honored Schools approach content moderation?

At Honored, we prioritize maintaining a positive and respectful environment on our platform. Our team carefully reviews each Honor Story before it reaches teachers.

In a rare occurrence, should we identify any content that goes against our guidelines, we will promptly remove the submission and send the School Lead an email to request that the student resubmit a positive teacher Honor Story.

Additionally, in cases where the content involves threatening behavior or violence, we take a more serious stance by immediately notifying school leadership and District Leads. This collaborative approach ensures swift action and a judicious response to maintain the integrity of our platform.

Our commitment remains steadfast: teachers receive only positive and uplifting Honor Stories, contributing to a nurturing and supportive online community.

Is your school or district interested in participating in Honored Schools? Reach out to [email protected].

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