Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School Selected as Finalist for National Institute for Excellence in Teaching’s Founder’s Award, $10,000 Cash Prize
March 12, 2026
School one of five nationwide recognized for outstanding efforts to foster educator excellence and advance student success, contending for a $50,000 grand prize
Marthaville, La. (March 12, 2026) - The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) announced today that Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School in Natchitoches Parish School Board, Louisiana, won $10,000 for its selection as an NIET Founder’s Award finalist. The prestigious Founder’s Award was created by Lowell Milken in 2008 to honor one school in the United States each year for exceptional implementation of NIET’s principles to build educator excellence and advance student success. Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School is among five schools nationwide under consideration for the $50,000 grand prize, which will be announced at NIET’s national conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 1, 2026.
“Congratulations to the Marthaville Elementary and Junior High School team, led by Principal Andrew Newman and Natchitoches Parish School Board Superintendent Dr. Grant Eloi,” said NIET Founder Lowell Milken. “Their focus on meeting the needs of all students is lifting academic success to new heights.”
Founder’s Award finalists are selected by NIET based on several factors, including improving classroom instruction, creating high-quality professional learning focused on the real-time needs of teachers and students, and engaging teacher leaders and school leaders in building a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School has created a coaching culture in which teachers use student work to refine instruction and meet individual student needs. The overall student mastery rate increased eight points from 2023 to 2025, including an impressive 19 point increase in social studies. During the same period, the statewide mastery rate increased by only one point. As a result of the high-quality instruction offered, Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School improved to an “A” letter grade in 2024 and maintained it in 2025.
“When teachers are supported to analyze student work and data, we know that instruction can be tailored to help every student excel,” said NIET Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joshua Barnett. “By creating a culture in which teachers are comfortable reviewing data, receiving feedback, and refining instructional practices, the Marthaville Instructional Leadership Team has guided teachers and students to achieve increased success.”
What Makes Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School Unique?
Located about an hour south of Shreveport, Louisiana, Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School is a rural pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school that serves approximately 200 students, 87% of whom are economically disadvantaged. Through a partnership with NIET, the school is raising the quality of instruction offered across classrooms. Principal Newman, with the support of his Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) and district leaders, fosters a positive learning environment in which teachers and students can grow in confidence and skills.
Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School has adopted many of NIET’s structures for increasing educator effectiveness, including creating an ILT to guide professional learning for teachers. To take instruction to the next level, student work has become the focus of ILT meetings. Members of the ILT help teachers identify goals, analyze student data, and adjust instructional strategies accordingly. With support from the ILT, teachers use student work to shape and differentiate their classroom instruction.
“At the end of the day, increasing student outcomes is our main goal,” said Newman. “When we work together to really dig in and identify needs reflected in the student work and think about what we can do to improve student outcomes – that’s when we see growth across the school.”
Another structure that has helped teachers feel confident in using student data to refine instruction is the scheduling of weekly time for professional learning where teacher leaders and school leaders analyze data alongside teachers and help them refine instructional strategies.
“NIET’s structures have really helped our teachers sit down at least once a week and really dig into student work to look at what worked, what may need to be retaught, and strategies to make the instruction more effective,” said Newman. “Teachers now reflect on what they’re doing individually and how they can become better teachers.”
Across the school, educators and students alike are supported to reflect on their practices and think about the next steps they can take to improve. This mindset has been key to increasing student success.
“Kids win as a result of our partnership with NIET,” said Natchitoches Parish School Board K-12 ELA Teaching and Learning Specialist Andrea Penrod. “Students know their goals now and can track their own progress. It amazes me to see kindergartners who are now monitoring their own progress toward reading fluency and understanding that they have the potential to be great workers and leaders in our community.”
Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School joins fellow finalists Horizon Honors Elementary School (Horizon Honors Schools, Arizona); Northview Middle School (Metropolitan School District of Washington Township, Indiana); Riverwalk Academy (South Carolina Public Charter School District, South Carolina); and Sorrento Primary School (Ascension Public Schools, Louisiana) in contention for the $50,000 Founder’s Award grand prize.
About NIET
The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) is a national nonprofit based in Arizona that serves states and districts nationwide. For 25 years, NIET has partnered with schools, districts, states, and universities to build educator excellence and give all students the opportunity for success. NIET’s initiatives, including the TAP System, teacher and leader development, school improvement, rubric and observation systems, and educator preparation, have impacted more than 350,000 educators and 3.5 million students across the U.S.