Mansfield High School has been announced by The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching as one of the five finalists for the TAP Founder’s Award, the organization’s highest honor.
Created by NIET Chairman and TAP Founder Lowell Milken, the TAP Founder’s Award is presented
annually to one school for exceptional efforts to implement and represent the principles of the TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement, resulting in improvements to educator effectiveness and student achievement growth.
The winner will receive a $50,000 cash prize. Each finalist will receive a plaque and $10,000 during a
luncheon on Friday, March 23, 2018, at the 18th National TAP Conference in Washington, D.C., attended by 1,000 top educators and education leaders from across the country.
Lowell Milken will announce the winner at the end of the luncheon.
Mansfield High School is the only Louisiana school named to the list of finalists, with the other four finalists coming from Indiana, Arkansas, and Texas.
Milken said, “Coming from a diverse set of communities, these five schools embody the tenets of school leadership and serve as powerful models of sustained student achievement growth. I congratulate Lincoln, Cross County, Mansfield, Slaton and West Goshen on their tireless efforts to strengthen their teacher forces and prepare students to be informed, productive citizens.”
The TAP System is America’s leading comprehensive educator effectiveness model that aligns teacher
leadership, daily job-embedded professional development, educator evaluation and support, and
opportunities for performance-based compensation.
Introduced in 1999, the TAP System, as administered through NIET, partners with schools, districts,
universities and states.
Mansfield High teacher Nakia Graham said, “The TAP program has had a positive impact on me as a former student and classroom teacher along with impacting my students in a positive way. I have experienced TAP as a student in a field-test group with a master teacher where we learned an ELA strategy that I used throughout high school and college. Now as a teacher at my alma mater I am benefitting from professional development through my weekly cluster meetings and the TAP support structures that help my students reach their maximum potential.”
Each finalist implements the TAP System by establishing leadership teams, made up of master and lead teachers as well as administrators, who drive instruction.
Master Teacher Amanda Lafollette said, “Committing to sustain and communicate the TAP model as a
valuable process has created a culture of advanced learning at Mansfield High School.” according to
Principal Toras Hill. Mansfield High School is in the tenth year of implementation of the TAP system. We
can still say, with passion, that TAP is vital to maintaining the collaborative professional culture that provides the framework for growth in student achievement.”
Mansfield High recently received an “A” rating from the State Department of Education for school
performance. This “A” rating was the first in the school’s history.
Mansfield Board Members offer Congratulations:
- “At Mansfield High School, we have great administration, teachers, students, support staff, and parents. With God as the head, the time and hard work at MHS from educators and students will cause MHS to continue to rise up.” – Bobby Boyd
- “It has been exciting to watch Mansfield High grow to an “A” level. Being a finalist for this award is proof that people working together brings about good things for our students.” – Tommy Craig
- “This is great recognition for Mansfield High and our community. I’m pleased with the work of our employees and students for doing their part in helping rise to this level of excellence.” – Donnie Dufour
- “Our teachers and students deserve this recognition. There are great things happening at Mansfield High. Keep up the good work with God’s blessings.” – L.J. Mayweather
