The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is proud to coordinate several programs intended to uplift outstanding educators from across the District, including educator awards.

Please use this form to nominate educators for consideration for the OSSE educator awards categories or opportunities described below.

These awards are open to educators working in District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and DC public charter schools. Descriptions of opportunities and award categories are available below. 

• DC Teacher of the Year: The DC Teacher of the Year (TOY) program celebrates outstanding educators who are experts in their craft as demonstrated by accelerated growth for all students, and who demonstrate leadership beyond the classroom by partnering with colleagues, students, families and communities to support innovation in teaching and learning, and who champion the teaching profession. For a teacher to be eligible for consideration, they must be a current pre-K 3-adult education teacher in a DC public school or public charter school and must plan to continue as a teacher in DC for the 2026-27 school year.
• DC History Teacher of the Year: The DC History Teacher of the Year program is a partnership between OSSE and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI). Educators considered for the History Teacher of the Year award must meet the following criteria: Current teacher in a District of Columbia public, public charter, private or religious school; at least three years of classroom teaching experience; will teach for at least one year following the award year; a demonstrated commitment to teaching American history; evidence of creativity and imagination in the classroom; and effective use of documents, artifacts, historic sites, oral histories and other primary sources to engage students with American history. Consideration of these factors will be based on the grade level taught to accommodate the teaching requirements of both generalist and specialist teachers.
• DC Educator Talent Pool: The DC Educator Talent Pool recognizes and leverages the expertise of outstanding District of Columbia educators. Rather than culminating in a specific award, the Talent Pool is used as a resource for awards, development of practitioner committees, targeted professional development activities and more. Please feel welcome to nominate outstanding teachers, specialists, principals and administrators to be part of this pool.
• Superintendent’s Advisory Councils: The Superintendent’s Advisory Councils, which includes the Teacher Advisory Council (TAC), the School Leader Advisory Council (SLAC), and the Family Advisory Council (FAC), represent a diverse group of teachers and school leaders who reflect the educator workforce across the city, including both DC Public Schools and public charter schools. The TAC, SLAC, and FAC work alongside OSSE's senior leadership, including the State Superintendent and division leaders, to provide them insight, feedback and advice on issues that impact students, educators, classrooms and schools across the District.