McGraw Hill Announces Winners of the Second Annual ALEKS All-Star Educator Awards

NEW YORK (January 28, 2021) – McGraw Hill today announced the winners of its second annual ALEKS All-Star Educator Awards, an awards program honoring outstanding educators. This second installment of the program, which was launched in 2019 in celebration of the 20th anniversary of McGraw Hill ALEKS®, recognizes K-12 teachers and higher education instructors who have used the ALEKS learning solution to achieve exceptional results, going above and beyond to help learners succeed.

“In a year characterized by an accelerated transition to digital learning, it has been incredibly inspiring to see the creative and impactful ways educators have used this software to unlock their students’ potential,” said Simon Allen, CEO of McGraw Hill. “These daring and imaginative instructors are brilliant examples of what educators are capable of. We are so glad to honor these all-stars who make such meaningful differences in the lives of those they teach.”

The winners of the 2020 ALEKS All-Star Educator Awards are:

K-12 Winners: Robert Duncan and Meghan Slotman

Robert Duncan, who teaches Algebra at Mountain Ridge High School in Frostburg, MD, has used ALEKS as a cornerstone of his fully-virtual instruction plan, and his use of ALEKS has aided him in helping the majority of his students see double-digit percentage increases in the amount of material they’ve been able to master this year. Several of his students have also seen marked increases in their performance on statewide assessments.

Meghan Slotman, who teaches 6th Grade Math at Allendale Middle School in Allendale, MI, has structured a great deal of her face-to-face and virtual instruction around ALEKS; her one-on-one work with students using ALEKS has enabled her, even through the difficulties of remote instruction, to drive impressive increases in her students’ mathematics performance and, in turn, increase her students’ confidence in their math skills.

Higher Ed Winners: Dan Collins and Morteza Barshooi

Dan Collins, who teaches Chemistry at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, uses ALEKS as a critical component of his own instruction, while also helping other branches of the University set up ALEKS as part of their arsenal of instructional tools. His students and colleagues all speak highly of his energy, passion, dedication, and instructional skill.

Morteza Barshooi, who teaches Mathematics at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC, uses ALEKS as a core element of his curriculum. He is known to his students as a caring, thoughtful, and dedicated instructor. His students speak of his eagerness to support them as much as possible both in and out of the classroom and express their gratitude for the time he takes to ensure they are getting the most out of ALEKS and their time in class.

The winners will each receive a $1,000 donation from McGraw Hill to an education-focused non-profit or charity of their choice, a $250 gift card and a collection of McGraw Hill books for professional development.

McGraw Hill also recognizes four additional educators with Honorable Mentions. The 2020 ALEKS All-Star Educator Honorable Mentions are:

• Alan Scharman, Ahern Middle School, Foxborough, MA
• Chris Vierling, Urbandale Middle School, Urbandale, IA
• Michael Bailey, Brookhaven College, Farmers Branch, TX
• Kelly Jackson, Camden County College, Camden, NJ

Based on the theory of “knowledge spaces” from cognitive science, ALEKS (Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces) uses artificial intelligence to create personalized and dynamic learning paths for K-20 students based on their unique needs. Since all students enter a course with varying levels of preparedness, ALEKS’s technology pinpoints what students already know, what they don’t and, most importantly, what they’re ready to learn next. To date, ALEKS has helped more than 20 million students at thousands of K-12 schools, colleges and universities around the world.