Golden Apple, a leading education nonprofit that is playing a critical and expanding role in resolving the teacher shortage crisis in Illinois, will honor Barbara Bowman with its 2019 Impact Award on Monday, October 28th at the organization’s annual event. Bowman, a pioneer in the field of early childhood development, has tirelessly advocated for and led advancements in education for young students throughout her distinguished career of more than six decades.

The Golden Apple Impact Award honors a person or organization which has positively and significantly impacted the lives of Illinois’ students through their work in education. Award criteria include demonstrating fearless leadership in the face of adversity, delivering an aspirational vision for the future and strategies to achieve it, and wholly dedicating one’s life to better outcomes for all students in Illinois. Against these criteria, Bowman has set the standard.

“Barbara Bowman and Golden Apple share a deep commitment to creating accessible, equitable and inclusive educational opportunities for all students,” said Alicia Winckler, CEO of The Golden Apple Foundation. “There are few individuals who have contributed more to advancing education than Barbara and we are honored to present her with the 2019 Impact Award.”

Bowman’s many impressive achievements include:

• Co-founding the Erikson Institute, the premier early childhood development organization committed to ensuring that all children have equitable opportunities to realize their potential,

• Serving as a consultant to the U.S. Secretary of Education during President Barack Obama’s first term,

• Delivering significant, positive impact as the Early Childhood Officer for the Chicago Public Schools,

• Serving as Past President for the National Association for the Education of Young Children,

• Holding impactful Board Membership positions in several organizations – including the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and

• Nurturing countless education professionals globally who have gone on to positively influence the well-being of children and families across Illinois and the United States.

“We have long known that a child’s educational outcomes are defined not by whether they are in a classroom, but by their experience while they are there,” said Barbara Bowman. “I am honored to be recognized by an organization committed to helping students thrive by developing the next generation of educators. By empowering diverse groups of young people with resources and support, and inspiring them to teach, we strengthen the educational experience for all students.”

Funds raised from the Impact Award support the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program, a pre-service teacher preparation program that recruits and develops high-achieving young people to teach in schools-of-need. The Golden Apple Scholars program has doubled in size in the past five years and plans to double again by 2024.

“Scholars represent a diverse group of high-achieving young people from throughout Illinois and many are first-generation college students,” said Golden Apple Foundation President Alan Mather. “Golden Apple’s unique and unparalleled teacher preparation approach has them ready on day one to teach in Illinois’ most challenging schools and classrooms, and they stay longer in teaching than educators from any other program. I could not be more proud of them.”

For additional information and to purchase event tickets visit www.goldenapple.org/impact-award.

This article originally appeared in the Chicago Defender. 

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