An important feature of Direct Instruction (DI) is celebrating success–the success of students, teachers, and entire schools. For many years there has been a tradition of recognizing individual and group achievements at the annual National Direct Instruction Conference in Eugene, Oregon. The National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) will continue this tradition at the 49th National DI Conference through the Excellence in Education Awards this summer! An awards ceremony will take place at the National DI Conference in Eugene, and the recipients of the following awards will be announced:

• Siegfried Engelmann Excellence in Education Award – This award is named after Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann, co-creator of Direct Instruction, senior author of the DI programs, and founder of NIFDI. The recipient of this award can be anyone – a teacher, paraprofessional, administrator, college professor, etc. – who has provided a significant contribution to the field of education and/or student achievement.
• Wes Becker Excellent School Award – This award is named after Wesley Becker, co-creator of Direct Instruction and longtime Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Oregon. This award is given to a school for exemplary implementation of Direct Instruction.
• The Wayne Carnine Student Improvement Award – This award is named after the father of Doug Carnine, DI co-author and longtime Professor of Education at the University of Oregon. It is given to a student who has demonstrated remarkable academic success with DI. Teachers submit nominations. The winner, selected by Doug and Linda Carnine, will be presented with a plaque and $200. Please take the opportunity to honor a member of the DI “family.” This recognition is such a simple thing, but it means so much to the individuals and our profession.

Download the Awards Packet here. The deadline for submission is June 3. We hope to see many nominations!

An independent committee will review nominations from the field and honor individuals and schools that have made a significant difference in the educational achievement of children. Please take time to think about and nominate a student, colleague, and/or school. Perhaps it is someone who worked with a child after a parent had been told the child “has a learning disability” and will never learn to read. Or a classroom teacher whose students have consistently shown notable performance gains. Your nominee may be a principal who stood by what was right and implemented DI successfully. Or a college professor who taught a methods class centered around DI. Or a student that made amazing progress this current school year. There are many more examples out there.