Nancie Atwell is an American educator who in 2015 became the first recipient of the Global Teacher Prize, a $1million award presented by the Varkey Foundation to "one innovative and caring teacher who has made an inspirational impact on their students and their community".

Career A teacher since 1973, Atwell started her career in western New York, but found traditional teaching methods constraining.Gambino, Lauren. "The world's best teacher lives in rural Maine and doesn't care about test scores". The Guardian. 23 March 2015.

In 1990 Atwell founded the nonprofit Center for Teaching and Learning, a school at Edgecomb in rural Maine where students read an average of 40 books a year, choose which books they read, and write prolifically."Nancie Atwell Of Maine Wins $1 Million Global Teaching Prize". NPR. 16 March 2015.Coughlan, Sean. "Global teacher prize winner to give away $1m". BBC News. 15 March 2015. She donated the $1million from her 2015 Global Teacher Prize to the upkeep, development, and scholarships of the school, which is also a demonstration school for developing and disseminating teaching methods.Associated Press. "Maine Teacher Wins $1 Million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai". New York Times. 15 March 2015.Marsh, Sarah. "US teacher wins $1m for developing reading and writing skills". The Guardian. 15 March 2015."10 Incredible Facts about Prize Winner Nancie Atwell" . VarkeyFoundation.org. 19 March 2015.

Atwell has authored nine books on teaching. In The Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning (1987) has sold more than half a million copies.

Selected books In The Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning (1987). Side by Side Lessons That Change Writers Naming the World: A Year of Poems and Lessons The Reading Zone Systems to Transform Your Classroom and School

See also Hanan Al Hroub 2016 winner.

References

External links Center for Teaching & Learning