Dr. Ellen Dooley received the national Milken Educator Award in a surprise presentation during an all-school assembly. (photo courtesy of the Milken Family Foundation)

During an all-school assembly on Feb. 24 at Milken Community School, Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken presented exciting news about the school’s Dr. Ellen Dooley, who was named the next national Milken Educator Award recipient.

Dooley, a social science instructional leader, teaches classes to sixth through 12th grade students at Milken Community School, a private Jewish high school and middle school on Mulholland Drive in Bel Air. Surrounded by cheering students, colleagues and dignitaries, Dooley accepted the award and an accompanying unrestricted $25,000 cash prize.

Dooley is among two California recipients to earn the Milken Educator Award this school year, and among up to 30 recipients nationally. Joel Hudec, principal of Brookside Elementary School in Beaumont, was presented the award in November.

Dr. Dooley joins a national network of more than 3,000 Milken educators spanning the awards’ nearly 40-year history. Hailed as the “Oscars of Teaching,” the awards do not have a formal application or nomination process. Outstanding early to mid-career K-12 educators are awarded for what they have achieved, and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the award.

Dooley engages students in hands-on learning while cultivating critical thinkers curious about the world around them. Across multiple disciplines at Milken Community School, including modern world/Jewish history, U.S. history and art history, she promotes high expectations, meaningful challenges and an unwavering belief that all students can succeed.

Beyond the Milken Community School, Dooley has mentored students as a writing coach and has supported teenage mothers pursuing high school diplomas. She also served as assistant curator of Latin American art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and as a volunteer instructor with the Prison University Project (now Mount Tamalpais College) at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. She continues a commitment to justice-centered education at Milken Community School as faculty advisor to Yozma (“initiative” in Hebrew), the school’s social action initiative.

For information, visit milkeneducatorawards.org.