2021-2022 RISE Award Application Open

For the second time in spring 2022, the U.S. Department of Education will award the Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award to a full- or part-time classified school employee who provides exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through high school.

The Governor of each state has been invited to nominate up to two classified school employees. Georgia is again running a state-level process, the Georgia RISE Award, to select its nominees.

All state charter schools are invited and highly encouraged to submit a nominee for consideration for the Georgia RISE Award. Nominees and nominators must be employees of Georgia public schools or districts (this includes state charter schools). You may assign the completion of the nomination form to a designee, but the school principal (for school-level employees) or district superintendent (for district-level employees) must sign off on the application.

To submit a nominee for consideration, complete the application and send, along with two letters of recommendation, to Meghan Frick ([email protected]) by Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Instructions for recommendation letters are included in the application form.

Employees in the following job categories are eligible for consideration (these categories are set by the U.S. Department of Education for the national award):

• Paraprofessional
• Clerical and administrative services
• Transportation services
• Food and nutrition services
• Custodial and maintenance services
• Security services
• Health and student services
• Technical services
• Skilled trades

To learn more about Georgia’s 2020 RISE Award winners, Montgomery County’s Harold Quarterman and Columbia County’s Lee Peck, click here. We appreciate your participation in recognizing the classified employees who, more than ever over the last year and a half, keep our schools running and our students thriving.

Georgia RISE Award Application