2027 Professional Awards: CEC Special Educator Rising Star Award

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The CEC Special Educator Rising Star Award honors CEC members in the first five years of their special education career. Recipients are birth through grade 12 teachers or specialized instructional support personnel who currently provide instruction to students with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.

 

Eligibility

CEC Special Educator Rising Star Award recipients must:

  1. Be a current CEC member at the time of nomination and granting of the award
  2. Demonstrate CEC’s core values:
  • Visionary Thinking: Demonstrated by forward-thinking and courageous decision-making dedicated to excellence and influence in an evolving environment.
  • Integrity: Demonstrated by ethical, responsive behavior; transparency; and accountability.
  • Inclusiveness: Demonstrated by a commitment to diversity, caring, and respect for the dignity and worth of all individuals.

      3. In addition, nominees must demonstrate the ability to:

  • Thoughtfully engage students, families and other stakeholders through effective communication and collaboration
  • Create an engaging, inclusive learning classroom environment and have a positive impact on students (inspiring learning, building relationships, teaching self-determined behaviors, etc.)
  • Make notable contributions to the students, classrooms or other settings, department, and/or school(s) they serve
  • Show exceptional potential for leadership in teaching, service, and/or scholarship

 

Recognition and Benefits

Award recipients will be:

  • Provided with complimentary registration to attend the CEC Convention & Expo
  • Recognized, and receive a commemorative plaque, at an Awards Luncheon
  • Given a $500 cash honorarium; and
  • Featured in a press release on the CEC website (https://exceptionalchildren.org)

 

How to Nominate

Nomination Materials

  • A letter/statement of support from the nominator
  • One (1) additional letter/statement of support, not including the nominator's, from a colleague, supervisor, or other professional
  • The nominee's Vita/Resume

Nomination Process

  • All application materials must be submitted together to CEC Headquarters by September 30, 2026.
  • Alternatively, responses can be emailed to Stephen Alleyne at salleyne@exceptionalchildren.org.
  • Please use file name(s) to clearly indicate reference to the nominee and award. (e.g., “Smith_Lifetime_Award.docx” or “Smith_Lifetime_Nomination.docx”).
  • All materials become the property of CEC and will not be returned.
We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.
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