The short list of nominees for the 2013 Bammy Awards has been announced! Mucho thanks to the Council of Peers members who took the time to vote and select the candidates. It's always fascinating to see who was selected. Some choices seem obvious, but there are always surprises and this year was no different. Candidates span the continuum from the renowned to the "who?" As always, some categories, like elementary school teachers and education bloggers, were much more active than others. A few categories, like afterschool program directors and school business officials, had insufficient nominees and votes to qualify so the categories were cancelled for 2013.

Overall, the qualifying candidates represent a pretty diverse and interesting cross-section of the education village and reading the nominations tells a pretty compelling story about what's right with American education. It's worth noting that some nominations were submitted with very cogent and substantive stories that described the nominee's work, contributions and overall impact in the field. Others took the "eloquence of brevity" to new levels, with a simple sentence or two about what a wonderful educator the nominee is. I suspect the richer, more fleshed-out descriptions make a difference.

We are excited that 23 categories made the cut (one more than last year) and again thank all of you who took time to participate. Despite the prevailing national narrative on education and educators, there's another narrative that cannot be denied. There is a cadre of passionate, committed, forward-looking educators who are doing extraordinary work in this field under withering conditions, that would send many of us running for the exits. However, these educators are leveraging technology to self-organize, share practices and amplify their voices. Their impact and influence is growing at an amazing rate and we're confident that a tipping point is on the horizon. Many of the Bammy Award nominees are in the vanguard of this transformation and we're delighted to help recognize and celebrate their contributions. We know that one day their work and their voices will eclipse the prevailing narrative.

Not totally sure why I love crusading for underdogs; perhaps it comes from knowing what it's like to be one. One thing is certain: few things are as moving as watching a person who has been long discounted and undervalued finally get the acknowledgement and recognition he or she deserves. Looking forward to seeing those faces again in September!

Here is the full list of finalists.

Here is the press release.

Voting in process for second annual “cross-discipline” education honors

Los Angeles, CA. May 29, 2013 - Today the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences, comprised of 213 influential education leaders and organizations, announced that Daniel Pink has joined the Academy’s Board of Governors. Pink is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal bestselling author who worked as an aide to Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, and he was chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore. Pink joins Dr. Timothy Shriver, CEO of the Special Olympics, and Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as the new voting members of the Academy who will help select the Bammy Awards honorees for 2013.

"We are honored to have Dan Pink on the Board of Governors and delighted by the caliber of people that the Academy continues to atrtact to the mission of recognizing what's right in American education," said Errol St. Clair Smith, executive producer of the Bammy Awards.

The Bammy Awards were created in response to the relentless national criticism of America's public schools. The negative perception of public education has led to a decrease in public confidence, calls for reductions in financial support and intense scrutiny of educators, while all that is right in American education is largely ignored.

Modeled on the broad scope of the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys, the Bammy Awards are presented by the Academy’s Council of Peers and Board of Governors. The Academy accepts nominations in dozens of disparate categories, selects honorees, and brings together constituents from the entire education community to recognize the honorees at a red-carpet, black-tie awards event in Washington, DC, on September 21st.

Based on the notion that it takes a village to educate a child, the Academy identifies, recognizes and celebrates the contributions of education professionals, para-professionals and support staff across the entire field -- from teachers, principals and superintendents to school nurses, advocates, researchers, early childhood specialists, education journalists, facilities maintenance staff, special needs professionals, school board members, parents and more.

The Bammy Awards acknowledge that teachers can't educate children alone and don't do it alone. The awards aim to foster cross-discipline recognition for the vital role played by every member of the education village, encourage collaboration and respect across the various domains, elevate education and education successes in the public eye, and raise the profile and voices of the many undervalued and unrecognized people who are making a difference in the field every day.

About the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences

The Academy is comprised of over 213 prominent education leaders. Charter members of the Academy include a profoundly eclectic cadre of persons involved in education, including Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education at Stanford University; Diane Ravitch, former Assistant Secretary of Education; Nancy Poliseno, president of the National Association for Middle Level Education; Dr. Mark Ginsberg, former head of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and currently dean of the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University; Jay Mathews, veteran education columnist at the Washington Post; Dennis J. Randolph, executive director of the National School Plant Management Association; Donna Mazyck, executive director of the National Association of School Nurses; and Rosemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D., vice-president of research and education for Sesame Workshop.

This year’s event is made possible by support from Gojo/Purell, School Health, Responsive Classroom, PBS Learning Media, TCPN, Excelligence Learning Corporation, Gryphon House, Kaplan Early Learning, GameDesk, Redleaf Press, Choose2Matter, WriteSteps, Learning ZoneXpress, ChildCare Education Institute, New Tech Network, ECE PolicyWorks, Teachers College Press and Gesell Institute of Child Development.

To learn more about the Bammy Awards go to www.bammyawards.org. Send emails to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call 818-539-5971.

The Academy voting has begun. Ballots have been sent to the members of the Council of Peers via email, and they are deciding who will be on the "short list" to be honored with a Bammy Award for 2013. Several community nominated people are on the ballots along with the Academy nominated candidates. Members get one vote in their category, and the entire process is done by secure, anonymous online voting. By the end of the week, all votes will be tallied and we'll all find out who the final five will be in each category. This is a great time to thank all of the members of the Council of Peers. From the nomination process to the first level of screening, their contributions make the Bammy Awards substantive, meaningful, and relevant. They are all amazing educators in their own right, but of course you already know that because you follow them on Twitter, right? Okay, if you are not already following them on Twitter, I encourage you to drop everything you're doing and go add them all to your list right now. You'll be glad you did! Check back soon for the final five...

The 2013 Bammy Awards nomination period is now closed. Want to thank all of you who took time out of your hectic schedules to nominate those amazing people who are doing extraordinary work across the field of education. Special shout-out to Joe Mazza, Erin Klein and Lisa Nielsen, who took the time to nominate or vote for over 50 people collectively. Erin, Lisa and Joe exemplify the willingness to support and share with others that can be found among the most passionate, talented and committed educators we all know.

Another big shout-out to the 7,584 people who voted over the past 45 days, to all who posted on Twitter at #bammyawards, and to all who blogged and tweeted about the Bammy Awards on their web sites. Mega-thanks to Peter DeWitt for his piece in Edweek, Why Educators Should Pay Attention to the Bammy Awards and to Marilyn Rhymes for her amazingly transparent and compelling EdWeek piece, Am I Good Enough. Big ups to Rae Pica for the piece in the Huffington Post, Appreciate Teachers, Idolize Celebrities, Hmmm....

The list of those deserving thanks is long, but we are committed to practicing the "eloquence of brevity" so we'll close by thanking groups like PBS Learning Media, Responsive Classroom, GOJO/PURELL, Excelligence, Edutopia, and the rest of our wonderful supporters.

We'll be blogging about the process of selecting the honorees and the upcoming red-carpet event right here. So follow us on Twitter or Facebook so you can stay abreast of all the Bammy Awards news as it unfolds, working up to the Bammy Awards ceremony in Washington DC on September 21st.

Again, thank you all for helping to recognize and celebrate all that is right with American education.