SMARTer Kids Foundation continues to sponsor U.S. State Teacher of the Year programs
and National Teacher of the Year Program through 2005

Outstanding teacher from every state awarded leading-edge classroom technology from SMARTer Kids Foundation for fifth consecutive year

Calgary, AB --- October 27, 2004 ---The SMARTer Kids™ Foundation of Canada announces its continuing sponsorship of the U.S. National Teacher of the Year (NTOY) Program and the U.S. State Teacher of the Year programs, for the fifth consecutive year through its Teaching Excellence Award (TEA) program. Sixty-two¹ State Teachers of the Year will receive the latest in education technology, and of these, fifty-seven will represent the nominations for the 2005 National Teacher of the Year Program. The SMARTer Kids Foundation and its supporting sponsors are the only National Teacher of the Year Program sponsors to award technology products and training to all of the U.S. National Teacher of the Year nominees.

The award packages, valued at US$14,300 each, include a SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard, a floor stand and 25 copies of SMART Ideas® concept-mapping software from SMART Technologies Inc.; an NEC VT470 portable projector from NEC Solutions (America), Visual Systems Division; a Dana™ by AlphaSmart® Palm® OS laptop alternative from AlphaSmart, Inc.; a 32-pad Classroom Performance System from eInstruction Corp.; and a Kar2ouche® or Krucible® creative-learning software platform from Immersive Education Ltd. In addition to the award packages, the TEA program will contribute US$40,000 to support the National Teacher of the Year program and to provide hands-on product training to award recipients during the NTOY events in the 2005 award year. The SMARTer Kids Foundation will also award a copy SMART Ideas software to more than 500 state finalists. In total, the sponsors will donate more than US$1 million in education technology to the 2005 State Teachers of the Year and state finalists.

“With the transformation of my classroom into a high-tech learning environment, my students' enthusiasm and creativity came to life,” says Kathy Mellor, 2004 National Teacher of the Year and Rhode Island State Teacher of the Year. “The fabulous products and training offered to teachers by the SMARTer Kids Foundation demonstrate the effective impact that technology products, research and training can have.”

“For the fifth consecutive year, the SMARTer Kids Foundation will be putting leading-edge technology products into the hands of America's finest educators,” says Nancy Knowlton, executive director of the SMARTer Kids Foundation. “With these powerful education tools and the training provided through this program, the National Teacher of the Year nominees will find new ways to improve learning outcomes in their classrooms.”

Honoring the Teachers
Teaching Excellence Awards will be presented at each state's annual teacher-recognition ceremony. In January 2005, the teachers will be joined by SMARTer Kids Foundation representatives and sponsors at the National Teacher of the Year Award in Dallas, Texas, where each will receive training on the awarded products. The National Teacher of the Year Award ceremony will take place in Washington D.C. in April 2005. There, the SMARTer Kids Foundation will host a technology-champions workshop and a celebration dinner for award recipients, guests and sponsors. The workshop will provide teachers the opportunity to develop their skills in a hands-on, small group setting. Other events will include a presidential ceremony at the White House and a recognition gala hosted by the Counsel of Chief State School Officers and Scholastic Inc. Award winners will also be featured on the SMARTer Kids Foundation website at www.smarterkids.org/excellence.

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¹The 62 State Teachers of the Year who will receive a 2005 Teaching Excellence Award include the following:
• 57 State Teachers of the Year participating in the 2005 National Teacher of the Year Program (including one from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions of Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands and American Samoa)
• four additional State Teachers of the Year in California
• one additional State Teacher of the Year in Texas