2025 Smithsonian Education Awards Honor Collaborative and Innovative Programs That Enhance Learning for All

Through innovative approaches and significant collaboration, these programs enhance learning and make educational resources widely available and relevant. The staff and partners promote science, art, cultural, and historical awareness, showcasing the Smithsonian’s commitment to education and teamwork.

On Thursday, March 27, the Smithsonian education community and supporters came together at the stunning Oprah Winfrey Theater, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture to celebrate the annual Smithsonian Education Awards. Endowed by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee in honor of its fortieth anniversary of service to the Smithsonian, the awards celebrate the achievements of educators across the Smithsonian. The event, hosted by Under Secretary for Education Dr. Monique M. Chism, featured performances by CenterStage Academy for the Arts and posting the colors by the Smithsonian’s Honor Guard, who sang the Star-Spangled Banner, as well.

The awards recognize the power of learning and the transformative potential of knowledge. Our distinguished award recipients demonstrated exceptional innovation and dedication, inspiring many and shaping the future of education. We also celebrated the collective achievements of the entire Smithsonian Education community, including educators, and supporters. This included the Smithsonian Council for Education, a national coalition of philanthropic supporters who recognize the profound impact that education can have on the lives of PreK-12 students across the United States. We are also grateful to our external and independent panel of judges of education, science, history, and museum experts who made the difficult decision of selecting awardees from an incredible field of nominees.

The Education Achievement Award honors individuals for their outstanding performance and dedication to museum education.

• Awardee: Tiffany McGettigan, Head of Education at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, transformed the museum's education programming by using contemporary art as engaging teaching tools for young visitors and their families. Her efforts make contemporary art enjoyable and approachable for young visitors, caregivers, and families.
• Awardee: Adam Rozan, a highly regarded Program and Audience Specialist at the National Museum of American History, is known for his innovative approach to audience engagement. Rozan significantly expanded and deepened visitor engagement through the Smithsonian's Staff Learning Series.
   

A new award—the Smithsonian Education Impact Award—honors an exceptional team project that enhances outcomes for Pre-K-12 learners, educators, and families across the nation.

• Nominee: Native Knowledge 360° is an initiative by the National Museum of the American Indian to improve how Native American history and culture are taught and learned. It offers educators resources like lesson plans, multimedia content, and professional development. By providing accurate and culturally relevant information, the program helps students better understand and appreciate Native American history, culture, and contributions. Working with Native communities ensures authentic perspectives and promotes an inclusive educational environment. Through workshops, webinars, and interactive platforms, Native Knowledge 360° empowers educators to create engaging lessons that showcase the rich tapestry, legacy, and vibrant communities of Native American peoples.

• Awardee: The National Museum of Natural History revamped its school programs to match the Next Generation Science Standards for grades K-12. These programs feature live sessions led by museum educators, both at the museum and online, along with self-guided materials. The redesign made learning more engaging and available, offering free in-person and virtual programs on a wide range of scientific topics. Nicole Webster, the Manager of School and Youth Programs, accepted the award on behalf of the team for their efforts to enhance educational experiences. Since its launch during the 2022-23 pandemic school year, the program has reached 40,000 students through 1,487 program offerings in 48 U.S. states and territories and six countries.

The One Smithsonian Education Award honors an outstanding education project team that exemplifies the spirit of pan-institutional internal teamwork, engagement with our nationwide PreK-12 partners, or multi-unit collaboration within our vast Smithsonian spaces and grounds.

• Nominee: Cultivating Learning is the Office of Educational Technology's initiative to support PK–16 educators in using digital museum resources. In each webinar, guest educators demonstrate teaching techniques, and participants try out and discuss the activities. Educators then implement these resources to encourage learners to observe the world, appreciate different perspectives, and become engaged citizens. With over 28 episodes, OET has partnered with 17 Smithsonian units and seven education community thought partners, reaching over 24,000 educators worldwide.
• Nominee: Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past is a Smithsonian-wide project that looks at past and present inequalities. Working with the Digitization Program Office and other staff, RWORP made 3D scans of objects chosen by storytellers and educators. These objects share important, often unheard stories about history and culture. Using advanced 3D technology, the Smithsonian’s Voyager viewer lets people interact with these objects, see details, read articles, listen to audio explanations, watch videos, and take guided tours. This project uses new technology to make historic collections easier for the public to explore.
• Nominee: The Chandra X-ray Observatory, managed by NASA and the Smithsonian, celebrated 25 years of scientific work in 2024 with a program called Smithsonian’s Cosmic Journey: Celebrating Chandra’s 25th Anniversary. This program aimed to connect the public with the telescope and its discoveries through various Smithsonian projects and platforms, highlighting the Smithsonian's contributions to space science. They reached people through TV shows, concerts, and social media, and collaborated with other government agencies, universities, and private companies.
• Awardee: Get a Head Start with the Smithsonian is a program that unites 14 Smithsonian units and the National Head Start Association (NHSA). Led by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, it brings national treasures into Head Start classrooms. Using best practices in early childhood education, the program ensures high-quality learning for all children. It includes live virtual field trips to the National Zoo, interactive sessions at Smithsonian museums, and a puppet co-host named Pinky. Each field trip comes with a 'virtual backpack' of classroom activities and professional development for teachers. The program has reached over 230,000 students across all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and tribal nations.

The Smithsonian Education Awards celebrate the transformative power of learning and the dedication of its educators and partners. These awards highlight exceptional innovation and commitment, inspiring others and shaping the future of education. By recognizing outstanding individuals and teams, the awards emphasize the importance of high-quality education and its profound impact on students, educators, and communities. The honored projects and initiatives demonstrate how education can promote critical thinking, creativity, and a deeper understanding of history, culture, and science, ultimately contributing to a brighter future for all learners.

Education is crucial as we tackle complex issues and global uncertainties with resilience and innovation. Through everyone's hard work and dedication, we have shared the Smithsonian's treasures with the American people. Smithsonian education promotes critical thinking, encourages creativity, advances science and technology, and helps develop a shared understanding of what it means to be American—from our founding principles to our history and its impact on today. Smithsonian educators are committed to making resources in science, art, history, and culture available to every teacher, student, parent, and home in America. Together, we are creating a brighter future, one learner at a time.

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Editor's note: Additional photos from this year's ceremony and reception are available here.

Tracie Spinale | Read More

Tracie Spinale is the Training Administrator in the Office of the Under Secretary for Education (OUSE), where she collaborates with colleagues and communities to create learning experiences, manage internships, and support policy. With over 20 years of experience as a cultural services educator, Tracie delivers multi-disciplinary professional development, training programs, and educational experiences to both adult and youth audiences. Growing up in the American Midwest, she developed a love for museums and the outdoors, and she holds degrees in anthropology and museum studies.