Kansas English Language Teacher Earns Surprise $25,000 Milken Award
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.Sign up for The 74 NewsletterTOPEKA — Turner Elementary School teacher Lexcee Oddo is recognized as a highly skilled, family-focused and whole-brain educator who taught second-graders before focusing on students learning English as a second language.
Those traits of educational devotion made her Kansas’ latest recipient of a $25,000 Milken Educator Award, which was presented Thursday during a surprise schoolwide assembly in Kansas City, Kansas.
“Drawing from her curriculum knowledge and classroom experience, Lexcee helps students shine by building confidence, a passion for learning and a determination to achieve their goals. She is a valued teacher leader, mentor and trainer, and we are so proud to honor her,” said Jennifer Fuller, vice president of the Milken Educator Awards program and a Texas recipient of the honor in 2017.
Fuller said Oddo’s approach to driving excellence among Turner Elementary’s English language learners incorporated both compassion and kindness.
Oddo earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Kansas State University in 2018. Two years ago, she completed a master’s degree in education administration at Emporia State University.
Oddo was the sole Kansas recipient of a Milken Educator Award in 2025-2026. She was the state’s 74th since Kansas joined the program in 1992.
Nationally, Oddo and 29 other educators coast-to-coast were selected to be honored this academic year. They join a group of than 3,000 K-12 teachers, principals and specialists singled out for recognition through a program established in 1987 by philanthropist Lowell Milken.
“Talented educators play a critical role in preparing students to move successfully to the next stage of learning and life,” Milken said. “For 39 years, the Milken Educator Awards have been calling attention in a very public way to the essential work of educators — all in an effort to attract and retain high-quality talent to the teaching profession.”
The objective has been to highlight educators while in early- or mid-career for what they achieved and for the promise each possessed. Nominated educators don’t receive notice of their candidacy, and awards are presented at events organized to surprise winners. No mandate for a winner’s use of the $25,000 prize existed, but some spend money on their children’s or their own education, to finance dream field trips or establish scholarships.
The Milken Foundation said Oddo was known for creating a learning environment where multilingual learners were empowered to grow in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Her prescription for student success blended high expectations, individualized support and a sense of purpose, the foundation said.
Oddo, who serves as a first-year buddy to new teachers, relied on student assessments to refine instruction and provide real-time interventions. She performed this work with a “culture of joy and collective efficacy” that led to consistent student advances, the foundation said.
The foundation said Oddo was regarded as a whole-brain teacher who valued academic strength and social-emotional development of students. She hosted student recognition assemblies and an after-school tutoring designed to support students’ academic goals, the foundation said.
“Lexcee represents the best of Kansas education,” said Randy Watson, commissioner at the Kansas State Department of Education. “She believes every child can learn and creates a classroom where high expectations and meaningful support help students thrive. Her leadership strengthens her colleagues, and the trust she builds with families reflects her deep commitment to every student’s success.
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions:(email protected).
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Sign up for The 74 Newsletter TOPEKA u2014 Turner Elementary School teacher Lexcee Oddo is recognized as a highly skilled, family-focused and whole-","copyrightYear":"2025","articleSection":"Education","articleBody":"nnn n Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newslettern n n n nTOPEKA u2014 Turner Elementary School teacher Lexcee Oddo is recognized as a highly skilled, family-focused and whole-brain educator who taught second-graders before focusing on students learning English as a second language.nnnnThose traits of educational devotion made her Kansasu2019 latest recipient of a $25,000 Milken Educator Award, which was presented Thursday during a surprise schoolwide assembly in Kansas City, Kansas.nnnnu201cDrawing from her curriculum knowledge and classroom experience, Lexcee helps students shine by building confidence, a passion for learning and a determination to achieve their goals. She is a valued teacher leader, mentor and trainer, and we are so proud to honor her,u201d said Jennifer Fuller, vice president of the Milken Educator Awards program and a Texas recipient of the honor in 2017.nnnnnnnnFuller said Oddou2019s approach to driving excellence among Turner Elementaryu2019s English language learners incorporated both compassion and kindness.nnnnOddo earned a bacheloru2019s degree in elementary education at Kansas State University in 2018. Two years ago, she completed a masteru2019s degree in education administration at Emporia State University.nnnnOddo was the sole Kansas recipient of a Milken Educator Award in 2025-2026. She was the stateu2019s 74th since Kansas joined the program in 1992.nnnnNationally, Oddo and 29 other educators coast-to-coast were selected to be honored this academic year. They join a group of more than 3,000 K-12 teachers,u00a0principalsu00a0and specialists singled out for recognition through a program established in 1987 by philanthropist Lowell Milken.nnnnu201cTalented educators play a critical role in preparing students to move successfully to the next stage of learning and life,u201d Milken said. u201cFor 39 years, the Milken Educator Awards have been calling attention in a very public way to the essential work of educators u2014 all in an effort to attract and retain high-quality talent to the teaching profession.u201dnnnnThe objective has been to highlight educators while in early- or mid-career for what they achieved and for the promise each possessed. Nominated educators donu2019t receive notice of their candidacy, and awards are presented at events organized to surprise winners. No mandate for a winneru2019s use of the $25,000 prize existed, but some spend money on their childrenu2019s or their own education, to finance dream field trips or establish scholarships.nnnnThe Milken Foundation said Oddo was known for creating a learning environment where multilingual learners were empowered to grow in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Her prescription for student success blended high expectations, individualized support and a sense of purpose, the foundation said.nnnnOddo, who serves as a first-year buddy to new teachers, relied on student assessments to refine instruction and provide real-time interventions. She performed this work with a u201cculture of joy and collective efficacyu201d that led to consistent student advances, the foundation said.nnnnThe foundation said Oddo was regarded as a whole-brain teacher who valued academic strength and social-emotional development of students. She hosted student recognition assemblies and an after-school tutoring designed to support studentsu2019 academic goals, the foundation said.nnnnu201cLexcee represents the best of Kansas education,u201d said Randy Watson, commissioner at the Kansas State Department of Education. u201cShe believes every child can learn and creates a classroom where high expectations and meaningful support help students thrive. Her leadership strengthens her colleagues, and the trust she builds with families reflects her deep commitment to every studentu2019s success.nnnnKansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: (emailu00a0protected).nn n n n Did you use this article in your work?
nWeu2019d love to hear how The 74u2019s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers. Tell us hown n nnn !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;n t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,n document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');n fbq('init', '626037510879173'); // 626037510879173n fbq('track', 'PageView');n nnnnnDisclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. nWe do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.nnnnnnAuthor: Tim CarpenternPublished on: 2025-12-08 23:30:00nSource: www.the74million.orgn","publisher":{"@id":"#Publisher","@type":"Organization","name":"uaetodaynews","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/images-e1759081190269.png"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/uaetodaynewscom","https://www.pinterest.com/uaetodaynews/","https://www.instagram.com/uaetoday_news_com/"]},"sourceOrganization":{"@id":"#Publisher"},"copyrightHolder":{"@id":"#Publisher"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://uaetodaynews.com/kansas-english-language-teacher-earns-surprise-25000-milken-award-the-74/","breadcrumb":{"@id":"#Breadcrumb"}},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"uaetodaynews","url":"https://uaetodaynews.com/author/arabsongmedia-net/"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://i0.wp.com/uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Lexcee-Oddo-milken-recipient-749x500.png?fit=749%2C500&ssl=1","width":1200,"height":500}}
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2025-12-09 00:03:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com
