National Alliance of Black School Educators

2026 Dr. Deborah Partridge Cannon Wolfe Awards Banquet

Presented each year at the NABSE Annual International Conference to honor educators, leaders, and institutions advancing excellence and equity for Black students and communities.

Submit a Nomination

The Dr. Deborah Partridge Cannon Wolfe Awards are national honors. Beyond showing that a nominee performs their role well, a strong nomination demonstrates sustained excellence, measurable results, meaningful leadership, and a body of work whose significance reaches beyond the nominee's immediate position or institution. Explore each award below, then submit your nomination.

Honor

Celebrate

Inspire

Impact

Marcus Foster Distinguished Educator Award

Recognizes an exceptional educator, educational leader, or organization whose visionary leadership and innovative practices have resulted in significant and sustainable improvements within education. Recipients transform educational environments through leadership, innovation, advocacy, research, program development, instructional improvement, or systemic reform. Their work should produce measurable outcomes and serve as a model for improving educational experiences and opportunities for students of African descent.

Competitive nominees should demonstrate

Sustained educational leadership
Measurable and meaningful outcomes
Innovative or replicable practices
Influence beyond a single classroom, school, or organization

Nominate for this award

W.E.B. Du Bois Higher Education Award

Recognizes an individual or organization demonstrating exceptional national leadership in advancing access, equity, achievement, persistence, and success in higher education for students of African descent. Recipients may distinguish themselves through research, teaching, institutional leadership, advocacy, policy development, scholarships, mentorship, counseling, pipeline programs, college access initiatives, or other efforts that remove barriers and expand postsecondary opportunity.

Competitive nominees should demonstrate

Measurable outcomes in access, persistence, completion, or postsecondary success
Sustained commitment to higher education equity
Influence on students, institutions, communities, professional practice, or the broader higher education landscape

Nominate for this award

Mary McLeod Bethune Outstanding Teacher Award

Recognizes an exemplary educator whose exceptional instructional practice, innovation, leadership, and commitment to students have resulted in significant academic and personal growth. Recipients create rigorous, culturally responsive, inclusive, and student-centered learning environments in which students of African descent are challenged, affirmed, supported, and empowered. Beyond strong classroom instruction, recipients demonstrate leadership through mentorship, curriculum development, professional learning, advocacy, family engagement, or contributions to the broader educational community.

Competitive nominees should demonstrate

Evidence of student growth or achievement
Innovative and culturally responsive instructional practice
Strong student and family relationships
Professional leadership extending beyond the classroom
Practice worthy of national recognition and replication

Nominate for this award

Principal of the Year Award

Recognizes an exemplary school leader whose visionary, equity-centered leadership has produced significant and measurable improvements in student outcomes, instructional quality, school culture, educator development, and family and community engagement. Recipients build high-performing learning communities where students of African descent experience academic excellence, belonging, opportunity, and preparation for future success. They develop others, establish sustainable systems, and use data and evidence to address disparities and improve outcomes.

Competitive nominees should demonstrate

Measurable and sustained school improvement
Innovative leadership and educator development
Effective family and community partnership
Influence beyond the nominee's individual school
District, state, regional, or national recognition or replication of successful practices

Nominate for this award

Joseph E. Hill Superintendent Award

Recognizes a current superintendent whose visionary and courageous leadership has resulted in significant, measurable, and sustainable improvements for students of African descent. Recipients demonstrate excellence in district leadership, strategic planning, instructional improvement, equitable resource allocation, talent development, policy implementation, community engagement, and organizational transformation. Their leadership addresses systemic barriers while expanding access to rigorous learning, high-quality educators, supportive environments, and postsecondary opportunities.

Competitive nominees should demonstrate

Measurable district-level outcomes
Sustained improvement across multiple schools or student populations
Innovative or scalable practices
Influence beyond the nominee's district
State, regional, or national leadership, recognition, partnerships, or advocacy

Nominate for this award

Ida B. Wells Risk Taker Award

Recognizes an individual whose courage, integrity, and leadership have resulted in meaningful educational advancement for students and communities of African descent. Recipients challenge longstanding inequities, policies, practices, or systems when doing so is necessary to create greater educational opportunity. Their actions may involve significant professional or personal sacrifice and should demonstrate principled advocacy, perseverance, and a commitment to sustainable change.

Competitive nominees should demonstrate

A clearly identified inequity or challenge
Courageous action and meaningful personal or professional risk
Evidence of resulting impact
Influence on practices, policies, institutions, communities, or the national conversation

Nominate for this award

Lifetime Achievement Award

Among NABSE's most prestigious national honors, recognizing an individual whose distinguished career, extraordinary service, and sustained commitment to NABSE have created an enduring legacy within the organization, the field of education, and communities of African descent. Recipients demonstrate decades of exemplary leadership, advocacy, mentorship, scholarship, innovation, organizational service, or community engagement. Their contributions should have strengthened NABSE, expanded educational opportunities, developed future leaders, and positively influenced generations.

Eligibility: Nominees must demonstrate 30 or more years of committed NABSE membership and service. Competitive nominees should demonstrate

30 or more years of committed NABSE membership and service
A distinguished and sustained record of leadership throughout the nominee's career
Significant contributions to NABSE's growth, advancement, visibility, or sustainability
Measurable and lasting contributions to education and communities of African descent
Mentorship and development of future generations of educational leaders
An enduring legacy worthy of NABSE's highest national recognition

Nominate for this award

School Board Member of the Year Award

Recognizes an exemplary individual school board member whose leadership, governance, policy influence, and advocacy have resulted in significant improvements in educational opportunities and outcomes for students of African descent. Recipients demonstrate ethical and effective governance, collaboration with fellow board members, and a sustained commitment to academic excellence, educational equity, responsible resource allocation, student well-being, educator support, family and community engagement, and access to high-quality programs and opportunities.

Competitive nominees should demonstrate

Measurable student or system-level outcomes connected to the nominee's leadership
Sustained advocacy for equitable policies and resource decisions
Innovative or influential governance leadership
Effective family and community engagement
Individual leadership and practices worthy of national recognition or replication

Nominate for this award

Writing Your Nomination Statement

Focus on specific, evidence based examples rather than general praise. A strong statement aims for detail over adjectives. Be sure to address:

Concrete accomplishments and measurable impact. Programs led, outcomes achieved, and people influenced, with numbers or specifics wherever possible.
Leadership qualities that stand out. What sets this nominee apart from others doing similar work.
Alignment with the award category. How the nominee's work connects directly to the purpose of the award they are nominated for.
Your own perspective. Why, in your view, this person or institution deserves recognition.

Aim for detail over adjectives.

How Nominations Are Evaluated

Every nomination is scored on a common 100 point framework. Understanding what reviewers look for will help you build a stronger, evidence based nomination.

Criterion	What Reviewers Look For	Points
Award Alignment and NABSE Mission	Direct connection to the award purpose and NABSE values, with equity centered relevance made explicit.	20
Impact and Outcomes	Clear, meaningful results supported by quantitative and qualitative evidence.	25
Innovation and Responsiveness	Creative, culturally responsive, context aware approaches that address a demonstrated need.	15
Leadership, Influence and Collaboration	Initiative, shared leadership, mentoring, coalition building, advocacy, or influence beyond individual responsibilities.	15
Sustainability, Reach and Replicability	Evidence that the work can endure, expand, be institutionalized, or inform practice elsewhere.	10
Supporting Evidence	Relevant, credible, well organized documentation that substantiates major claims.	10
Nomination Narrative and Clarity	Focused, coherent, compelling writing that makes the contribution easy to understand.	5

Each award category applies this framework with criteria tailored to its role. Reviewers score only what is demonstrated in the nomination narrative and supporting materials.

Submit Your Nomination

Nominate an educator, leader, or institution whose work is advancing opportunity and achievement for Black students and communities.

"*" indicates required fields

Award Category

Award Category*

Select the award category for your nomination. Descriptions for each award can be found on the NABSE website.

Nominator Information

Nominator*

Prefix First Last

Name of person making the nomination.

Nominators Position/Title*

Nominator's Email*

Nominator's Phone*

Relation to Nominee*

Identify how you are connected to the nominee.

Institution/Organization/Company Information

Nominee's Institution/Organization/Company*

Institution/Organization/Company Address*

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Nominee Information

Name of Nominee*

Prefix First Middle Last

Please enter the full name of the nominee.

Nominee's Position/Title*

Nominee's Phone*

Nominee's Email*

Is the nominee a NABSE member in good standing?*

Identify whether or not the nominee is a current/paid member of NABSE.

NOMINATION

Nomination Statement*

Please state your rationale for this nomination. (1500 characters max.)

Supporting Documentation for the Nomination*

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 128 MB, Max. files: 4.

Supporting documents should provide clarity as to why the nominee reflects the intent and/or purpose of the award category selected. Submissions might include signed and dated letters of support from individuals with direct professional knowledge of the nominee and their performance, articles, publications, photos, etc. Label each supporting document with the name of the award category and the nominee's name in the upper right corner.