Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School has been named a finalist for the prestigious Founder’s Award presented by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET).
The school is one of only five campuses nationwide selected as finalists for the honor, earning a $10,000 prize and national recognition for efforts to strengthen teaching practices and improve student outcomes. The finalists are now in contention for the $50,000 grand prize, which will be announced April 1 at the NIET National Conference in New Orleans.
The Founder’s Award, created by NIET founder Lowell Milken, recognizes one school each year for exceptional implementation of the organization’s principles focused on educator excellence and student success.
At the Natchitoches Parish school, Principal Andrew Newman and the campus Instructional Leadership Team have developed a collaborative approach centered on analyzing student work, refining instructional strategies, and providing teachers with ongoing professional learning opportunities.
Those efforts have produced measurable gains in student performance. Between 2023 and 2025, the school increased its student mastery rate by eight points, including a 19-point increase in social studies. During the same period, the statewide mastery rate increased by one point. The school also improved to an “A” letter grade in 2024 and maintained that rating in 2025.
Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School serves about 200 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in rural Natchitoches Parish. Through its partnership with NIET, the school has implemented several instructional support structures, including an Instructional Leadership Team that guides professional development and helps teachers analyze student data to improve classroom instruction.
Teachers participate in weekly professional learning sessions to review student work, identify areas for improvement and collaborate on strategies to better support students. District leaders say the approach has helped create a culture where both educators and students track progress and set goals for growth.
The school joins four other finalists from across the country competing for the Founder’s Award grand prize, which will be announced during the national conference in New Orleans.
