Administrator of the Year

This award is given to outstanding school administrators to acknowledge their support of journalism education within their schools or districts. The award is presented annually at the fall conferences.

Individuals who receive this award must fulfill all or several of the following criteria:

1. Support of journalism education

• Provides curricular leadership that places journalism/mass media classes within the approved credit offerings in the language arts program.
• Supports journalism/mass media classes by hiring certified teachers in those areas when such positions need filling.
• Provides resources necessary to maintain quality journalism and mass media classes-equipment, physical facilities, texts and other educational materials.

2. Support of School for Publications/Media Outlets.

• Provides a qualified adviser who coordinates students to work on school newspapers, newsmagazines, yearbooks, literary magazines, broadcast outlets and other school media.
• Follows guidelines consistent with the First Amendment to the Constitution and the federal courts regarding students’ rights to freedom of expression.
• Provides the adviser time during the school day to serve as coordinator of student media outlets.
• Compensates media advisers on a similar pay scale with those also involved in coordinating co-curricular school activities-athletic coaches, directors of plays, music directors, and the like.
• Provides physical facilities, equipment and budgets to assure the maintenance and growth of successful school media outlets.

3. Active contributions to education in general.

• Acknowledged by educational groups for outstanding leadership.
• Contributes articles to state and national publications, or provides educational research in the form of academic papers.
• Affiliated with local, state and national educational organizations as an officer, committee member and the like.