WHAT IS THE AMOUNT OF THE FELLOWSHIP?

The Herb Kohl Fellowship is a one-time only $6,000 award to the selected educator, and the educator's school also receives $6,000. One hundred fellowships are awarded annually.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Pre-K through Grade 12 Wisconsin teachers must first be nominated by a parent, teacher, student, community member or administrator before they can apply. Because the purpose of this program is to recognize the contribution of Wisconsin classroom teachers, those staff members whose assignments are administrative or supervisory are ineligible. Previous Kohl Fellowship recipients are ineligible. Potential candidates should intend to continue teaching in their current capacity for at least the year following receipt of the Kohl Fellowship. See the page entitled "Accept a Nomination" for a detailed list of evaluation criteria. Teachers who were previously nominated and applied, but did not receive a Fellowship, are eligible to reapply if nominated.

HOW CAN I NOMINATE A TEACHER?

Use the online nomination form that appears on this website. See the page entitled "Nominate a Teacher". 

AFTER AN EDUCATOR IS NOMINATED, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?

Nominated educators are notified by email of their nomination. If they choose to apply, they will be evaluated on their ability to inspire a love of learning in their students, ability to motivate others, and their leadership and service within and outside the classroom. See the page entitled "Accept a Nomination" for a detailed list of evaluation criteria. Also read the sample Scoring Rubric. Previous Fellowship recipients are not eligible to apply, however educators who have been nominated in the past but not selected as a Fellowship recipient may re-apply if re-nominated.

WHAT IS THE APPLICATION DEADLINE?

The deadline for submitting a completed application is found on the important information section of the website.

WHAT IS THE SELECTION PROCESS?

The selection process consists of two rigorous levels of review: regional and statewide.

All eligible and completed applications are first evaluated at the regional level. This is coordinated by either the local Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) or, for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) applicants, through the MPS District Office.

Each CESA forms a Regional Selection Committee made up of a diverse group of individuals—students, parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, civic and business leaders, and members of the local media. These committees review applications anonymously in randomized batches. Each application is scored multiple times by different reviewers to ensure fairness and consistency. Scorers work independently without discussing applicants or sharing evaluations. All scoring data is securely logged in a digital system that maintains privacy and tracks scorer activity.

Once regional scores are compiled, the highest-scoring applications move on to the statewide level. At this stage, all applicants are notified via email whether they have advanced. Materials from regional finalists are forwarded to the State Selection Committee, which includes representatives from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation, CESAs, MPS, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, state education organizations, and community leaders.

Following the state-level review, the top 100 applicants with the highest scores are selected to receive awards. All applicants who reached the state level are individually informed of their status, and a full list of award recipients is publicly announced.

HOW WILL AN APPLICANT BE NOTIFIED IF HE OR SHE HAS BEEN CHOSEN TO RECEIVE A KOHL FELLOWSHIP?

Each Fellowship recipient is contacted by the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation in March. The Fellowship grants are sent to the Fellowship recipient and the recipient's school before the end of the school year.

ARE THERE RESTRICTIONS ON HOW THE FELLOWSHIP MAY BE USED?

There are no restrictions on how a Fellow may use their own $6,000 award. The Kohl Foundation suggests that the matching grant provided to each Fellowship recipient's schools is used to further advance the specific celebrated work of the winning educator, support the school's workforce development, or for innovation in education. The employing school at the time of application submission is part of the official record and review process. As a result, if employment changes after the application is submitted, the original employing school retains the matching grant recipient.