By Wendy Greenberg

Lawrence Middle School English language arts teacher Jeanette Capritti walked into a school assembly a few weeks ago, and walked out as the first of 30 educators nationwide to be honored with the Milken Educator Award this school year.

The award, known as the “Oscars of Teaching,” was a surprise, announced when Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Jane Foley stepped up to present Capritti with the award, alongside New Jersey Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer. Capritti is New Jersey’s 39th recipient since the Garden State joined the Milken Educator Awards program in 2002, and the first from Lawrence Township Public Schools. The award carries with it an unrestricted $25,000.

“We are absolutely thrilled for Jeanette Capritti and proud to celebrate her extraordinary achievement,” said Lawrence Township Public Schools Superintendent Robyn Klim. “She exemplifies the dedication, creativity, and passion for teaching that we strive for in Lawrence Township Public Schools. Her innovative approach to literacy and her commitment to every student’s success make her a truly deserving recipient of the Milken Educator Award.” Klim added that the recognition also highlights the talent and dedication of educators across the district.

While teaching middle school-aged students is often described as challenging, Capritti welcomes it. “Teaching seventh grade English is incredibly rewarding because I get to shape young readers and instill a love of learning and literacy that they can take with them into the future,” she said in an email. “At the end of each year, I am so proud when children tell me that they have fallen in love with reading or that they feel more confident as writers.”

She also has led the development of a “Writing 2.0” elective course to strengthen student writing skills and designed grade-level common assessments and curriculum. This work has contributed to measurable growth on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NSLA), for the seventh grade cohort.

Writing, she said, is an important lifelong skill. “Writing is useful for expressing one’s ideas, values, and priorities, but it is also a way to reflect and engage in self-discovery. I encourage students to write for a variety of purposes: understanding themselves on deeper levels, communicating with others in clearer fashions, and advocating for their needs in convincing ways.”

The Foundation found that she “leads with excellence, purpose, and heart as a seventh grade English language arts teacher at Lawrence Middle School in Lawrenceville. Known for her magnetic energy and instructional creativity, she creates a classroom environment where students are inspired to think deeply, write authentically, and grow both academically and personally.”

Cited is her “innovative teaching” that includes immersive events like sci-fi “book tastings,” where mood lighting, music, and thought-provoking questions draw students into the genre, and the personal, student-led storytelling “to foster voice, structure, and identity.”

Also noted is that Capritti’s students consistently demonstrate significant growth in reading and writing as measured by the NJSLA, with exceptional student achievement results.

Beyond the classroom, Capritti devotes lunch periods to tutor students, volunteers to chaperone student dances, and teaches literacy through the Summer Destinations Program to enhance academic success. She also leads professional development in her district on best practices in writing instruction, which are carefully designed to be cross-curricular and accessible for teachers in any content area. Capritti mentors student teachers from Rider University and has been a guest speaker at The College of New Jersey.

“When I am not teaching, planning, or grading, I enjoy reading, singing, trying new foods, and — above all else — spending time with my family,” she said. “I am incredibly lucky to have a support system that fills my cup so I can pour more into my calling as an educator.”

Capritti joins a national network of over 3,000 Milken Educators spanning the Awards’ nearly 40-year history. The Awards initiative has no formal application or nomination process, according to the Milken Family Foundation. Outstanding K-12 educators are sought out in their early to mid-career years “for what they have achieved — and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the Award.”

Honorees receive mentorship opportunities, for example, Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around specific topic areas; and Activating Milken Educators (AME) promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs. Capritti and her fellow 2025 honorees will attend the Milken Educator Awards Forum in Washington, D.C., in June 2026, where they will network with their new colleagues, as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders, about how to further develop their voice into roles that lead to real change.

Capritti earned a Bachelor of Arts in English secondary education in 2019 and a Master of Education in literacy in 2024, both from The College of New Jersey.