Andrea Garber, a fourth-grade teacher at Tropic Isles Elementary School, is a winner of The Foundation for Excellence in Education’s 2009 Excel Award.
Garber was honored based on an analysis of data provided by the Florida Department of Education that showed her students made the greatest annual growth or learning gains in reading among students eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program for three consecutive years.
The Excel Award is part of a broader initiative, Excellence in Teaching, launched by the Foundation for Excellence in Education in partnership with the Florida Lastinger Center for Learning at the University of Florida. The goal is to identify and share the secrets of successful teaching with educators and policymakers around the nation.
This year, the program awarded cash and prizes to 81 exceptional Florida educators whose students learned at least 1.5 times the average student in their grade and achievement level in reading or math.
To honor the winning teachers, the Foundation for Excellence in Education is hosting the Celebration of Teaching with former Gov. Jeb Bush, former Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings and educator and author Ron Clark Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Rosen Center in Orlando.

Source: School District of Lee County