Teaching Tolerance Issues Nationwide Call to Teachers for Award

Award Recognizes Teachers Preparing Students for Diverse Society

MONTGOMERY, Ala., Dec. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project is accepting applications for its 2014 Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching – an award that recognizes five teachers from across the country who excel at promoting respect, acceptance and appreciation for the nation's growing diversity.

"This award celebrates the values we promote every day in the Teaching Tolerance program," said Maureen Costello, director of Teaching Tolerance. "In an increasingly diverse society, it is important that students know how to get along with others and how to work with others for social justice."

All K-12 teachers within the United States are invited to apply for the award at www.tolerance.org. The deadline for applications is Jan. 12. To qualify, educators must demonstrate excellence in research-based classroom practices aimed at reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations and creating an equitable school environment.

The awards will be presented in July during a three-day event in Montgomery, Ala. Each winner will be awarded $2,500. Teaching Tolerance will film these teachers in their classrooms, allowing them to share their teaching methods with educators across the nation. The winners will also participate in an intensive workshop in Montgomery and work together on a collaborative project to be shared with the nation's teachers. 

As one of the nation's leading providers of anti-bias education resources, Teaching Tolerance reaches hundreds of thousands of educators and millions of students annually through its Teaching Tolerance magazine, multimedia teaching kits, online curricula, professional development resources and classroom-friendly social justice documentaries. These materials are provided to educators at no cost.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Alabama with offices in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. For more information, see www.splcenter.org.

SOURCE Southern Poverty Law Center