WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today congratulated Nancie Atwell, founder of the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb, for winning the first ever Global Teacher Prize, a $1 Million award described as the “Nobel Prize for teaching.”

“We are thrilled for Nancie and for everyone at the Center for Teaching and Learning,” said Senators Collins and King. “Nancie has dedicated her life to enriching the lives of others, and this international recognition is a reflection of the tremendous impact she has had in Maine and around the world. The fact that she plans to donate the $1 million prize to the school she founded is a testament to her commitment to education, and we could not be more proud to have her in Maine.”

In 1990, Atwell founded the Center for Teaching and Learning, a K-8 demonstration school in Edgecomb. She continues to teach at the school and is also a published education writer.

Atwell was one of 10 finalists for the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize, chosen from a field of 5,000 nominees from 127 countries. She was announced as the winner at an award ceremony yesterday in Dubai. Atwell traveled to Dubai for the ceremony, where several foreign dignitaries, including former President Bill Clinton, were in attendance.

Atwell has said she plans to donate the $1 million prize to the Center for Teaching and Learning.

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