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Jeanette Capritti thought she was attending a routine school assembly on the morning of Oct. 15.
Instead, she became the first educator in Lawrence Township history to receive the prestigious Milken Educator Award.
It was a surprise that brought cheers, applause and tears from hundreds of students, colleagues and dignitaries packed into the Lawrence Middle School gym.
The national honor, which comes with a $25,000 cash prize, was presented to Capritti by Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Educator Awards, and N.J. Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer.
Capritti is one of only 30 educators across the country selected for the 2025-26 Milken tour, and the first in New Jersey to be recognized this season.
The award is widely known in education circles as the “Oscars of Teaching,” and Capritti is now the 39th New Jersey educator to earn the honor since the state joined the program in 2002.
Foley lauded Capritti, and said her “exceptional dedication and passion for teaching shines in everything she does for the benefit of colleagues, students and the community.”
“Her instructional innovation, captivating classroom environment, and broader leadership and mentorship highlight why she will make a meaningful addition to the Milken Educator Network,” Foley said.
LTPS Superintendent Robyn Klim said the district is thrilled for Jeanette Capritti and proud to celebrate the achievement.
“She exemplifies the dedication, creativity, and passion for teaching that we strive for in Lawrence Township Public Schools,” Klim said.
She added: “Her innovative approach to literacy and her commitment to every student’s success make her a truly deserving recipient of the Milken Educator Award. This recognition not only honors Jeanette but also highlights the exceptional talent and dedication of educators across our district.”
Capritti said she had no idea she was the honoree. The school district had been told the commissioner was visiting to discuss responsible technology use, and she was simply attending with her students.
“I’m looking around and I’m so excited, because I have wonderful colleagues,” she said. “I’m thinking, who can it be? And then they say my name.”
What happened next, she said, is a blur. “I don’t really remember much after that,” Capritti said. “I walked out to the center and the kids were cheering — and here we are.”
Students were caught off guard by the announcement and thrilled when they learned who was being honored.
“So, I was told that there were going to be some state officials coming to our school and that we were supposed to wear our house shirts and be on our best behavior,” said Maya Tyberg, a former student of Caprittti’s who now attends Lawrence High School. “Later on, I was told I was going to come up and hold some signs, and then we found out someone was going to win an award.”
Tyberg said she was excited and nervous to see who would be recognized — and overjoyed when it turned out to be her former teacher.
“When I saw Miss Capri win, I was so happy,” she said. “She deserves it completely.”
Another former student, Sunny Love, shared a similar sentiment.
“She’s super nice, super fun and bubbly,” said Love. “Every day she’d make the class a really nice learning environment.”
Love said Capritti’s consistency and encouragement stood out.
“Not all teachers are fun and bubbly every day, but she is like that every single day,” she said. “Just seeing her smile makes us better.”
“When I heard her name, I was really happy. I was really excited because I know that she’s such a good teacher and I know that she really deserves this award,” she added. “She taught me great valuable lessons that I use.”
Capritti teaches seventh grade English language arts at Lawrence Middle School and has quickly become a standout educator known for her magnetic energy, instructional creativity and deeply student-centered approach.
She creates a classroom environment where students are inspired to think deeply, write authentically and grow both academically and personally.
Her lessons are designed to spark curiosity and connection, from immersive “sci-fi book tastings” enhanced by mood lighting and music to storytelling units that help students find their voice, structure and identity on the page.
Capritti said she finds great joy in teaching writing and helping students connect with mentor texts.
“We bring in expert writers, we bring in texts that we want students to emulate,” she said, “and we teach them how to read as writers.”
She encourages students to identify literary craft techniques and try them in their own work, an approach she believes empowers their voice and confidence.
“To be able to look at something that you like and admire and then figure out how you can take inspiration from that and apply it to your own work and to your own life. I think that’s really important,” she said.
Capritti’s students consistently show exceptional growth in reading and writing on the state learning assessments, the result of a deliberate focus on critical thinking, student ownership and meaningful engagement.
Her work has helped raise achievement across the seventh grade cohort and elevated writing instruction throughout the district.
Each day in her classroom begins with a “monthly spark,” a rotating board of prompts that allow students to choose their writing genre.
“They can do argumentative writing, informative writing, narrative writing, poetry writing, challenge writing, reflective writing,” she said. “I just think it’s so cool that there are so many ways that students can communicate.”
Outside the classroom, Capritti tutors students during lunch, volunteers to chaperone school dances, and teaches in the district’s Summer Destinations Program.
She helped lead the creation of a “Writing 2.0” elective and has played a key role in designing grade-level common assessments and curriculum.
As a professional development leader, she trains colleagues on cross-curricular writing strategies that are accessible for teachers in any subject area.
Capritti said her teaching journey has always felt like a calling.
“When I started preschool, I fell in love with the idea of school and I just wanted to go back,” she said. “I never wanted to leave the school building.”
She grew up in Florence Township in Burlington County and said her small-town upbringing gave her a strong sense of community.
Along the way, she was influenced by a long list of standout teachers. One in particular was her AP Literature teacher.
“She challenged us. She encouraged us to view things critically,” Capritti said. “She just opened my eyes to so many things — all the while being incredibly patient and understanding and empathetic.”
Her student-teaching experience at Lawrence Middle School ultimately convinced her that middle school was where she belonged.
“I loved middle school age kids because they are simultaneously silly and goofy and yet able to really impress you with their critical thinking,” she said. “It’s kind of the best of both worlds.”
She joined Lawrence Middle School in 2019 and helped co-write the new writing curriculum now in use.
“We want to focus on writing instruction and encouraging students to build writing stamina and skills,” she said.
Capritti said she tries to build relationships with every student she teaches.
“I try to hit every single one of them as they walk by. I try to say their name, say goodbye,” she said. “I know that we’re close and I know that we have rapport and I see that and I feel that. But to have that experience at this level, at this magnitude. It was overwhelming.”
Dehmer said the Milken Educator Award is one of the most prestigious recognitions in education, meant to shine a spotlight on the talent and dedication found the nation’s classrooms/
“Jeanette Capritti’s selection as New Jersey’s latest recipient is a powerful affirmation of her innovative teaching on writing and literacy, and her unwavering commitment to student success.”
Established by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987, the Milken Educator Awards are given each year to early- to mid-career educators who demonstrate excellence and leadership in the classroom and show strong potential for future contributions to education policy and practice.
There is no application or nomination process; recipients are identified through a confidential selection process by education leaders and foundation staff.
In addition to the $25,000 cash prize, Capritti will receive mentorship from veteran educators through the Milken Friends Forever network, access to national resources and conferences, and an invitation to the Milken Educator Awards Forum in Washington, D.C., in June.
There, she will join other 2025-26 honorees to discuss how to elevate teacher leadership and drive innovation in schools across the country.
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.
