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Online Video Contest Shines Spotlight on Teaching Profession

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Great teachers do much more than educate - they motivate and inspire. The Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT) is sponsoring an online video contest to showcase the stories of inspirational educators who will encourage students of all ages to think about becoming the teachers of tomorrow.

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NExT is a partnership of the Bush Foundation and 14 higher education institutions in the upper Midwest working to transform teacher-preparation programs and produce at least 25,000 new, highly effective teachers over the next decade. The Bush Foundation is investing $40 million to help improve the way teachers are recruited, prepared, placed and supported in the classroom.

Participants in the NExT program's online video contest are asked to produce 30- to 60-second videos that highlight a teacher who made a difference in their life, tell why they are passionate about becoming a teacher or explain why they think teachers are important. These could include students' stories about individual teachers who put them on the right path or teachers revealing why they love the job.

The grand prize is a $1,000 gift card to the winner's retailer of choice. Second- and third-place prizes are $500 and $250 gift cards, respectively, to the retailer of choice.

"The NExT program recognizes that teacher effectiveness is the single most important in-school factor when it comes to student achievement," said Vice President Susan Heegaard, Bush Foundation. "We launched this contest to highlight the amazing contributions of America's teachers and to inspire youth to think about the teaching profession as a way to make a difference."

Videos can be uploaded to the online video contest web site, www.nextprogramcontest.org, where contestants also can share their entries with family and friends. Visitors to the site will select the top 10 videos. From those finalists, a panel of judges will select the grand prize, second- and third-place winners. Submissions are being accepted now through Jan. 7.

About The Bush Foundation

The Bush Foundation was established in 1953 by 3M executive Archibald Bush and his wife, Edyth. The Foundation strives to be a catalyst to shape vibrant communities in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography by investing in courageous and effective leadership that significantly strengthens and improves the well-being of people in these areas. www.bushfoundation.org.

SOURCE The Bush Foundation