OUR Mission
TEACHER RECOGNITION
OUR PROGRAM
THE RESEARCH
THE SCIENCE
Our Mission
Honored is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring and elevating great teachers. Our teacher recognition program helps to engage, inspire, and retain great teachers across the country.
Honored’s innovative platform empowers students and families to share stories about the teachers who have changed their lives. These public tributes provide the individualized and specific recognition that research shows keeps teachers in the classroom.
The Importance of Teacher Recognition
Recognition is a proven and effective tool to keep exceptional teachers engaged and fulfilled and prevent attrition...yet teachers are not adequately recognized.
EXCEPTIONAL TEACHERS WHO RECEIVE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC RECOGNITION PLAN TO KEEP TEACHING AT THEIR SCHOOLS FOR NEARLY TWICE AS LONG.1
75%
OF TEACHERS SAY THEY HAVE NOT RECENTLY RECEIVED RECOGNITION.2
Teachers who receive regular recognition and praise:
ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE
ARE MORE ENGAGED AT WORK
ARE MORE LIKELY TO STAY WITH THEIR SCHOOL
ARE MORE LIKELY TO RECEIVE HIGHER SATISFACTION SCORES FROM STUDENTS AND PARENTS
Our Program
Students and families submit Honor Stories about teachers who have had an important impact — either personal, academic, or inspirational — on their lives.
Honor Stories
Honor Stories are the heart and soul of Honored’s work. Each and every Honor Story is sent directly to the teacher, which provides the authentic, individualized recognition that drives teacher effectiveness and retention. Honor Stories are also published on our online Honor Roll to further celebrate teachers among the school communities and the broader public.
The Honored National Teaching Award
Every month, we shine a light on one exceptional Honor Story through the Honored National Teaching Award. Our Honorees receive an unrestricted $5,000 award and are featured on our website, podcast, and social media feeds. Launched in 2024, the Inspiring Teachers podcast empowers each Honoree and nominee to share their stories in their own words.
The Research
Program Efficacy Metrics
Of teachers who’ve received an Honor Story:
97%
ARE MORE CERTAIN THEY WILL CONTINUE TO BE A TEACHER FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
100%
FEEL MORE INSPIRED IN THEIR TEACHING PRACTICE.
100%
FEEL MORE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT TEACHING.
99%
WANT TO FOCUS EVEN MORE ON BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR STUDENTS.
94%
WANT TO REMAIN TEACHING FOR AS LONG AS THEY CAN.
99%
FEEL THAT THEY ARE POSITIVELY INFLUENCING OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES THROUGH THEIR WORK.
The Status of Teaching In The U.S.
50%
DECREASE IN INTEREST IN THE TEACHING PROFESSION AMONG COLLEGE FRESHMEN AND HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS SINCE THE 1990S.1
44%
OF AMERICAN K-12 WORKERS "ALWAYS" OR "VERY OFTEN" FEEL BURNED OUT AT WORK, OUTPACING ALL OTHER INDUSTRIES NATIONALLY. 1
77%
OF PUBLIC K-12 TEACHERS SAY THEIR JOB IS FREQUENTLY STRESSFUL. 2
OUR HONOREES TEACH IN RURAL, SUBURBAN, AND URBAN AREAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
OUR HONOREES TEACH ANY AND ALL SUBJECTS AT PUBLIC, PUBLIC CHARTER, AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
1 “Overworked and Undervalued: Retaining Top Educators.” Gallup. | 2 “What’s It Like To Be a Teacher in America Today?.” Pew Research.
Impact on Teacher Retention
Studies show that teachers who feel undervalued are more likely to leave their positions, while those who feel respected and recognized are more likely to stay committed to their roles.3
60%
OF EDUCATORS STATED THAT FEELING MORE RESPECTED IN THEIR ROLES WOULD INCREASE THEIR LIKELIHOOD OF STAYING IN THEIR CURRENT POSITIONS. 4
49%
OF RETAINED TEACHERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO STRONGLY AGREE THAT THEY RECEIVED RECOGNITION OR PRAISE FOR DOING GOOD WORK IN THE PAST SEVEN DAYS. 5
3“Motivational Leadership in Early Childhood Education.”Marotz & Lawson(2007). | 4 “Teacher Retention Strategies: The Power of Appreciation.” Teaching Strategies.
5 “Gallup’s Perspective on Understanding the K-12 Teacher Experience.” Gallup.
“Positive and close teacher-student relationships have been found to have significant academic and social benefits at every stage of school.”
Source: Bergin C, Bergin D.
Attachment in the classroom. Educ Psychol Rev. 2009
The Science
A consistent and supportive connection with a trusted teacher can build bene"cial oxytocin, reduce stress-induced cortisol, and optimize the brain’s ability to learn, retain, and use new information.
CORTISOL AND OXYTOCIN
Stress causes cortisol, the “stress hormone,” to flood the brain. Oxytocin, the hormone associated with love and bonding, is the most effective way to counteract the effects of cortisol. Research has shown that supportive, buffering relationships with trusted teachers can prevent and even reverse the effects of stress on the brain.
HIPPOCAMPUS
The hippocampus, which controls memory and learning, is particularly vulnerable to the effects of cortisol, and while under stress has trouble converting working memory into long-term storage of information—which is critical to academic success.
PREFRONTAL CORTEX
Cortisol can alter both the function and physical structure of the prefrontal cortex, which controls executive function and self-regulation—both of which are critical to academic and personal success.
AMYGDALA
Cortisol can alter both the function and physical structure of the amygdala, which helps regulate emotions—critical to academic and personal success.
Source: www.gallup.com
THE RESULT - 1
High school students who said they had at least one teacher who made them feel excited about the future were 4.4 times more likely to be involved in and enthusiastic about school than those who did not. These students were also 1.9 times more likely to be thriving in their lives than those who didn't have a teacher who excited them about the future.
THE RESULT - 2
Positive and close teacher-student relationships have been found to have significant academic and social benefits at every stage of school.
Source: www.gallup.com
Source: Bergin C, Bergin D. Attachment in the classroom. Educ Psychol Rev. 2009
