Excellence in Teaching Awards

The Kinder Excellence in Teaching Awards (KETA) has awarded over $5 million in grants to 311 teachers since the program was established in 2001. The program was created in honor of Rich Kinder’s mother, Edna C. Kinder, who taught special education students for many years in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Taken at a dinner in their honor in September 2024, the 2024 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award winners pose with Rich and Nancy Kinder.

The program concentrates on the Houston area and recognizes innovative and results-oriented teaching and raises public awareness of the importance of effective and committed teachers in the KIPP Texas Public Schools – Houston, YES Prep Public Schools, Teach for America – Houston, and Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston networks.

Of the honor, 2019 KETA winner Greg Adragna, 11th grade physics teacher at Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston, said, the award “highlights the accomplishments of individuals working in education and reinforces the important relationship between educational opportunity and a healthy, dynamic society.”

The KETA honorees are recognized annually in the fall.