Iowa Teacher of the Year

The Iowa Teacher of the Year (TOY) Award was established in 1958 and is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education through an appropriation from the Iowa legislature. The award provides an opportunity to recognize an Iowa teacher who motivates, challenges, and inspires excellence; who is respected by students and peers; who is a dedicated professional that helps nurture hidden talents and abilities; who is a creative, caring individual; who takes teaching beyond textbooks and blackboards; and who is an exceptional teacher helping to redefine American education.

The Iowa TOY may serve as the Iowa Ambassador to Education, acting as an education liaison to primary and secondary schools in the state.

Nomination Information

Anyone, including school administrators, colleagues, students, parents, college faculty, and associations, may nominate teachers for the award. Self-nominations and nominations by family members are not accepted. Winners are chosen by a committee that includes representatives of the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa State Education Association, the School Administrators of Iowa, the Parent Teachers Association, the past Iowa TOY, and representatives from higher education institutions.

Nominations for the 2025 Iowa TOY are closed. Nominations for the 2026 Iowa TOY will be available on January 2025.

2024 Iowa TOY Ann Mincks

Ann Mincks, a 15-year teacher, is the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year during an assembly at Hoover High School in Des Moines. The Teacher of the Year award recognizes exceptional teachers who demonstrate excellence in the classroom and who have made a significant impact on student outcomes and their fellow educators.

Watch an interview with the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year Ann Mincks.

See photos and watch the announcement video from the event.

“Each day, Iowa’s outstanding teachers, like Ann Mincks, provide students with what they need to meet high expectations and realize their incredible potential,” Snow said. “Ann is an expert in meeting the needs of students who are English language learners and leverages the Science of Reading to best support students. On behalf of Governor Reynolds and all of us at the Iowa Department of Education, we thank Iowa’s dedicated educators and congratulate Ann on this honor!”

Mincks, 39, teaches English to English language learning high school students, many of whom are newcomers, in the Des Moines Community School District. She comes from a family of teachers and has helped to increase literacy proficiency at her school through the use of evidence-based, effective literacy instruction grounded in the Science of Reading.

“I believe our actions as educators matter,” she said. “I want students to have an experience that truly breaks down the walls of the classroom and connects students to their future successes in a career and as a community member.”

2024 Iowa TOY Finalists

• Daniel Black, a music teacher in the Council Bluffs Community School District
• Thomas Braverman, a special education teacher formerly in the Iowa City Community School District
• Rachel Evanoff, a science teacher in the Dubuque Community School District
• Tiffany Herr, an elementary school teacher in the Norwalk Community School District
• Brenda Kaufmann, an elementary school teacher in the North Tama County Community School District   
• Nicole Schroeder, an elementary school teacher in the Saydel Community School District 

Past TOY Recipients

**One of four contenders for National Teacher of the Year
*National Teacher of the Year