The Milken Educator Award is a special recognition for exceptional teachers.

Coined “the Oscars of teaching,” the Milken Awards include an unrestricted $25,000 cash award — money to be spent any way the winner chooses.

The prize is given during a surprise ceremony at the recipient teacher’s school, surrounded by students, faculty, dignitaries and media.

The first of these awards were presented in 1987 to recipients at a dozen schools in California, where the Milken Family Foundation is headquartered. In the ensuing 30 years fewer than 2,700 have been presented nationwide. That’s an average of 90 a year.

The last one was presented on Tuesday at Slippery Rock High School to Melanie Cole, the school’s transitional coordinator for special education students.

“One of the best teachers in the entire country is right here in Slippery Rock Senior High School!” declared Milken Family Foundation representative Jane Foley, eliciting cheers and excitement from an audience that included Cole’s special education students, faculty and administration, school board, elected local officials and even the state education secretary, Pedro Rivera.

To date, only 56 Milken Educator Awards have been presented to teachers in Pennsylvania. Cole is Butler County’s first recipient. She sets the standard for the next of what we hope will be many more county recipients.

About the Milken Foundation: It was very early in the Wall Street career of Michael Milken — a career that eventually would prosper exponentially — when Milken’s wife informed him that her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

That was in 1972. It was a watershed moment. Mike Milken, financial legend in the making, made a decision that he would also be Mike Milken, philanthropist. Together with his brother Lowell, he founded the Milken Family Foundation and the Milken Institute, organizations that have influenced policy and set priorities in various social issues and disciplines from medicine to urban planning and education.

Lowell Milken, who chairs the foundation, developed the Milken Educator Awards to recognize the importance of outstanding educators and to encourage talented young people to choose teaching as a profession.

A cash gift from a private-sector foundation, with no strings attached. Its only intention is to encourage and recognize excellence in teaching. It’s a rare honor on many levels. Congratulations to Melanie Cole and the Slippery Rock School District.