Lone Tree Community School District business teacher named 2027 Iowa Teacher of the Year

Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow and Lt. Governor Chris Cournoyer on behalf of Governor Kim Reynolds today announced Jessica Howard, a 10-year business and computer science teacher who advances career-connected learning, as the 2027 Iowa Teacher of the Year during a surprise assembly at Lone Tree Community School District. Howard started her career in industry and then switched to the teaching profession, leveraging multiple pathways to education to bring more than a decade of business experience into the classroom.

“Jessica Howard goes beyond teaching content by helping students become solution-oriented, active problem solvers, and that’s exactly how we prepare the next generation with durable skills that will serve them long after graduation,” Governor Reynolds said. “She uses hands-on learning to prepare students to succeed in Iowa’s high-demand, high-skill and high-wage jobs, teaching from a place of real-world experience. This is what exceptional teaching looks like and I am grateful for teachers like Jessica who help prepare Iowa students for success.”

The Iowa 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. Howard was selected from nine finalists who were recently named as Iowa’s Regional Teachers of Year, representing all education regions of the state. Howard also serves as the Grant Wood Regional Teacher of the Year.

“Jessica, who changed careers from business to education a decade ago, knows firsthand the importance of empowering all learners with multiple pathways to postsecondary success,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “Now, with the support of incredible educators like Jessica and their industry partners, nearly 60% of students are attaining a work-based learning experience while in high school. Every day, Jessica works as an education entrepreneur to change lives, empower her community and strengthen her local economy, and we are proud to congratulate her with this honor.”

Iowa has seen remarkable growth in work-based learning attainment, with more students than ever graduating high school with business and industry experience. Nearly 60% of Iowa high school seniors from the class of 2026 achieved a high-quality work-based learning experience while in high school—up more than 33 percentage points with an over 131% rate of increase over the last three years.

“My approach to teaching, especially when it comes to business and career and technical education, is to make it real-life focused,” 2027 Iowa Teacher of the Year Howard said. “If I am teaching something, it has to have real-life implications that prepare students for the world they are going to live and work in. I see my students as capable, compassionate, dedicated members of our community, and in turn, they start to see it in themselves and produce the solutions that are needed.”

Howard is dedicated to expanding learning opportunities for students, through her roles as a concurrent enrollment course instructor in partnership with Kirkwood Community College, adviser for the school district’s chapters for National Honor Society and Business Professionals of America, and coach of Lone Tree’s state champion esports team. She is an inaugural participant in the Department’s innovative, new Work-Based Learning Endorsement Leadership and Investment for the Field (WBL-LIFT) grant that strengthens work-based learning educator pipelines. She is also a recipient of the Department’s Computer Science Educator Endorsement grant that provides tuition reimbursement for Iowa teachers seeking computer science endorsements and authorizations.

Prior to becoming a teacher through the Regents Alternative Pathway to Iowa Licensure (RAPIL) program, Howard worked in the private sector at Lee Enterprises and U.S. Cellular. She is also a former Iowa STEM Teacher Award recipient and has participated in multiple Iowa STEM Externship Program opportunities that paired her with local business and industry partners to further advance career-connected learning in her community.

“I have had multiple students turn their business plans into reality—a coffee shop, a landscaping company, a coaching and mentorship program, a digital marketing company,” said Howard. “I have been very lucky in my various careers to create a network of support so that I can pass that support to my students. I push my students outside of their comfort zones, but I am also there to support them as they need it.”

Howard helps students further explore their interests and discover careers through creating opportunities for students to develop and pitch their business plans to community leaders. She also creates community events that showcase industry opportunities, postsecondary institutions and the military.

In addition to Howard, Iowa’s Regional Teachers of the Year and finalists for the 2027 Iowa Teacher of the Year award include:

• Ashley Cardamone, a secondary art teacher in the Cedar Falls Community School District and the Central Rivers Regional Teacher of the Year.
• Tracy Madsen, head director of music in the Central Lee Community School District and the Great Prairie Regional Teacher of the Year.
• Lynne Glackin, a third grade teacher in the Woodbine Community School District and the Green Hills Regional Teacher of the Year.
• Jana Dewhurst, an early childhood educator in the Johnston Community School District and the Heartland Regional Teacher of the Year.
• Tera Bunn, a PK-4 instructional coach and interventionist in the Oelwein Community School District and the Keystone Regional Teacher of the Year.
• Mitchel Dierickx, a first grade teacher in the Davenport Community School District  and the Mississippi Bend Regional Teacher of the Year.
• Roselyn Schillerstrom, a secondary English language arts teacher in the West Lyon Community School District and the Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year.
• Abby Goodlaxson, a physical education and health teacher in the Okoboji Community School District and the Prairie Lakes Regional Teacher of the Year.

Established in 1958, the prestigious Teacher of the Year award honors an Iowa teacher who advances student learning through evidence-based instruction, empowers students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success, learns from and invests in fellow educators, and serves students in partnership with families. The annual program is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education through an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature. Honorees serve as ambassadors to schools, higher education and communities across the state.

Photos from the event will be uploaded to our Flickr album.

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