Robert J. Marzano Named 2008 Winner
of Brock International Prize in Education

Jury members convening on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman announced Robert J. Marzano as the 2008 recipient of the Brock International Prize in Education. The award is given annually to recognize an individual for innovative and effective ideas in education resulting in a significant impact on the practice or understanding of the field of education.

Marzano is senior scholar at Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colo., associate professor of education at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisc., and president of Marzano and Associates, a company specializing in long term school reform efforts to enhance student achievement in K-12 schools.

“The Brock Prize is one of the largest and most important prizes in education in the world,” said Trent Gabert, Ph.D., chair of the Brock Prize executive committee and associate dean of the OU College of Liberal Studies. “Its recipients have made significant contributions to the field of education, and we are honored to recognize and share the ideas produced by such outstanding achievements.”

During his 35 years in the field of education, Marzano’s work has centered on translating research and theory into clear, practical programs and tools for K-12 teachers and administrators. He has identified three areas central to school improvement reforms including fostering and sustaining effective instructional strategies system-wide, using classroom and grading practices to provide effective feedback to students, and building strong student academic vocabulary.

“Teachers’ daily classroom teaching responsibilities leave little time or energy for discerning from educational research what effective teaching strategies or best practices work for optimum student learning and achievement,” said Marilyn Bradford, superintendent of Shawnee Public Schools and member of the Brock Prize jury who nominated Marzano. “The body of Dr. Marzano’s work has been to interpret and analyze educational research and, in his own words, ‘to translate research and theory into practice.’”

Larry Nyland, Ph.D., superintendent of Marysville School District, Marysville, Wash., is a member of the Brock Prize jury who also nominated Marzano. Nyland, in his support of Marzano, cites research that shows if one has an effective school, with an appropriate curriculum and, with effective teachers who set appropriate goals and give appropriate feedback, students will achieve at 98 percent of grade level. This approach is a solution to bridging the achievement gap and meeting No Child Left Behind requirements. Schools without good organization, or quality teachers, will not have 50% of their students achieving grade, and if there is a poor organization and poor teachers, only 3% of students will achieve grade level. 

Marzano received his bachelor of arts degree in English from Iona College, his master’s degree in reading and language arts from Seattle University, and his doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Washington. He is author of more than 26 books, dozens of articles and book chapters, and more than 100 curriculum guides and related materials for teachers and students in grades K-12.

He was chosen by an eight-member jury, which is comprised of public school officials, university officers, meritorious professors, and government officials, all of whom are committed to excellence in education.

The Brock Laureate receives a $40,000 cash award, certificate and bust of Sequoyah during the Brock Symposium for Excellence in Education, where the laureate serves as the keynote speaker. This year’s event will be held April 4, 2008, at the University of Oklahoma. The symposium, hosted by Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa, seeks to shine a light on notable accomplishments in the field of education and then to use those accomplishments as a springboard for communicating educational excellence to practitioners, parents, researchers, administrators and political leaders.

The Brock International Prize in Education is made possible from a gift by John A. Brock and family of Tulsa, Okla., and is administered by Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa.