DLAC Awards Honor Digital Learning Leaders

ATLANTA, Oct. 20, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Five recipients have been recognized by DLAC, the Community Advancing Digital Learning, for their exceptional contributions to the field of digital learning. The 2026 DLAC Awards, which took place during DLAC Ignite in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 19-21, 2026, celebrated individuals and organizations who have made significant strides in advancing quality, innovation, access, and learner success in digital learning environments.

The recipients represent a diverse range of contributions, from creating stronger connections and a sense of belonging for virtual learners to advancing research, strengthening digital learning systems, supporting students and families, and reimagining what a virtual school can be. The 2026 DLAC Award winners include Susan Matheson, who was honored for her leadership in increasing student engagement and creating meaningful connections across the Stride network of schools. Susan Matheson's work through the K12 Zone, a platform designed to help virtual learners build friendships and community, has expanded beyond its original social purpose to support counseling, career exploration, instruction, activities, and thousands of teacher-created experiences. Her leadership has brought together engagement, belonging, safety, and innovation at a scale that is having a significant impact across thousands of learners and educators.

Dr. Rebekah "Becky" Redmer was recognized for her research focused on strengthening the evaluation and professional growth of online educators. Her work addresses a longstanding challenge in digital learning: traditional teacher evaluation models were largely developed for brick-and-mortar classrooms and may not fully capture the practices associated with high-quality virtual instruction. The Redmer Model, a research-based framework designed specifically for online teaching, provides a shared language that educators and evaluators can use to examine instructional quality and support professional growth. The model has already moved from research into practice, including implementation at Jenison Innovation Academy, where it is helping educators and evaluators establish relevant goals, engage in deeper reflection, and have more meaningful conversations about instructional improvement. The work demonstrates how research can directly influence practice while providing a framework with potential application across the broader digital learning field.

Mike Agostinelli was honored for his behind-the-scenes leadership, infrastructure, and systems that have helped Montana Digital Academy (MTDA) grow and serve students across Montana. His contributions have supported the scaling of MTDA's distance learning programs, expansion of dual-credit opportunities, development of the Digital Learning Clearinghouse and Frontier Learning Lab, and multiple major technology transitions. While students and educators may never see many of the systems and processes that make these programs possible, Agostinelli's work has helped create the foundation on which they operate. His colleagues described him as a leader who consistently makes students the "north star" of the work while ensuring others have the tools and support they need to succeed, often without seeking recognition for himself. His impact reflects the spirit of the Unsung Super Star Award: essential leadership that may happen behind the scenes but has a lasting effect on programs, educators, and learners.

Kortni Spaulding was recognized for her innovative and highly personal approach to supporting students and families at Optima Academy Online. Her work includes helping to reimagine what counseling and student support can look like in a virtual environment, facilitating more than 450 virtual reality counseling sessions, building a Parent Teacher Coalition that grew from four families to nearly 300, and developing relationships with more than 75 community partners. Her efforts also include personally supporting families through crises, developing a "Testing Roadshow" to better serve students during assessment periods, using student data to strengthen academic interventions, and preparing other counselors to continue and expand these approaches. As she moves into a broader leadership role, the systems, relationships, and practices she has developed are positioned to continue benefiting students and families throughout the organization.

Prisma was recognized for creating a virtual learning model designed around the needs of individual learners rather than recreating a traditional school experience online. The school combines interdisciplinary project cycles, competency-based badges, individualized coaching, authentic demonstrations of learning, and embedded social-emotional development to create an educational experience that is both academically rigorous and highly relational. According to its nomination, Prisma learners average 204% annual growth in mathematics, 86% of new learners report making friends within their first six weeks, and the organization has maintained 100% coach retention year over year. The nomination highlighted Prisma's success in re-engaging learners who had previously felt disconnected from school. By combining academic innovation with meaningful relationships, learner agency, and a strong sense of community, Prisma offers an example of how digital learning environments can be intentionally designed to help students feel seen, challenged, supported, and excited to learn.

The DLAC Awards recognize individuals, schools, programs, organizations, and researchers whose work is making a meaningful contribution to the digital learning field. Award recipients are selected through a nomination and review process involving members of the digital learning community. The 2026 recipients are being recognized during DLAC Ignite, held October 19-21, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. Winners receive complimentary conference registration, a DLAC Award trophy, conference recognition, and opportunities to share their work with the DLAC community throughout the coming year.

The DLAC Awards are part of DLAC, the Community Advancing Digital Learning, which brings together educators, school and district leaders, researchers, policymakers, organizations, and partners committed to advancing high-quality digital learning opportunities for all learners. Through conferences and events, research and publications, professional learning, community engagement, advocacy, and the National Standards for Quality, DLAC connects and supports the people and organizations shaping the future of K-12 digital learning.