At Microsoft, we are inspired every day by the impact that dedicated educators and thoughtful leaders are making on innovative teaching, ultimately improving student outcomes. The recent months have only increased our appreciation of the critical work educators and school leaders do to help every student achieve more.

In the past six months, we have seen schools and teachers respond quickly by shifting into remote learning environments and working harder than ever to ensure their students are learning and growing. The Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Experts in our community are exemplars of innovative teachers who are constantly looking to connect with other inspiring educators across the globe, gaining access to curriculum and online professional development and continuing their journeys as lifelong learners.

Today, we are delighted to announce the educators who are leading digital transformation in education through our MIE Expert program. We welcome the nearly 20,000 new and returning educators to the 2020-2021 class of MIE Experts and are inspired by these passionate educators who have worked to earn a place in this program. Congratulations to all our MIE Experts! You can see a list of their names here.

These educators spark their students’ creativity with thoughtful integration of Microsoft technologies to improve learning outcomes. And with the challenges COVID-19 has presented for all our communities, these educators are more critical than ever. They are leading the way to help transform great teaching and learning for our students—wherever they may be. They inspire all of us with their student-centered approaches to learning that make a true difference in their students’ lives. They constantly seek new and innovative ways to incorporate 21st-century learning into their classrooms and professional development. They lead and help students build future-ready skills to help them succeed in school, life, and eventually, their careers. They go beyond their own schools and organizations by working with other educators in professional learning networks that impact students across their region and the world.

If you’re interested in becoming an MIE Expert next year, get started by joining the Microsoft Innovative Educator program. It is composed of more than one million educators worldwide who have joined the Microsoft Educator Center and successfully completed professional development online courses, accessed resources, and shared learnings with their colleagues. Once you’ve done that, get started on your MIE Expert nomination. You can start it anytime, but we’ll begin accepting nominations between July 15, 2021 and August 20, 2021.

In the meantime, there are plenty of other ways to get involved in our educator community!