Donna DeVito honored with Elliott Judd Outstanding Teacher Award at Madison School
Donna DeVito, a teacher at Madison School, has received the 2026 Elliott Judd Outstanding Teacher Award. The award is given by the Illinois Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages - Bilingual Education (ITBE). According to the announcement, this recognition highlights Ms. DeVito’s commitment to multilingual education and reflects on the teaching quality in Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181.
Ms. DeVito has worked at Madison School for nine years and previously taught in bilingual and ESL classrooms in Cicero 99. In her current role as a resource teacher, she leads small group sessions that focus on developing students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. She also works within regular classrooms to support students.
Her approach includes project-based learning designed to connect students with broader global issues. Projects have included creating wristbands for refugees, collecting school supplies, making teddy bear buddies for refugee students, and sending postcards overseas.
The Elliott Judd Outstanding Teacher Award honors educators who use effective TESOL strategies for language acquisition. Ms. DeVito’s experience also includes serving as a representative in WIDA’s center for applied linguistics online ACCESS item writing course and co-authoring a publication about responsive approaches to supporting English Language Learners.
"We are incredibly proud to have Ms. DeVito representing our district. Her individual achievement not only celebrates her profound impact on students but also underscores D181’s unwavering commitment to providing an exceptional and inclusive education for all students. This recognition is a positive reflection on our academic programs and the high standards we maintain for our educational community," stated district officials.
Madison Elementary School is one of several schools represented by Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181, which serves both DuPage and Cook counties through multiple elementary and middle schools including Clarendon Hills Middle School, Elm Elementary School, Hinsdale Middle School, Monroe Elementary School, Oak Elementary School, Prospect Elementary School, The Lane Elementary School, and Walker School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
According to data from the Illinois State Board of Education, District 181 employs 282 teachers with an average salary of $94,227 before pension contributions; women make up 90 percent of the staff while men account for 10 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). No teachers in the district have more than ten absences per year.
The student body in District 181 is composed of approximately 69.8 percent White students; other demographics include Black (1.1 percent), Hispanic (6.8 percent), and Asian (15.4 percent) populations (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
In terms of financial investment per pupil during 2020, District 181 spent $31,308 per student with total expenditures reaching $117 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).