When Andreal Davis stood to accept the Lois Gadd Nemec Elementary Education Alumni Award at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education on November 9th, there was no doubt that she was the perfect person for the award. As she sang her “Good morning!” song and talked with attendees about her trajectory and values as an educator, it was clear that Davis is a master storyteller who can captivate any audience.
The Lois Gadd Nemec Elementary Education Alumni Award is given to a graduate of UW-Madison’s elementary education program who has provided exemplary service as a local classroom teacher, administrator, or other K-12 professional. Lois Gadd Nemec was State Supervisor for Elementary Schools at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction from 1939-1944. She came to UW-Madison as a professor in the School of Education in 1945 where she worked until 1955. She finished her career in 1960 as a Specialist with UW-Extension. Bill and Betty Nemec, Lois’ son and daughter-in-law, established the award in her honor. Lois’ granddaughters and Bill and Betty’s daughters, Patricia Nemec and Nancy Nemec-Griffin, were present at this year’s award ceremony.
A native of Milwaukee, Andreal Davis taught in the Madison Metropolitan School District’s Lincoln Elementary School where she was known as an exemplary teacher and literacy coach. At Lincoln, she created the “Read Your Heart Out” program that all MMSD schools now participate in before Valentine’s Day each year. After 26 years with MMSD in various roles, Davis became the Culturally Responsive Practices Coordinator at the Wisconsin Response to Intervention Center where she retired in 2021.
Throughout her career, Davis implemented and promoted culturally relevant pedagogy, but she has always felt like more was needed to support Black students. Beyond achievement data, Davis is concerned about students’ attitudes and self-esteem. She wants students to embrace the excellence inside them and to recognize that it has been passed to them through history. From this desire, Davis and her husband, Arlington, assumed leadership in 1996 of the African American Ethnic Academy, an academic and cultural enrichment program held on Saturdays and during the summer.
Currently, Davis is the Founder and CEO of her consulting company, Cultural Practices that are Relevant. Since 2018, she has hosted the annual Black History Education Conference in Madison. The conference has brought local, nationally, and internationally-renowned speakers such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings to share with the over 400 students, teachers, and families that attend the conference each year.
Davis’ mark on the education of Black children in Madison is indelible and lasting and her passion for teaching is unmatched.
The Lois Gadd Nemec Elementary Education Alumni Award is not the first award that Davis has received acknowledging her excellence as an educator. In 2004, she was awarded the prestigious Miliken Family Foundation National Educator Award, affectionately known as “the Oscars of Teaching.” She also won the NBC-15 Crystal Apple Award in 2000, Order of the Eastern Star Mother Full of Grace Award in 2004, and the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 2013.
During the ceremony, the Rockwell Awards were also given to outstanding teachers who support UW-Madison students during their field experiences in the process of becoming teachers. 2024 Rockwell awardees included Michelle Blevins, third grade teacher at Marquette Elementary School; Ben Jaeger, band teacher at Vel Phillips Memorial High School; Dave Ropa, seventh grade science teacher at Spring Harbor Middle School; and Rachel Schramm, art teacher at Malcolm Shabazz City High School. Brian Counselman, 2025 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year and science teacher and Malcolm Shabazz High School delivered the keynote address.
