Longtime special educator earns McAuliffe Prize

Louise Schindler, a teacher who spent 48 years leading the special education program for the Educational Service Unit 8 Learning Center in Clearwater, has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Christa McAuliffe Prize for Courage and Excellence in Education.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Education and Human Sciences presents the award annually to a Nebraska teacher who exemplifies the character of McAuliffe, the first teacher in space, who died in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster.

"I remember vividly that day, on Jan. 28, 1986, when I sat down with my students t...