St. Louis Park educator David Davis is 2026 Minnesota Teacher of the Year
For more information, contact:
DOUG DOOHER
651-245-6141 (cell)
CHRIS WILLIAMS
651-292-4816 (work)
651-247-5539 (cell)
ST. PAUL, Minnesota., May 3, 2026 – David Davis, an instrumental and general music teacher at Park Spanish Immersion Elementary in the St. Louis Park school district, is the 2026 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.
Davis is the 62nd recipient of the prestigious award and the second from St. Louis Park Public Schools to be named Minnesota Teacher of the Year. An independent selection committee representing Minnesota leaders in education, business and government chooses the Teacher of the Year from individuals who are nominated and who then choose to become a candidate.
“A major issue in public education is that students often have too little ownership over their own learning,” Davis said. “The future of public education can be meaningful, relevant and joyful when we trust students’ inherent brilliance, creativity and intrinsic motivation.”
“David is, quite literally, a living monument to change in both mindset and practice,” wrote Jess Davis (no relation), the 2019 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, in a letter of recommendation. “He has been open about the ways his perspectives have evolved and uses that growth to build learning spaces where students see themselves as artists, thinkers and collaborators.”
At Park Spanish Immersion Elementary, Davis teaches music to students in kindergarten through fifth grade, designing a curriculum that emphasizes student voice, creativity and cultural responsiveness. His students compose original music, collaborate in bands and connect their learning to their own identities, families and communities.
Davis has earned national recognition for his work in music education and innovation. He was the first Minnesotan named a top 25 semifinalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award and has received honors including the Give A Note Foundation Music Education Innovator Award, the Music for All Elementary Excellence Award and Yamaha’s “40 Under 40” recognition.
A leader in advancing more inclusive, student-centered education, Davis serves on the National Association for Music Education’s Council of Innovations, participates in the Minnesota Department of Education’s Culturally Responsive Arts Education cohort and is part of Education Minnesota’s Racial Equity Advocate program. He also leads the Changemakers in Music Education project, connecting educators across Minnesota who are working to expand access and opportunity in music education.
Davis began his teaching career in Wisconsin and Virginia before returning to Minnesota, where he taught in Minnetonka Public Schools prior to moving to St. Louis Park in 2021. He holds a master’s degree in music education from the University of St. Thomas and a bachelor’s degree in saxophone performance from Lawrence University, and is completing graduate coursework in Change Leadership at the College of St. Scholastica.
Education Minnesota, the 84,000-member statewide educators union, organizes and underwrites the Teacher of the Year program. Candidates include pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers, ECFE and ABE teachers from public or private schools. The Minnesota Teacher of the Year program also receives support from the following organizations: Education Minnesota ESI, EFS Advisors, Harvard Club of Minnesota Foundation and Expedition Credit Union.
