The National Teacher of the Year Program,
sponsored by the ING Foundation 
is a project of The Council of Chief State School Officers.
ING US Financial Services (ING USFS) believes in the importance of honoring excellence in education, and is committed to helping education employees plan for their financial futures. For more than 35 years, ING USFS has been providing an array of financial services, including 403(b) plans, to kindergarten through 12th grade educators and other employees of nonprofit organizations.
In the U.S., the ING family of companies offers a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients, which include life insurance, retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment management, annuities, employee benefits, financial planning and reinsurance. ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves more than 14 million customers across the nation.
ING Group is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to more than 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of more than 112,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand. For more information, visit www.ing.com.
The Council of Chief State School Officers ( CCSSO ) is a nationwide, nonprofit organization comprised of the public officials who head the departments of elementary and secondary education, and in some states other aspects of education in the state, five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Schools. The Council has served as an independent voice on federal education policy since 1927 and has maintained a Washington, DC, office since 1948. Since 1908, chief state school officers have conferred with the Congress and federal agencies "to consider educational interests common to all of the states... which are furthered by a free comparison of views." In representing the chief education administrators, the Council speaks on behalf of the state education agencies (SEAs), which have primary authority for education in each state, and carries national influence commensurate with this position. The Council's members develop consensus on major education issues, which the Council advocates before the President, federal agencies, the Congress and the public. With the support of foundations and federal agencies, the Council undertakes projects that assist states with new policy and administrative initiatives and assist the federal agencies and foundations in implementing their programs.
