Northern Cass School District wins $500,000 for education innovation
The Northern Cass School District, based in Hunter, North Dakota, was a finalist for the $1 million Yass Prize award.
HUNTER, N.D. — The Northern Cass School District has received national acclaim and a half-million dollars for being one of America’s most innovative and effective education providers.
The school district was one of nine finalists for the $1 million Yass Prize award and was recognized at a banquet at the New York Hilton in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 14, according to a news release.
As a finalist, the district received a $500,000 STOP Award for having educational programs that are sustainable, transformational, outstanding and permissionless — meaning they’re free to exist and thrive without dependence on regulatory bodies, according to the organization.
Northern Cass serves students in six rural North Dakota communities, each comprising fewer than 250 people.
Superintendent Cory Steiner was cited for being among the first school districts to create blended learning models for students, re-imagining education not only for them but for all rural districts.
The awards committee said Northern Cass forgoes the “traditional” education label and instead develops personalized career pathways for students interested in becoming medical technicians, nurses, child caretakers and other in-demand occupations.
“We were thrilled to find these education changemakers and are grateful to be able to reward their extraordinary creativity, tenacity and achievements, and to help them build for the future,” said Janine Yass, who established the Yass Prize with her husband, Jeff Yass.