Surprise announcement comes amidst Semifinalist gathering in NYC
New York City, Sept. 12, 2024 – The Yass Prize, in partnership with The Center for Education Reform (CER) and Forbes, today announced the 2024 Yass Prize $1 million winner and four finalists that make up the final cohort of the pathbreaking initiative. Together, with the 20 Semifinalists announced last week which are each receiving a $200,000 STOP Award, the awardees will receive a total of $7 million.
The coveted Yass Prize – known as the Pulitzer of Education – finds, rewards, and celebrates education providers which exemplify Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless (STOP) education opportunities in every sector and in every state.
Primer Microschools, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was named the fourth and final recipient of the $1 million Yass Prize during a New York City gathering of the nation’s most innovative education leaders.
Primer was chosen for its transformational efforts to provide a world-class and personalized education to every student, giving teachers the tools and preparation and students the opportunity “to set their own pace and pursue their passions.”
In addition, the following four organizations were chosen as finalists for the Prize and winners of a $500,000 STOP Award:
- Big Picture Learning Company, based in Providence, Rhode Island, builds and sustains student-driven practices in 110+ public and charter schools in the US.
- Boddle Learning, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is an EdTech game-based education platform for personalized learning.
- Rural Schools Innovation Zone, in Premont, Texas, fosters real-world learning and apprenticeships for rural students.
- St. Mary’s Academy, in New Orleans, is one of the oldest African-American schools in the nation founded to serve young women.
“This group exemplifies the essence of the STOP principles, operating across diverse sectors and landscapes to deliver students the 21st century quality education their parents want and they deserve to receive,” said Yass Prize founder Janine Yass. “We are so proud to honor and support them.”
The awards came just a week after the 25 Semifinalists were announced in order to help these organizations accelerate their work this school year.
“Students urgently need access to the education that organizations like this offer, particularly with all the data pointing to continued stagnation in US education,” said Jeanne Allen, the founder and CEO of CER, which has powered the Yass Prize since its inception.
“Over the past four years, we have received thousands of applications from innovative education entrepreneurs dedicated to creating dynamic learning environments grounded in the STOP principles—Sustainability, Transformative impact, Outstanding achievement, and Permissionless innovation. Through this process, we have discovered a microcosm of the most exceptional and entrepreneurial educators in the country,” Allen said on behalf of the Yass Prize team.
“So much has changed with the landscape in the past two years alone, including 14 additional laws providing parents wide freedom to choose the best education provider for their kids, and dramatic changes in districts responding to the pressure,” Allen said. “Also, the widespread use of technology and microschools has continued to expand families’ ability to access high-quality personalized learning opportunities.
“This caused us to stop and reevaluate the best way for leaders in the field to support and advance opportunity and innovation,” Allen said. “As is our custom, we always want to be moving ahead and iterating, following the true model of disruptive innovation that the late Clayton Christensen once celebrated as the lever to changing established organizations.
“We know that the true lesson lies in identifying and fostering the conditions that enable innovation to thrive,” Allen said.
CER and the Yass Prize also announced today that, as a result of an intensive review this year, this year’s awardees will be the final Yass Prize cohort and future efforts will focus on developing and strengthening the existing national network of awardees to continue and expand their transformational efforts.
“We never dreamed it would get so big so quickly,” said Janine Yass. “Jeff and I believe this was literally one of the best things we ever did with our resources during such a critical period of history. Now it’s time for our innovators and collaborators to take their work together to the next level.”
CER announced that the awardees will continue to convene and collaborate through a new initiative that is being developed by several of the Yass Prize alumni. More information about this effort will be forthcoming. In the meantime, please visit www.YassPrize.org to learn more about the 2024 $1 million Yass Prize Winner, Finalists, and Semifinalists.
ABOUT THE WINNERS
Primer Microschools (2024 Winner)
This rapidly growing microschool network promotes diverse academic experiences for students with curricula that emphasizes mixed-age classrooms and incorporates project-based and play-based activities. They have seen impressive growth because of demand from families and students, growing from 5 pilot microschools to 23 schools, now serving hundreds of learners in a short span of a few years. Leveraging a cutting-edge tech platform called Prism, this advanced online conference platform tracks their student’s learning and utilizes AI to group students across campuses by specific skills, ensuring all students are getting what they need, when they need it. Currently in Florida and Arizona locations, Primer plans to expand by launching new campuses in new areas.
Big Picture Learning Company (Finalist)
With their 111 schools, the Big Picture Company (BPC) serves as an incubator to deploy the next set of innovative ideas in education. Within their network of public and charter schools, they lead the way with personalized pathways that prepare students furthest from opportunity with excellence.
Boddle Learning (Finalist)
This transformational, national ed tech company uses Artificial Intelligence to personalize learning for students via their ed-tech game-based education platform. By aligning to state standards and making it easy to address learning gaps, the platform ensures students fully master skills with their more than six million users. Students, parents, and teachers are given immediate feedback and video explanations in real time, ensuring a deeper understanding of concepts, making learning more individualized, engaging, and supportive.
Rural Schools Innovation Zone (Finalist)
This unique public school partnership organization provides students in rural Texas access to specialized career academies with customized curricula and joint professional training within a five-district collaboration, so that every student regardless of location has access to learning and training in real-world experiences through internships and apprenticeships in local workforce needs.
St. Mary’s Academy (Finalist)
As one of the oldest African American schools in the nation, founded to serve young women, this school is located in the bustling Bayou area. It is supported in part by the state’s growing ESA program, which helps provide students with the resources needed for a solid education, and it prepares students for advanced studies and future success while promoting Christian values, critical thinking, and a commitment to giving back both locally and globally.
ABOUT THE YASS PRIZE
The $1 million Yass Prize, powered by the Center for Education Reform in partnership with Forbes, has since 2021 worked to find, reward, celebrate, and expand best-in-class education organizations for every sector. Learn more at YassPrize.org.
For information about The Yass Prize or past participants, contact Kirby Eule at Kirby@TouchdownStrategies.com or Louisa Baxley at Louisa@edreform.com or (862) 812-9042.
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