Innovation in Action: Volume 12
Building Towards a Better Educational Future for All Students
Welcome back to Innovation in Action, a bi-weekly news brief about the incredible activities of some of our nation’s best education leaders. The Yass Prize for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless education, now in its fifth year, is a rapidly growing effort to find, reward, celebrate, and expand best-in-class education organizations from every sector, in every state.
STOP for Education awardees don’t rest on their laurels. The three examples below highlight the continuous improvement and iteration practiced by alumni to better serve students, families, and their communities.
Building Tomorrow’s Health Care Workforce in Philly
Liguori Academy (2024 Semifinalist) in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia prepares its students for both academic and career success after graduation. Beginning in 9th grade, students are able to explore career interests through specialized cohorts, eventually narrowing down their choice to a single concentration in the Arts, Technology, Construction, or Healthcare Sciences.
Liguori has just launched their new Healthcare Cohort learning center. This year’s 65-student cohort will have access to a dedicated learning environment providing them with hands-on training and a direct pathway to a growing field. Each will graduate having earned industry-recognized certifications including AHS/CPR/AED and Basic Life Support, OSHA, HIPAA, and Medical and Laboratory Assistant accreditations.
“As we open this cohort, we’re not just building a program—we’re building opportunities,” said Mike Marrone, President of Liguori Academy. “Our students will leave here with the skills, certifications, and confidence to begin a career in health care or to further their education with a strong foundation.”
Building Community and Awareness in Texas
It’s one thing to have school choice options and another altogether to understand how to access and take advantage of those opportunities. Applications, deadlines, school visits, questions. That’s why Leading Little Arrows (2023 Quarterfinalist) founder Amber Okolo-Ebube recently held a dinner with families in Grapevine, TX to walk through Texas’ new Education Savings Account program and guidelines. Over great food, dozens participated in a conversation about scholarships, alternative funding methods, and building a supportive homeschool community.
According to on-site surveys, 75% of attendees left with a clearer understanding of ESA eligibility, applications, and allowable uses, helping close a critical knowledge gap that often prevents access to funding. The gathering also fostered peer support, with parents exchanging practical advice and children building friendships, underscoring the family-centered impact. Importantly, the event’s welcoming, non-political atmosphere and emphasis on equity ensured underrepresented families felt comfortable engaging, reinforcing the need for culturally competent outreach and strengthening the foundation for lasting community impact.
“We are already impacting hundreds of families across North Texas. With the right support, we can reach thousands more.” - Amber Okolo-Ebube
Building a Bridge Between High School and Adulthood in Columbus
BRIDGE to Adulthood – Belonging, Readiness, Independence, Discovery, Growth, and Empowerment – is Bridgeway Academy’s (2024 Semifinalist) transition program to support students after they graduate 12th grade. With a focus on vocational and life skills, BRIDGE to Adulthood is available to serve students through age 22 and the program offers personalized pathways to independence and the workforce.
Bridgeway has recently completed buildout of a new space for Bridgeway’s Life Skills and Vocational Skills Center activities after outgrowing its previous location. Participants experience hands-on learning in both classroom and community settings. Students receive instruction in a real-world environment with guidance from teachers and therapists, and each day, participants extend that learning into the community through job shadowing, internships, and supported work experiences, gaining practical skills with the help of Bridgeway’s job coaches and staff.
With support from the Yass Prize, they have been able to scale their program to serve a growing number of students aging up, hosting 23 additional students this year and 50 students by 2028.
Congrats to…
Our Texas Education Freedom Award winners – 11 Yass Prize alumni who were awarded funding to position them to launch or expand innovative school models in Texas in the fall of 2026 - meeting the needs of even more students. Read the press release here and learn about the Texas Education Freedom awardees here.
Bobby Lopez (CEO) and Bob Hope Schools (2024 Semifinalist) for being awarded a $11.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to be distributed over the next five years. Bobby shares, “The grant reflects the U.S. Department of Education’s commitment to investing in innovative schools that demonstrate strong outcomes for students. Over the next five years, Bob Hope School will implement evidence-based strategies and programs to ensure the funding has a lasting impact on its students and the broader community.”
Sarah Glenn-Smith (CEO) and the Learning Center for the Deaf (2024 Semifinalist) for celebrating 55 years! Founded in 1970, LCD is a trailblazer in bilingual and bicultural education for deaf children in the United States. They will be hosting a number of events and activities leading up to their Gala Celebration at Gillette Stadium next Spring.
Aaron Frumin, Executive Director of unCommon Construction (2022 Finalist), who was selected to participate in the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. NORLI is recognized as a preeminent organization for educating and connecting leaders from across the parishes of Southeast Louisiana to discuss key challenges and opportunities for the Greater New Orleans Area.
(And, Happy 11th Birthday to unCommon Construction!)
STOP for Education is an initiative focused on developing and expanding the transformational impact of Yass Prize awardees and partners who are dedicated to the four core STOP principles - Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless education. This new publication, Innovation in Action, will feature the latest from best-in-class education providers.
Follow along STOP for Education on X @edreform. Learn more about STOP for Education and CER’s initiatives here.