Innovation in Action: Volume 13
Inspiring Tomorrow’s Workforce with Relevant, Real World Experience
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.
As a new school year begins, STOP for Education awardees are moving with the speed and urgency students deserve. The three examples below highlight innovative programs providing future-focused paths to success for students across the country.
First State Is Now Home to the Country’s First Greek Immersion Program
Odyssey Charter School (2023 Finalist) in Wilmington, Delaware, is the nation’s first (and only) full Greek language immersion program. With a 50/50 Greek and English curriculum, Odyssey empowers students of all backgrounds to excel academically and personally. The school has grown into Delaware’s second-largest charter, serving more than 2,400 students, achieving a 100% graduation and college acceptance rate, and consistently earning top marks on state assessments. Now, with support from the Yass Prize and the Center for Education Reform, Odyssey is expanding to welcome 400 additional students, further advancing its mission of innovation and educational equity.
“We’re not chasing trends, we’re creating them. We’re not following the world, we’re leading it into tomorrow! We don’t merely open classroom doors, we shatter the boundaries between past and future. The flame Prometheus stole for humanity 2,500 years ago in the mountains of Greece now burns brighter than ever here in the First State.” - Elias Pappas, CEO & Executive Director
Fueling Iowa’s Education Transformation from Des Moines to Davenport
A mostly vacant, but historical mall in Des Moines, Iowa has been given new life and purpose as Great Oaks High School and Career Center, thanks to the work of Cris Gulacy-Worrel and Oakmont Education (2022 Finalist). It now serves over 275 students, with a second campus set to open in Davenport next August. Providing dropout recovery and career pathways for many students who have abandoned their education, Great Oaks offers training in construction, manufacturing, healthcare, and business, with local employers informing curriculum, and offering hands-on workplace experiences through work-based learning. The path to Great Oaks provided learning opportunities for Oakmont as well, leading them to advocate for funding parity and full CTE support for alternative programs in Iowa.
“These students are living proof that when you combine dropout recovery with CTE, and add proper resources, you don’t just save lives, you rebuild communities and solve workforce shortages simultaneously.” - Cris Gulacy-Worrel, Vice President
Vegas Bets on the Next Generation: Building Pathways from High School to Education Leadership
The odds favor success for participants in The National Fellowship for Black and Latino Male Educators’ (2023 Finalist) Elite Educator Academy. NFBLME doesn’t gamble on its Fellows, but it does bet big on them. The organization wants to inspire young Black and Latino men to strive for Executive-level leadership in the education sector through exposure, access, and representation. Earlier this month, they gathered in Las Vegas to engage in hands-on classroom observations, leadership training, and real-time feedback sessions at local schools (led by program alumni). NFBLME is creating an end-to-end talent pipeline that guides students from learners to leaders: supporting high school graduation, college and career readiness, degree or credential completion, workforce entry, and accelerated advancement.
Adding to the momentum, NFBLME also launched its EduPathWorks High School Dual Enrollment and Apprenticeship program, where young men shared their aspirations and began charting tangible pathways toward achieving them.
Congrats to…
Mary Jo Fairhead, Founder and Director of Onward Learning (2024 Semifinalist), who has been appointed by South Dakota’s Governor Rhoden to represent the state on the Education Commission of the States. “I don’t take this lightly. I’ll do everything I can to listen, learn, and contribute to meaningful, positive change for education in our state.”
Co-Founders Edna Martinson and Clarence Tan of Boddle Learning (2024 Finalist) for being selected for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Education Equity Initiative. Through this initiative, Boddle will leverage AWS cloud and AI technology to scale its gamified platform and bring engaging math, science, and reading experiences to millions of students.
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.