Innovation in Action: Volume 14
2025 Inspired Us, 2026 Calls Us Forward
Happy New Year and welcome back to Innovation in Action, a bi-weekly news brief highlighting transformative voices from within the Yass Prize community of awardees. The Yass Prize for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless education, now in its sixth year, is a rapidly growing effort to find, reward, celebrate and expand best-in-class education organizations from every sector, in every state.
In the months ahead, we’ll spotlight trendsetters, visionaries, and everyday heroes transforming how students learn. Before we look forward, this edition reflects on the remarkable work of 2025 and the momentum that continues to propel us.
Celebrating Our 2025 Yass Prize Winner, Finalists, and Semifinalists
In a powerful finale to an extraordinary year, the Yass Prize delivered one of its most thrilling announcements to date - $3.8 million awarded to advance innovative, sustainable, and student-centered education organizations across the nation. Unveiled at the Power of Innovation Summit in our nation’s capital, Jeff and Janine Yass not only crowned the $1 million Yass Prize winner - Chesterton Schools Network - but surprised the audience and expanded the circle of changemakers with four additional $250,000 finalists and 18 semifinalists earning $100,000 for their organizations.
These 23 awardees now join a growing national force reshaping education across 45+ states and reaching more than 15+ million students. From reimagining classical high school networks, to building therapeutic environments for students with learning disabilities, to advancing play-driven microschools and supporting highly mobile military families, each awardee represents a powerful solution to one of education’s most pressing challenges. The 2025 Yass Prize Awards mark not just the culmination of a year of competition and innovation, but the launchpad for transformative work in 2026 that is yet to come.
Choice States Driving OptimaEd’s EOY Surge
A rapidly growing VR virtual learning model, OptimaEd stands out by pairing immersive technology with flexible instructional options and comprehensive support, all while maintaining accredited, standards-aligned learning that meets students where they are and prepares them for what’s next. Fueled by their Yass Prize Alumni Award, the organization is expanding aggressively across choice-rich states including Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, where families are increasingly seeking flexible, future-focused educational options.
Strategic investments in marketing, admissions, and instructional capacity, paired with strengthened partnerships with local choice program leaders, enabled OptimaEd to enroll more than 790 new full-time students in a single cycle. This surge in demand reflects a dramatic leap, as OptimaEd has now doubled in size compared to last year. Entering 2026, the organization now supports over 1,500 learners, a testament to the scalability and appeal of its innovative model. Their expansion stands as a clear example of how purposeful investment, strong leadership, and mission-aligned innovation can transform opportunity for students nationwide.
Student Excellence & Achievement in Texas
As we look toward a new year of possibility and renewed purpose, one student story echoes as a testament to what access and opportunity can unlock. Jefferson Pestronk, Executive Director of the Modern States Alliance (2023 Quarterfinalist), shared the remarkable journey of fifteen-year-old Gabriel. Before discovering Modern States, Gabriel struggled with the pace of his traditional school. Once connected, he found the structure, support, and accessibility he needed to accelerate his goals, using their free CLEP preparation courses to master college-level material and earn credits through the Texas First Early High School Completion program.
With determination and guidance, Gabriel passed multiple CLEP exams, enabling him to graduate high school early and complete his associate degree… at just 15 years old. This achievement showcased what is possible when students are given flexible tools to advance their learning. After completing these milestones, his accomplishments caught the attention of leaders in the cybersecurity field, who offered him an internship that placed him on a professional trajectory years ahead of most peers. Gabriel’s story surfaces essential themes that will guide us into the year ahead: the importance of flexible pathways, the urgency of expanding access to rigorous learning, and the profound impact of meeting students where their potential already lives. Listen to Gabriel’s full story here.
💐 Congrats To…
Joe O’Connor, Founder and CEO of Odyssey (2023 Finalist) for being selected by the Comptroller's Office in Texas to help administer the new ESA program in the state, a major step in expanding educational choice.
Abby Coyle, Co-Founder and CEO of ClassBank (2022 Quarterfinalist), for being selected both as a Forbes 30 under 30 in Education and a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow, a yearlong leadership and growth program for outstanding women entrepreneurs.
Matt Chaussee, CEO of Be More Colorful (2023 Semifinalist) as North Dakota becomes the first state in the nation to deploy immersive media for career exploration across all grade levels.
Taylor Shead, Founder and CEO of STEMuli (2021 Finalist) for being honored in D Magazine’s Dallas 500, celebrating her fourth year of influence in the city that helped shape her entrepreneurial journey.
Pastor Josh Robertson, Founder and CEO of Black Pastors United for Education (2023 Finalist) for receiving ALEC’s Gregor G. Peterson Prize in recognition of his impactful work advancing educational opportunity.
Mindy Sjoblom, Founder and CEO of OnYourMark (2023 Semifinalist) for being selected to lead Massachusetts’ Statewide Tutoring Initiative, expanding critical academic support for students across the state.
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.