Innovation in Action: Volume 17
Scaling What Works: Expanding Opportunity Nationwide
Welcome to Innovation in Action, a one-of-a-kind news brief highlighting transformative voices from 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.
The Yass Prize is committed to fueling more education entrepreneurs to expand their high-quality, STOP-aligned schools, expanding the supply of school options to meet growing parent demand. This volume of Innovation in Action brings that work to life - highlighting how our network is scaling what works and opening new pathways for student success.
Expanding Apprenticeships in NOLA
Less than six months after their ribbon cutting, the Yass Prize DIY Studio at the unCommon Campus, led by Aaron Frumin, Founder & CEO of unCommon Construction (2022 Finalist), has already become a vibrant hub for hands-on learning, leadership development, and community connection.
The space is driving the growth of unCommon’s high school apprenticeship programs, giving high schoolers a dedicated place to learn, collaborate, and connect with industry partners. Beyond this, the Studio functions as a flexible hub for program planning, classes, and partner events for the broader community, all seeking to establish stronger connections in and around the community.
Reflecting on the impact of the space, Frumin shared, “The DIY Studio gives students the freedom to explore what they’re curious about, to learn alongside new people, and to make connections that just aren’t possible in a traditional school setting. Thanks to the support of the Yass Prize, this space invites young people to show up fully, try new things, and discover what they’re capable of, often for the first time.”
A Shared Commitment to Experiential Learning
Tiffany Thenor, CEO and Co-Founder of WonderHere (2025 Finalist), is partnering with Path of Life Learning (2025 Finalist) and Summit School (2025 Semifinalist), who all share a commitment to immersive, project-centered learning. Summit School, situated on a 40-acre campus in Texas, and Path of Life Learning in Virginia have cultivated settings where students develop knowledge through active exploration, creative projects, and real-world engagement.
As part of this collaboration, WonderHere is offering access to more than 9,000 pages of its play-based, project-driven curriculum of evidence-based experiential learning materials. The goal is not to replace the effective approaches these schools already use, but to complement them by reducing the time educators spend preparing lessons, allowing teachers to focus more on guiding students and less on behind-the-scenes planning. Tiffany shares, “We are grateful to walk alongside fellow educators whose values so closely align with our own and to share resources that support the important work they are already leading in their communities.”
The partnership reflects a shared commitment among these Yass Prize awardees to advance innovative learning environments and to accelerate impact through collaboration. See WonderHere in action from the most recent Roadshow for Opportunity visit, and check out Kerry McDonald’s feature of Tiffany and WonderHere in her latest Forbes article.
Expansion in the Lone Star State
With the application window for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) recently extended by two weeks, families across Texas are finalizing their submissions for this historic program. This launch quickly became one of the most significant school choice developments in the country and a new opportunity for education innovators like the Yass Prize Education Freedom Awardees to expand their impact. Interest from families was immediate and widespread. Within the first weeks of the application period, more than 100,000 students applied, marking the largest initial launch of a new school choice program in the nation’s history.
To support Texas’s groundbreaking ESA program and vision, the Texas Education Freedom Award was created in alignment with the Yass Prize mission to find, reward, celebrate, and expand education providers who STOP for students. After a rigorous review process, eleven Yass Prize alumni were collectively awarded more than $4 million to support their launch or expansion efforts, meeting the demand from Texas families.
One of the Yass Prize 2023 Finalists, Odyssey, is the partner to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in launching this “Texas-sized” initiative,” shares Daniel Warner, Odyssey’s Texas State Director, where they are “committed to providing a seamless, end-to-end technology platform that empowers Texas parents to exercise choice. It is our hope and ambition for this program to be a model for school choice across the nation.”
Stay tuned as Texas Education Freedom Award recipients build momentum, scale their innovative models across the state, and begin opening their doors this fall.
Check in on Parent Power in your state!
The Parent Power!® Index, helps you see whether parents truly have power in your state and what it will take to strengthen it.
Use the interactive map to explore the latest updates, including which states are opting into the federal education tax-credit scholarship program and recent leadership changes.
With legislative sessions underway, now is the time to check your state’s profile and identify opportunities to advocate for stronger parent power!
What would YOU do with the $1 million Yass Prize?
The $1 million Yass Prize for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless Education is considered the Pulitzer of education innovation and was established to find, reward, celebrate, and expand best-in-class education organizations for every sector. Since 2021, the Yass Prize and STOP Awards Initiative has awarded over $60 million to more than 225 education organizations from every sector and educational approach in 45 states.
This year, the Yass Prize will identify a select group of STOP-enabled organizations to vie for the $1 million Yass Prize during the prestigious business accelerator. To learn more and apply, visit YassPrize.org and hear directly from cohort members and former speakers why this is the most powerful network in education.
💐 Congrats To…
Kyle Smitley, Founder and Executive Director of Detroit Achievement Academy (2023 Finalist) for receiving MiCharter Hero Award from MI Charter Schools Association, recognizing leaders working to expand opportunity for students in Michigan.
Tee Wilson, Founder and CEO of B.E. Academy of STEAM for girls (2025 Semifinalist) for being featured on the TODAY show for their school model. Watch her feature here.
Christopher Marker, CEO and CLO of Freedom Institute of Collier County for receiving a 1-million-dollar match grant allowing them to expand to a second site in Ave Maria, Florida which will serve up to 120 new 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 publication, Innovation in Action, features 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.