Innovation in Action, Volume 2
Featuring Yass Prize Alumni from Arizona and North Dakota to Louisiana and Pennsylvania
An unCommon Education Hub
Hosted by Forbes Media in partnership with unCommon Construction, the accomplishments of unCommon Construction were on display for its national visitors at a Superbowl Sunday tailgate party. The site in NOLA's Central City is the location of their new headquarters campus opening this summer which will establish a community-centered innovation hub, allowing their growing team to host training and workshops to more meaningfully engage with their community of families, educators, and industry members.
UnCommon offers high school credit in an innovative apprenticeship program, where students earn hourly pay and school credit for completing a construction project. Apprentices learn career awareness being exposed to industry partners and develop professional skills through an “uncommon” work-based learning experience in a real-world classroom. Students are also awarded an equity scholarship paid for by the revenue from each project.
One would think that public officials would move heaven and earth to help make more of that happen quickly. But alas, there were unexpected roadblocks, starting with zoning. Turns out, when they reassigned the front of their building, it not only changed the address but also messed with the flood elevation measurement, since the new point of reference was on a lower street. That meant they had to go back and forth with the city’s Board of Zoning Adjustments for months to get the necessary approvals before they could even get their building permit.
To make things even trickier, the delays threw off their original timeline, and they had to switch general contractors. But here’s the good news - like all entrepreneurs, Aaron Frumin’s unCommon team is actually ahead of schedule to be able to serve hundreds of more students. What a great way to celebrate their 10th anniversary!
Advocacy Drives Lasting Change
Imagine a room full of legislators, all with headsets on, participating in an Immersive Day exploring VR technology. In attendance was Matthew Chaussee, CEO of Be More Colorful, showcasing their platform CareerViewXR. Matt and his team set up an interactive room between the two legislative chambers to engage North Dakota lawmakers at the Capitol. Taking them “from the top of a wind turbine, to the inside of a police squad car,” demonstrating how CareerViewXR “brings job tours to the classroom for all grades and learning styles.”
And speaking of North Dakota, congratulations are in order to Dr. Cory Steiner, recently chosen to be the next superintendent of Fargo Public Schools. Awarded the Yass Prize for being among the first to create blended learning models for public school students, Northern Cass reimagined education for all rural districts. Now, Dr. Steiner is set to expand his impact, growing from serving 700 students to 11,200 – a 16-fold increase!
Back over on the east coast, when your secret ingredient is your students, hosting national leaders on campus is the perfect recipe for sharing why what you do is so important. Mike Marrone, founder and CEO of Liguori Academy, hosted a roundtable on education with some of his biggest stakeholders and two US Senators. He explained “when you hold events at school, the product you’re selling is right there.” In this case, the product is the students, representing what is possible when tax credit scholarships, vouchers and workforce-ready education models are at play. “The kids rose to the occasion," interacting with US Senator David McCormick from the keystone state, along with South Carolina’s Tim Scott, a long-time champion of equal opportunity for all. This event also played a critical role in securing a major contribution which will revitalize the main school building into a high-tech campus and convert a second property into the Aldrich Center for Excellence, a dedicated space to support students’ mental and physical well-being.
STOPing for Education Produces Big Results
Arizona Autism Charter Schools, the 2022 Yass Prize Winner, continues to grow its mission changing the narrative about students with autism. The first autism-focused charter school in the western United States has expanded its impact with the launch of Essential Piece Enterprises, providing workforce training for adults with autism through community-based businesses. With a national priority being workforce readiness, AZASC is hitting the ground running!
Founder and CEO, Diana Diaz-Harrison, used their award to develop the National Accelerator for Autism Charter Schools (NAACS) – building her dream of having an autism-focused school in every major city. With exciting growth and innovation within this emerging network, the second cohort of fellows from Alabama, Nevada, Florida, and Washington are making significant strides in establishing new school programs, while schools in Louisiana and Texas continue to expand opportunities for students with autism.
A Year of Growth and New Horizons for Hope Rising Oklahoma
Led by Oklahoma First Lady Sarah Stitt, Hope Rising brings the science of hope to communities providing framework, training and certification programs. “As children growing up in Oklahoma, both Sarah Stitt and Chan Hellman experienced the pain of childhood adversity and trauma. But they also experienced the gift of hope when they needed it most...and joined forces to bring the science of hope to organizations…across the nation.” Focused on empowering and providing resources to under-served communities, they work with stakeholders including schools, educators, and local leaders, to increase educational opportunities and create sustainable systems for growth. With support from the Yass Foundation in 2023, Hope Rising Oklahoma now serves 16 YMCA Coaching Clinics, 1,000 athletes, 675 educators, 1,300 students and 17 schools/organizations.
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.