Prestigious award founded in 1988 honors Anant Agarwal, Alberto
Carvalho, and Sakena
Yacoobi
NEW YORK, March 3, 2016 /CNW/ -- Today the winners
were announced for the 2016 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in
Education, which honors innovation and has become one of the most
prestigious educational awards since its founding in 1988. The
Prize recognizes outstanding individuals who have dedicated
themselves to improving education through new approaches and whose
accomplishments are making a difference today. Honorees receive an
award of $50,000 and a bronze
sculpture.
The 2016 winners are:
- Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX
and MIT Professor, will receive the U.S. Higher Education prize as
an outstanding leader in the development of the Massive Open Online
Course (MOOC) movement, which has helped make possible the
education of millions of students around the world.
- Alberto M. Carvalho,
Superintendent of the Miami-Dade school district, will receive the
U.S. K-12 prize for his exemplary leadership in raising standards
and improving graduation rates in a complex urban district, which
is an outstanding model for others.
- Sakena Yacoobi, CEO of
the Afghan Institute of Learning, will receive
the International Education prize for the transformational
effect her work has had on communities in Afghanistan, particularly in education for
girls and women, and how she has inspired others to follow
suit.
The Prize dinner and ceremony will be held at the ASU GSV
Education Innovation Summit in San
Diego on April 19.
"These three winners are extraordinary educational leaders who
will inspire the next generation of learners around the world,"
said Harold (Terry) McGraw III,
former chairman and CEO of The McGraw-Hill Companies. "We are proud
to have them join the other illustrious recipients of the McGraw
Prize in Education."
"Anant, Alberto, and Sakena have changed the lives of millions
of students," said David Levin,
president and CEO of McGraw-Hill Education. "Their accomplishments
and innovation should be lauded and shared with others who are
working to make a difference around the world."
"ASU is proud to be a part of this partnership that honors
outstanding innovators in education," said Dr. Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University. "From increasing access
to education to incorporating technology in the classroom, this
year's winners have tackled some of the biggest challenges facing
educators around the globe. Each of them provides an example of
success from which we all can learn."
The Prize has undergone significant changes this year as part of
a new alliance between McGraw-Hill Education and ASU. This year,
for the first time, the public had the opportunity to submit
nominations by visiting McGrawPrize.com. Over 200 public
nominations were submitted and considered alongside other
outstanding individuals identified by the Prize's dedicated
research group.
The winners were chosen by Terry
McGraw, David Levin and
Michael Crow from a list of three
finalists in each category who had been selected by a group of
notable jurors, including former McGraw Prize winners.
The jurors were:
(*indicates past McGraw Prize winner)
K-12 Education:
- Yvonne Chan* – Founder and
Principal, Vaughn Next Century Learning Center
- Mark Edwards* –
Superintendent, Mooresville, NC
School District
- Nancy Grasmick* –
Co-Director, Kennedy Krieger Institute; Presidential
Scholar, Towson University
- Gerry House* – President,
Institute for Student Achievement
- Linda Roberts – National
Consultant, Senior Adviser, and Board Director
Higher Education:
- Richard DeMillo – Executive
Director, Center for 21st Century Universities, Georgia Tech
- Robert Feldman – Deputy
Chancellor, University of Massachusetts
Amherst
- Freeman Hrabowski* –
President, The University of Maryland,
Baltimore County
- Diana Natalicio* – President,
The University of Texas at El
Paso
- Jeff Selingo – Author,
Columnist, and Speaker
- Philip Uri Treisman –
Executive Director, The Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin
International Education:
- Valeria Brabata – Program Director for Latin America & the Caribbean, Global Fund for Women
- Edward Byrne – President and
Principal, King's College London
- Sir Malcolm Grant – Chairman
of NHS England; Chancellor, University of York
- Ian Jacobs – President and
Vice-Chancellor, University of New South
Wales
- Mike Keppell – Pro
Vice-Chancellor of Learning Transformations, Swinburne University of Technology
- David Noel Ramirez Padilla –
Rector, Tecnologico de Monterrey
- Andreas Schleicher* –
Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD)
- Pramath Raj Sinha – Founder and
Trustee, Ashoka University,
India
For updates on the Prize and news from past winners, follow the
conversation at #McGrawPrize.
More information about the three winners is below:
Anant Agarwal, the CEO of
edX and MIT Professor, is an educational visionary. As a driving
force behind the development of the MOOC (Massive Open Online
Course) movement, his efforts have made possible the education of
literally millions of students around the world. He is committed to
the democratization of learning. Through dozens of partnerships,
edX, under Agarwal's leadership, has significantly increased access
to education across the globe. You can see Agarwal's TED talk here
or learn more about edX at www.edx.org.
Alberto M. Carvalho was
named National Superintendent of the Year in 2014. In 2008, he took
over the nation's fourth largest school district – Miami-Dade.
Carvalho has shepherded this large district with remarkable success
in what has become known as "The Miami Miracle" – narrowing the
achievement gap, significantly improving graduation rates and
returning the district to fiscal health. Miami-Dade now offers new
programs to its 355,000 students each year including Carvalho's
brainchild, iPrepAcademy, to make sure that "one size fits none."
Carvalho is dedicated not only to ensuring student success in the
classroom, but to finding solutions to the community violence that
has been claiming student lives in Miami-Dade. Arriving in the U.S.
at age 17 and speaking no English, Carvalho was the first person in
his family to graduate from high school. You can see Carvalho's
speech at the White House here.
Sakena Yacoobi is the CEO
of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), which she founded in
1995 in response to the lack of education and healthcare that the
Afghan people were facing after decades of war and strife. Since
its founding, AIL has either directly or indirectly affected the
lives of more than 12 million people. Under Yacoobi's leadership,
AIL continues as an innovative organization working at the
grassroots level helping communities and individuals. She is also
co-founder and Vice President of Creating Hope International (CHI)
and has established private facilities in Afghanistan: four schools, a hospital and a
radio station. You can see Yacoobi's TED talk here.
About McGraw-Hill Education
McGraw-Hill Education is
a learning science company that delivers personalized learning
experiences that help students, parents, educators and
professionals improve results. McGraw-Hill Education has offices
across North America, India, China, Europe,
the Middle East and South America, and makes its
learning solutions available in nearly 60 languages. Visit us
at mheducation.com or find us
on Facebook or Twitter.
About Arizona State
University
Arizona State
University has developed a new model for the American
Research University, creating an institution that is committed to
excellence, access, and impact. ASU measures itself by those it
includes, not by those it excludes. ASU pursues research that
contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major
responsibility for the economic, social, and cultural vitality of
the communities that surround it. Under the direction of its
president Dr. Michael Crow, ASU has
emerged as one of the most progressive global education
institutions worldwide. Learn more about this top-ranked research
university.
Contacts:
Daniel Sieger
McGraw-Hill Education
(646) 766-2001
dan.sieger@mheducation.com
Carrie Lingenfelter
EdPlus at Arizona State University
(480) 884-1541
carrie.lingenfelter@asu.edu
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SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education