March 1, 2023
SPN’s 2023 Ed-Prize is Now Open! Hear from the 2022 Winners
By Kerry McDonald
Education innovators are transforming education in extraordinary ways, from reimagining classrooms to re-energizing communities with greater education options. State Policy Network’s annual Ed-Prize awards acknowledge the organizations that are pioneering these innovations.
In 2022, four organizations—ASU Prep Academy, Great Hearts Nova, Hearts of Empowerment, and RESCHOOL Colorado—won Ed-Prize awards, sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation, for their bold education projects.
The Ed-Prize application for 2023 is now open, and it’s a great opportunity to look back at last year’s winners to see how Ed-Prize has shaped their organizations. This year’s Ed-Prize is sponsored by Stand Together Trust.
ASU Preparatory Academy – Affiliated with Arizona State University, ASU Prep has built a network of brick-and-mortar schools throughout Arizona, as well as an online school, ASU Prep Digital, that reaches students globally. With Ed-Prize, the organization was able to move into the microschooling space by enabling the creation of small, personalized, mastery-based learning communities.
“ASU Prep was honored to receive the EdPrize award to build a ‘Microschool in a Box,’ a toolkit to help founders launch innovative school models to serve learners in their local community,” said Amy McGrath, chief operating officer at ASU Preparatory Academy. “ASU Prep will soon be announcing applications for their Microschool Entrepreneur Fellowship, a year-long comprehensive program to accelerate founders interested in launching a microschool powered by ASU Prep Digital.”
Great Hearts Nova – Great Hearts is the largest provider of classical education in the country, serving more than 26,000 students at 33 schools across the U.S. Like ASU Prep, Great Hearts was also recognized by Ed-Prize judges for its eagerness to expand beyond conventional schools and online programming into microschooling.
“The State Policy Network’s Ed-Prize Award allowed us to invest in developing twelve regional communities and parent partners across Texas and Arizona to support our Great Hearts Online scholars and families and plant the seeds of future Great Hearts Microschools,” said Kurtis Indorf, founder and president of Great Hearts Nova. “Additionally, SPN’s recognition of our work to date strengthened our professional network and opened the doors to other fundraising opportunities.”
Hearts of Empowerment – Empowering local communities with more personalized, decentralized education options was a consistent theme among last year’s Ed-Prize winners. In Washington, DC, Hearts of Empowerment seeks to reduce generational poverty through community-based educational programming, mentoring, employment assistance, and more.
“Winning the Ed-prize award was an exhilarating and fulfilling experience,” said Hearts of Empowerment founder, Correy Faciane. “It acknowledged the tireless effort and commitment of our team to provide an innovative educational experience to the marginalized families we serve. The award allowed us to introduce original and new imaginative concepts to the education sector. This funding served as the catalyst for opening up our Empowerment Resource Center where families in Ward 7 & 8 of Washington, DC are equipped with educational tools, wraparound services, and employment assistance. Our center is now able to provide a safe place where individuals are empowered to dream outside of their four walls. We can’t thank SPN enough!”
RESCHOOL Colorado – Expanding access to educational resources and opportunities is also a key priority of RESCHOOL Colorado. The organization recognizes that learning happens everywhere, both in school and out-of-school, but that often lower-income students are not able to access afterschool and summer enrichment programs that can help to shape their overall education. RESCHOOL Colorado works to provide more equitable access to all learning experiences for all children.
“We were honored to have been chosen as one of the Ed-Prize grant recipients in 2022,” said Amy Anderson, executive director of RESCHOOL Colorado. “The grant allowed us to expand RESCHOOL’s learning dollar program to new communities. This program provides young people and their families with direct funding to use for out of school learning opportunities of their choosing that align with their interests, needs, and aspirations. Without such funding, the world of learning that sits outside the school day is largely out of reach for families who can’t afford the price tag of summer and after school programs that are typically commonplace for children from more affluent homes. Having agency and choice, as compared to being limited to what is offered for free, is a game changer for low income families.”
The online application is available here, and the deadline is April 2, 2023.
Ed-Prize has a history of fantastic sponsors since it was launched in 2020, including this year’s sponsor Stand Together Trust, the Walton Family Foundation (2022), the Challenge Foundation (2021), and the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation (2020).
As Indorf of Great Hearts says about the Ed-Prize experience: “It’s been a tremendous honor and opportunity for us and one that I strongly recommend education entrepreneurs take seriously and apply for.”
Kerry McDonald is the Velinda Jonson Family Education Fellow at SPN.
