Call for Nominations: 2012 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education

NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

WHAT: The 2012 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education will honor current and emerging leaders who are developing exceptional new ideas to address the major challenges facing education in the United States. These leaders will exhibit forward-thinking ideas and concepts, or, in the words of Harvard's Clayton Christensen—"disruptive innovations," which are capable of producing actionable, measurable and scalable models for education reform. These individuals will have imagined future challenges and engineered a solution. In sum, the accomplishments and vision of the 2012 McGraw Prize winners make them "Game Changers."

The 25th Anniversary Prize will be awarded in each of the following categories:

• Game Changer: Pioneer. An educational leader that during the past quarter century has changed the way we think about education and who has developed a new concept or approach to teaching and learning.
• Game Changer: Rising Star. A relatively young researcher, practitioner or policymaker who, based on his or her accomplishments thus far, shows the promise of becoming a "game changer" and making even greater contributions in the future. 
• Game Changer: Luminary. Someone from outside the field of education—the community, media, politics, business or wherever – who is passionate about education and has motivated others.

The annual Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education honors remarkable individuals who are focused on effectively improving education for all.  Prize recipients include leaders in community-based education, such as Harlem Children Zone Founder Geoffrey Canada; business leaders, including retired Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation Norman Augustine; classroom teachers, including Reynauld Smith from Washington, D.C.; and other pioneering innovators, such as Teach for America Founder Wendy Kopp, High Tech High Founder Larry Rosenstock and MIT's LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research Mitchel Resnick. 

Prize recipients are nominated by the public and selected by a distinguished Board of Judges (http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/site/about-us/mcgraw-prize/board-of-judges). Recipients are honored at a dinner in New York City and each receives a $50,000 prize. 

WHO:   Only individuals who are committed to the cause of education, and have led or are leading efforts that have significantly impacted the face of American education, are eligible.  Institutions, boards, organizations or other groups are not eligible. 

WHEN: Completed nomination forms must be received by March 16, 2012.  Honorees will be announced in September 2012.

WHERE: Nomination forms can be filled out online by the public on The McGraw-Hill Companies' website at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/site/about-us/mcgraw-prize/nomination-process. For those without computer access, please call 212-512-6113.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies: McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two public companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Indices, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Companies