Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!
Oh, what a beautiful day...đ”
This was Vail, Colorado this morning where Iâm fortunate to be convening with leaders in philanthropy working to make things better for people across many issues.
It was a also beautiful day to see the close of the third annual Yass Prize Application periodâŠ
âŠand seeing the bounty of incredible results the applicants represent: Â
As Yass Prize Vice President Caroline Allen said, âAn initial review of the data is both encouraging and exciting⊠It truly is a testament to the strength of The Yass Prize movement and its impact:"
Nearly 27 million students,
Educators and innovators from all 50 states,
The entire PreK-12 continuum,
And over 1,000 judges ready to help evaluate.
Mark your calendar for September 14th for a livestream of the announcements of sixty-four 2023 Yass Prize Quarter-finalists and the winners of the Yass Prize for Education Freedom for providers expanding in the most ambitious of ESA states this year - Arkansas, Iowa and Oklahoma!
Speaking of âwhere the wind comes sweeping down the plainâŠâ
I watched a community theater rendition of Oklahoma last week one which I performed myself back in the day) and was struck by the incredible parallels of the evolution of a 19th century territory on its way to becoming a state, to education innovation (Stick with me, here, youâll see in a minute!)
As Will sings about his experience in Kansas City and âwhat the modern world is coming too,â I couldnât help but think about how quickly the wild west modernized, and how little the education system in present times feels itâs necessary. The pioneers were swept up by innovation at all levels - setting the nation up for a sweeping industrial revolution which ended in the late 1800s, a second industrial revolution that ended in the 1960s, and a digital revolution that is seemingly phasing into an AI revolution and yet, in far too many places, education still looks and sounds like the proverbial old school bell - immovable and predictable. But as we expect to see again this year through the new Yass Prize effort, thousands of innovators exist and are trying to break out of the mold.Â
As for you, Oklahoma, with those recent changes sweeping down your education plain, âweâre sayinâ, youâre doinâ fine, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, OK!â
Itâs a beautiful day when great commentary gets published, too
Sunday morningâs Philadelphia Inquirer featured an inspiring commentary by Yass Prize Founder Janine Yass and her husband Jeff, about the moral, practical and philosophical imperative of education freedom.
âPeople sometimes ask why education is such a large part of our personal focus. We are motivated by the terrible costs and daily hardships wrought by the failure of public school systems across the country.
âWe wanted to help more children have better options because we believe education could improve the rest of their lives â which could, in turn, create a more equitable society as a whole.â
Oh what a beautiful morning when that happens!
When will beautiful mornings and beautiful days be âAvailable to All?â
Did you know that some parents have to lie to get their kids into public schools they think will work better for their kids, still in their community but out of their zone? Consider that public schools have admissions criteria that cherry-picks neighborhoods - but you never hear about that. Nor do you hear about the pernicious discrimination that separates poorer communities from wealthy homeowners, all within a stoneâs throw of each other. But Available to All makes it clear:Â
âAmerican public schools are meant to provide every child with access to the American Dream. Too often, though, they betray their sacred mission, employing admissions policies that discriminate against those with less wealth or less political power, often based on where the family lives.â
Founder Tim DeRoche tells a critical story in The 74 Â about the impact of this redlining. Take a read before you say goodnight to your kids tonight and ask what can we do to stem this awful practice. (Hint: Read the Yass piece above.)
For the kidsâŠ
đ” âIâve got a beautiful feeling, Everythingâs going their way!âđ”
Jeanne