What Makes a Great McGraw Prize Nominee

Each year, the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education honors leaders who are changing what is possible for learners—across Pre-K–12 education, higher education, and lifelong learning. 

As 2014 McGraw Prize winner Chris Lehmann puts it, “the defining characteristic of a McGraw Prize winner is someone who is able to manifest theory into practice. McGraw Prize winners have big ideas—and then they take those ideas and make them live in the world in ways that really do make a difference in the world of education.” 

In other words: Great nominees don’t just have compelling ideas; they make those ideas tangible.

There is no single profile or prescribed career path. But across McGraw Prize winners and the education leaders who steward the Prize, a clear throughline emerges. Exceptional nominees lead with purpose, stay grounded in real problems, and drive meaningful impact. 

As nominations for this year’s Prize continue to come ahead of the March 1 deadline, we wanted to share six qualities that consistently define strong McGraw Prize nominees.

1. They turn ideas into impact.

Strong nominees can describe the why behind their work—and they can demonstrate the results. Their leadership is visible in what changes: for learners, educators, communities, and systems. 

A great nominee is someone whose vision is paired with execution, and whose work has made a measurable difference. 

2. They lead with purpose–and with others.

Outstanding nominees are not solitary visionaries. They bring people together around a shared mission, build trust, and create conditions for others to succeed. 

As Katharine Strunk, Dean of Penn GSE, has said, “the best leaders are those who know how to hire and have a great team at their side, and then put the trust in their team to succeed and to help them succeed.” 

This collaborative approach is evident in the leadership of Rapelang Rabana and Joe Wolf, 2025 preK–12 McGraw winners whose work at Imagine Worldwide is built on partnerships across governments, researchers, and communities to ensure children furthest from opportunity can learn. 

3. Their work solves real problems.

Strong nominees are problem centered. Rather than pursuing innovation for its own sake, they focus on urgent challenges facing learners, educators, and institutions—and work relentlessly to address them. 

As Jenny Zapf, director of the Education Entrepreneurship program at Penn GSE puts it: “We’re not looking for solutions that are looking for problems. We’re really thinking about what are the problems of practice.” 

The best nominees start close to the ground: listening, learning, and responding to real needs. 

4. They bridge research, practice, and policy.

Many McGraw Prize honorees operate at the intersection of ideas and action. They translate research into practice, and practice into scalable models that shape systems. 

Cathy N. Davidson, the 2025 McGraw Prize winner in Higher Education, exemplifies this quality through a career dedicated to translating learning science and digital literacy research into institutional practice, helping colleges and universities adapt to a rapidly changing world. 

5. They are innovative and grounded.

Innovation is a hallmark of the McGraw Prize, but it is never innovation without purpose. Nominees demonstrate the ability to test new ideas, adapt to changing conditions, and learn from failure—while remaining grounded in evidence and values. 

That balance can be seen in the work of Frederic Bertley, the 2025 Lifelong Learning McGraw winner whose leadership at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) combines bold, immersive innovation with a clear commitment to access and educational impact at scale. 

6. They advance equity and public good.

Across categories, McGraw Prize nominees share a deep commitment to educational opportunity. Their leadership expands access, closes gaps, and elevates education as a cornerstone of a healthy society. 

McGraw Prize recipients—including Edmund W. Gordon and Jody Lewen—have been recognized for advancing equity and opportunity, whether through transformative preK–12 scholarship or by expanding access to rigorous higher education in carceral settings. 

Who Should I Nominate?

The McGraw Prize relies on nominators across the education ecosystem to surface extraordinary leaders. You may know someone whose work deserves wider recognition—even if they would never seek it themselves.