Prize Winner Video Bios

Dr. Robert Lerman, a distinguished economist and pioneering educator, has transformed the thinking of policymakers on the need to widen routes to rewarding careers.  As a professor emeritus of economics at American University, senior fellow at the Urban Institute, and co-founder of Apprenticeships for America, Dr. Lerman has been a tireless advocate for apprenticeships, an “earn, produce, and learn” approach that can compete with and complement traditional college education.

Dr. Jody Lewen, an inspiring educator and visionary leader, has dedicated over two decades to transforming higher education in prisons. As the founder and president of Mount Tamalpais College, she has pioneered rigorous academic programs within San Quentin State Prison, offering hundreds of incarcerated individuals access to a liberal arts Associate of Arts degree, as well as intensive college preparatory programs, and student support services.

Dr. Edmund W. Gordon, a luminary in education, has dedicated over six decades to transforming pre-K–12 education through his visionary leadership, pathbreaking scholarship, and profound commitment to promoting equity and access to quality education for all students. He has had an enduring, deep, and wide impact on education, psychology, and social science research.

Dr. Barbara Oakley has made learning easier for millions of people from all walks of life by revealing how insights from neuroscience can improve our understanding of challenging concepts in math and engineering—and countless other fields. More than 5 million people worldwide have taken her free massive open online courses (MOOCs), such as “Learning How to Learn,” one of the most popular MOOCs of all time.

Dr. David Wilson is a leader among university presidents nationwide and a vigorous advocate for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). As president of Morgan State University, he has overseen a dramatic increase in graduation rates by revamping the university’s advising model and adopting data-driven initiatives to identify students at risk of dropping out. He is also recognized for engaging with adult learners in the Baltimore community and granting college credit for their prior learning experiences.

Dr. Debra Duardo has made the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) the premier hub of innovation in California’s efforts to transform education through a whole-child, whole-family approach. As the superintendent of the nation’s most populous and diverse regional education agency, she has led the way in integrating resources and activities to improve student outcomes, individual and collective well-being, and organizational excellence.

Throughout his foundational career, Dr. Roy Pea (Stanford University), the 2022 McGraw Prize winner in Learning Science Research, has worked to advance a more scientifically sound and socially just education design system. Pea was among the first scholars to identify and study multimedia learning environments bringing both students and educators into his applied work to help shape the future of education.

As President of South Dakota State University, Dr. Barry Dunn, the 2022 McGraw Prize winner in Higher Education, has transformed campus to foster a sense of belonging and expand access for Native American students. Dunn’s groundbreaking Wokini Initiative welcomes Native American students and faculty from tribal colleges and weaves indigenous culture into the learning experience for all.

Even before schools and offices around the United States were shuttered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Cheryl Logan (Omaha Public Schools), the 2022 McGraw Prize winner in PreK–12 Education, set plans into motion to ensure students’ equitable access to learning during school closures. Logan’s foresight in piloting and scaling COVID-19 testing for students enabled her district to lead the way in safely returning students to school buildings the following semester.

Dr. Carol D. Lee (Northwestern University), the 2021 McGraw Prize winner in Learning Science Research, has had a profound and lasting impact on the learning sciences by introducing transformative perspectives to the field.

Trailblazers in the field of special education, Drs. Douglas H. and Lynn S. Fuchs (Vanderbilt University), the 2021 McGraw Prize winners in PreK-12 Education, have played a key role in improving the educational trajectories of children with special learning needs.

Engineer, entrepreneur, and researcher Dr. Richard G. Baraniuk (Rice University), the 2021 McGraw Prize winner in Higher Education, has pushed the boundaries on personalized learning and revolutionized college publishing by putting free and open-source books in the hands of tens of millions of students and faculty worldwide through OpenStax.

Estela Bensimon (University of Southern California) has dedicated her career to solving racial inequity and fighting for racial justice in order to build a better system of higher education for all students nationwide. Bensimon’s equity scorecard process stimulated a paradigmatic shift in higher education, inspiring faculty and administrators to accept institutional responsibility for student success. Through the Center for Urban Education, Dr. Bensimon's methods for recognizing and addressing racialized behavior have reached more than 600 higher education institutions and university systems.

Michelene Chi (Arizona State University) has shaped our understanding of how students learn, transforming how educators teach science to students of all ages. Dr. Chi’s work has advanced our understanding of how active learning, self-explanation, and learning in interactive settings can increase student understanding and retention to ultimately reduce achievement gaps.

Joseph S. Krajcik (Michigan State University) has worked with science teachers to reform teaching in order to promote student engagement in and the learning of science through project-based learning. He led the development of the Next Generation Science Standards and the framework on which they’re based, leading to advancements in science education that have been adopted by teachers, districts, and states across the nation and impacted systems worldwide. His work has opened the door for traditionally marginalized students to learn like scientists—and ultimately become scientists.