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NMSI Blog

NMSI CEO Awarded 2014 McGraw Prize in Education

We are proud to announce that Sara Martinez Tucker, chief executive officer of NMSI, has been named a winner of the 2014 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education. The prize, sponsored by the McGraw Hill Financial Research Foundation, recognizes outstanding individuals who have dedicated themselves to education innovation, and this year, focuses on those who have found ways to narrow achievement gaps across the educational spectrum.
 
As the leader of NMSI, Tucker is working to improve teacher effectiveness and student performance in the critical subjects of science, math, technology and engineering (STEM), particularly among minority and female students. She has served as Under Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush, as well as head of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, where she fought to raise academic expectations among Latino families and communities to increase the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees.
 
Minority and female students represent roughly 70% of American college students, yet only 45% are undergraduate STEM degree holders. NMSI’s College Readiness Program is helping to address this gap. After just one year, participating schools see a 92% increase in passing AP math and science exam scores among African American and Hispanic students (more than 6 times the national average), and an 87% increase in passing scores among female students (more than 10 times the national average). The program is now boosting academic achievement in more than 560 schools across 22 states, helping to build a much-needed college-ready culture.
 
Tucker is the winner of the 2014 National Leadership Prize, one of three McGraw education prizes awarded this year. Her fellow honorees include Global Leadership Prize winner Andreas Schleicher, Deputy Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and Rising Star Prize winner Chris Lehman, Founding Principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. Former recipients of the McGraw Prize include Sal Khan, founder of the Khan Academy; Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, and John Merrow, education correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

Tucker and her fellow honorees will each receive a $50,000 award during a ceremony to be held at the New York Public Library this September. Additional information about the 2014 winners can be found at www.mhfirf.org