Seeking Educators who are Helping the Next Generation Secure a College Degree

WHAT:  The 2013 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education will honor three current and emerging leaders who are developing exceptional new ideas to address the major challenges facing low-income young people pursuing a college degree. Obstacles for low-income students are many, including poor elementary and high school education and limited preparedness to succeed in college. 

The 2013 McGraw Prize will be awarded to three individuals who have made significant contributions to increasing the flow of students from disadvantaged backgrounds into post-secondary education:

• The first McGraw Prize will go to an individual whose activities are focused on: raising the college-going aspirations of students at the elementary or middle school level and providing them with an academic road map that will lead to their being fully prepared for higher education by the end of their senior year.
• The second McGraw Prize will go to an individual whose activities focus primarily on students at the high school level, helping them to define their college aspirations, prepare themselves academically for college, successfully negotiate the admissions process and enroll in a post-secondary institution.
• The third McGraw Prize will be awarded to someone working at the higher education level who has demonstrated success in raising the academic achievement, persistence and graduation rates of low-income students in college.

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; and other pioneering innovators, such as Khan Academy's Salman Kahn, 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 15, 2013. Honorees will be announced in September 2013.

WHERE:  Nomination forms can be filled out online at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/site/about-us/mcgraw-prize/nomination-process.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies: The McGraw-Hill Companies, a financial intelligence and education company, signed an agreement to sell its McGraw-Hill Education business to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC in November 2012. Following the sale closing, expected in early 2013, the Company will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial (subject to shareholder approval) and will be a powerhouse in benchmarks, content and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. The Company's leading brands will include: Standard & Poor's, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL Ltd., J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Company will have approximately 17,000 employees in more than 30 countries. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com

Emily Fredrix Goodman
The McGraw-Hill Companies
(212) 512-2825
Emily_fredrix@mcgraw-hill.com

/PRNewswire -- Feb. 21, 2013/

SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Companies