Personalized Learning Pioneer Receives National 'Innovator of Color' Award

CHICAGO, April 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- LEAP Innovations, a national nonprofit that works with schools to implement and scale personalized learning models, today announced that their Founder and CEO Phyllis Lockett will be honored at this year's ASU + GSV Summit as one of 2018's two Innovators of Color.

"It's an honor to be recognized among so many brilliant people of color working to transform education," Lockett said. "I founded LEAP Innovations because I saw a real opportunity to use personalized learning to create equity and access for more students to realize their fullest potential. We have to do better for kids of color in this country, and it's humbling that my peers believe our work is making a difference."

Lockett founded LEAP Innovations in 2014 to catalyze and scale personalized education initiatives in K-12 schools across the country. Since its launch, LEAP has worked with more than 120 public schools in Chicago to personalize students' educational experiences, giving them access to tailored and meaningful learning opportunities. Recent research found that students in LEAP partner schools outpaced their peers in traditional classrooms by 13 percentile points in literacy.

"Phyllis has worked tirelessly to improve the odds for students through an approach that values and respects the power and potential of great teaching," said Henry Hipps, Deputy Director, Postsecondary Success at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "As a product of Chicago Public Schools, and proud daughter of public school teachers, Phyllis brings a profound sense of urgency—and commitment to equity—to bear on work that is leading the field."

Launched in 2015, the ASU +  GSV Leading Global Innovators of Color award recognizes outstanding innovators impacting the learning and talent world. Previous honorees include Kaya Henderson, former chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools; Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO and President of DreamBox; and Fred Swaniker, founder of African Leadership University.

About LEAP Innovations

LEAP Innovations is a national organization headquartered in Chicago that connects innovation and education to transform how students learn. LEAP works directly with educators and innovators to discover, pilot and scale personalized learning technologies and innovative practices. LEAP's work is anchored by the LEAP Learning Framework, a suite of resources that educators across the country are using to define, design, and implement personalized learning models.

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SOURCE LEAP Innovations