Success Boston in Running for $100,000 Award

Success Boston, a local nonprofit organization, has been nominated for the Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s Lawrence O’Toole Award, a $100,000 prize awarded annually to a school, community organization or district to advance student-centered approaches to learning for all students. Student-centered learning prepares students to master both the academic knowledge and the critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills they need to thrive. This year, for the first time, the public can vote for the winner online and the candidate with the most votes at the end of the voting period (September 9-30, 2014) will win the prize.

Success Boston is a cross-sector collaboration among the City of Boston, the Boston Foundation, the Boston Public Schools (BPS), numerous nonprofit organizations, and local institutions of higher education. Their shared goal is to increase the number of BPS graduates who complete postsecondary education ready to enter the workforce. An unprecedented collaboration, Success Boston ensures BPS students are: “getting ready, getting in, and getting through.”

Underlying this “getting ready, getting in, and getting through” approach are workgroups that successfully implement systems changes that remove barriers to students’ success. The workgroups target financial aid, college friendly employment, student transitions and curricular alignment.

“We are honored by this nomination, and the recognition it brings to our partnership’s efforts to increase Boston’s post-secondary completion rate,” said Elizabeth Pauley, Program Director. “Being recognized in this way brings new energy to our collective work, and should we win, the funding will help us to expand support services for students as they transition from high school to college.”

The Larry W. O’Toole Leadership award was established in 2011 to honor O’Toole and his success in laying the groundwork and establishing the Foundation in 1998. O’Toole was the former President and CEO of Nellie Mae Corp. In 1999, an acquisition by Sallie Mae enabled the creation of what is now the Nellie Mae Education Foundation.

“This award is a reminder of Larry’s legacy and his efforts to use the Foundation’s resources in the best ways possible to achieve its mission,” said Nicholas Donohue, President of the Foundation. “At the same time, it is meant to recognize and further the great work by local champions of student-centered learning.”

This year, six candidates have been nominated for the award (one from each of the New England states). The winner of the contest will receive a $100,000 grant towards their school or organization, which will be presented at a ceremony this winter. Voting will be open to the public on the Foundation’s website from September 9-30, 2014. The link goes live at noon on September 9. To learn more about each of the six nominees and vote, please click here: http://www.nmefoundation.org/grants/larry-o-toole-award