Michigan State University Professor Joseph Krajcik has received a 2020 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education for his global impact on science teaching.

MSU’s Joseph Krajcik has received a 2020 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education for his global impact on science teaching. Credit: College of Education

Krajcik, a Lappan-Phillips Professor of Science Education and director of the CREATE for STEM Institute at MSU, has partnered with science teachers around the world to reform student engagement through the design, development and testing of project-based learning environments. Krajcik’s McGraw Prize recognizes achievement in pre-K-12 education.

CREATE for STEM is a collaboration between the College of Natural Science (NatSci) and the College of Education (COE) that seeks to improve teaching and learning of science and mathematics through innovation and research.

“I am honored to receive the McGraw Prize for innovation in education,” Krajcik said. “Throughout my professional life, I have been driven by a passion to work with teachers and other educators to create and explore learning environments that engage all children. I’m dedicated to helping ignite the joy and desire to learn in students in order for all of us to live in a knowledgeable, just and sustainable world.”

Phillip Duxbury, NatSci dean, said that Michigan State is very fortunate to have someone of Joe’s standing, noting that “he is a creative educator and a globally recognized expert in designing and assessing curriculum materials.”

Robert Floden, COE dean and University Distinguished Professor, said Krajcik is an international leader in working with scientists, teachers and scholars, to produce “effective curriculum materials being adopted by school districts around the country.”

Krajcik served as a lead writer of both the National Academies of Science Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. These standards have globally transformed the teaching of science. Other winners include Estela Mara Bensimon, professor of educational equity at the University of Southern California, and Michelene Chi, professor of science and teaching at Arizona State University. Each award winner will receive a $50,000 award and a prize sculpture.

“This year’s prize winners are outstanding leaders who have devoted their careers to closing gaps and accelerating educational opportunity to all students,” said Harold McGraw III, former chairman, CEO and president of The McGraw Hill Companies. “Dr. Krajcik’s innovations to improve science and math education represent profound and lasting achievements.”

Since 1988, the McGraw Prize has celebrated innovation in education by recognizing outstanding individuals who have dedicated themselves to improving education and whose accomplishments are making a huge impact. The Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education nominees are selected through a public nomination process with winners chosen over three rounds of judging and ultimately by an independent panel of judges who are leaders in their fields. Recent winners include Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code; Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade Public Schools; and Sal Kahn, founder of Khan Academy.

Banner image: Joseph Krajcik, a Lappan-Phillips Professor of Science Education and director of the CREATE for STEM Institute at MSU, has partnered with science teachers around the world to reform student engagement through the design, development and testing of project-based learning environments. Krajcik’s McGraw Prize recognizes achievement in pre-K-12 education. Courtesy photo

Story via the College of Natural Science