Greenville nonprofit in the running for $1 million 'education innovation' prize

Clarification: The photo that initially ran with this story is of an after-school program of the YMCA Judson Community Center and is neither affiliated with New Way Global, a nonprofit founded by Allan Sherer of Greenville, nor is a potential beneficiary of the STOP award.

A Greenville-based nonprofit is a semi-finalist for a $1 million award to '"transform education."

New Way Global is one of 20 nationwide groups in the running for the STOP (Sustainable, Transformational and Outstanding education for students in Permissionless settings) award presented by The Center for Education Reform (CER) and its media partner Forbes.

STOP recognizes education providers who powered through the pandemic and delivered for underserved students during COVID.

New Way Global, a nonprofit started by Allan Sherer of North Hills Church in Taylors, was selected for the "Come Out Stronger (COS)" program which involved the creation of 10 learning pods during the 2020-2021 school year. The pods served communities such as Judson Mill, Poe Mill, Nicholtown, Bell Meade and others.

A goal of COS was to "flip the script for minority and low-income children; to not only prevent them from falling behind in school, but to empower them to excel," a report on the program said.

Forbes Chief Content Officer and Editor Randall Lane said in the release that while COVID presented an unprecedented challenge to the nation’s education system, it also sparked “innovative thinking and new ideas that supported underserved families like never before.”

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Sherer said he had been reading lots of articles about how wealthy people were setting up "pandemic pods," where one or groups of families would hire a teacher to provide in-person education during the pandemic.

"This was happening all over America and I said, 'What about the people who can't do that?'" he said. "I saw the education gap widening, probably more than anytime in our lifetime and said, 'it can't be right that underserved children don't have this kind of support.' That's what got me going."

The applicants for the STOP award included teachers, technology innovators, school leadership teams, community and grassroots organizers, college achievement prep organizations and individual entrepreneurs.

Each told remarkable stories of resilience in the face of COVID and "an unshakable determination to deliver for students,” said Jeanne Allen, CER’s founder and CEO, in a press release.

The semi-finalists were judged not only on what they did during the pandemic, but how they plan to change the trajectory of K-12 education, Allen said.

The COS program was a collaboration of businesses, nonprofits, and churches such as Long Branch Baptist, Greater Mount Calvary Baptist, and Reconcile Community Church. North Hills Church was a major partner and organizer for the COS project.

Over 200 children were served and more than $300,000 raised within six weeks to support the pods, Sherer said.

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"When I saw that there was so much momentum, so much focus on these children, it was like, how do we harness this momentum to do something that will serve these children in an ongoing way?," he said.

An answer: the launch of a new innovative school in the Judson Mill community. If New Way Global wins the STOP grand prize, plans are to use that $1 million to open that school.

But win or not, Sherer said the school is slated to open at Greater Mount Calvary Baptist early next year. Some funds have already been raised for the project, he said.

The STOP Award was made possible and underwritten by educational entrepreneur Janine Yass, nationally recognized education advocate and founder of the Boys’ Latin Charter School in West Philadelphia, co-founder of the Philadelphia School Partnership, and a CER Director Emeritus, the release said.

Five finalists will be selected from the 20 semi-finalists in December during a Forbes gathering in New York City.

The winner of the $1 million prize will be announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville nonprofit a nationwide semifinalist for $1 million prize