Vision & Purpose LifeStyle Magazine and Media Digital Team | October 11, 2024 | 4:15 PM ET
NASBE has announce this year's Distinguished Service, Friend of Education, and Policy Leader of the Year award winners:
Policy Leader of the Year: Hedy Chang, founder and executive director of Attendance Works. This prestigious award is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant impact on education policy.
Hedy N. Chang is founder and executive director of the nonprofit Attendance Works,
Chang founded Attendance Works to raise awareness and advance policies addressing chronic absence in schools. The initiative grew from research Chang conducted that was commissioned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and published in 2008 in the groundbreaking report, Present, Engaged, and Accounted For: The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absence in the Early Grades. The research revealed the detrimental effects of chronic absence—defined as missing 10 percent of school—on academic performance. Moreover, it reported that one in ten kindergarten and first-grade students nationwide were missing nearly a month of school each year, with even higher rates in urban areas and among some student groups.
Recognizing the need to nationally elevate this critical issue, Chang founded Attendance Works in 2010. She is credited with coining the term “chronic absence” to encompass all types of absences, both excused and unexcused, and to differentiate it from truancy.
Today, Chang’s advocacy is more vital than ever. Before the pandemic, approximately eight million students were chronically absent; this number almost doubled by 2022. Attendance Works collaborates with over two dozen school districts and 32 states, and it partners with 85 national organizations to assess knowledge gaps, build capacity, and implement comprehensive, evidence-based strategies for addressing chronic absence.
With Chang and Attendance Works’ guidance, several states have made progress in reducing student chronic absence post-pandemic, including Connecticut, whose systemic approach helped reduce its chronic absence rate overall to 17.7 percent in the 2023–24 school year compared with 23.7 percent at the end of the 2021–22 school year. The reductions spanned every high-need population: English learners, students with disabilities, students eligible for free and reduced-price meals, and students experiencing homelessness. Virginia also saw reductions in its chronic absence rate, to 16.1 percent in 2023–24 from a high of 20.1 percent in 2021–22. With support of the governor, the state launched the All In Initiative, with Attendance Works aiding Virginia’s statewide professional development to help school teams adopt a tiered, prevention-oriented approach.
Previously, Chang spent more than three decades working in family support, family economic success, education, and child development. Her roles included senior program officer at the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, focusing on immigration rights and community partnerships, and co-director of California Tomorrow, a nonprofit that champions cultural, linguistic, and racial diversity.
Chang’s efforts have been recognized with multiple accolades, including being named a Champion of Change by the White House in 2013 for her commitment to advancing African American education. In 2023, she received the Martin C. Ushkow Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on School Health. In 2024, Chang participated in the White House Every Day Counts Summit: Addressing Chronic Absenteeism and Increasing Student Engagement.
A skilled presenter, facilitator, researcher, and writer, Chang has written numerous articles about student attendance, including in NASBE’s State Education Standard. She has a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a B.A. from Occidental College.
Distinguished Service Award: Eboni-Rose Thompson (DC), Christine Benson (IL), and Lisa Fricke (NE).
Eboni-Rose Thompson has served on the DC State Board of Education since 2020 and is the current president. She also was the vice president and a member of the Governance Committee. Thompson has been an active member of NASBE’s Public Education Positions (PEP) Committee since 2021.
As DC board president, Thompson has shown great capacity as a community leader and advocate for high-quality, equitable education. She spearheaded a citywide engagement effort to propose community-informed changes to the district’s education governance structure. She and her board peers have advanced school safety measures, passing Resolution SR22-13 on Public Safety, which created the School Safety Enhancement Committee. She has also been instrumental to the board’s elevated visibility, organizing regular cross-agency meetings with key education and government stakeholders.
“These efforts have strengthened our interagency collaboration and positioned the DC state board at the center of crucial policy discussions,” said Bernice Butler, the board’s executive director.
In addition to her state board service, Thompson has been deeply involved in community-level education efforts. She has chaired the Ward 7 Education Council since 2012, working to improve educational outcomes for students of color. She also secured annual increases in the public education budget, organized back-to-school resource fairs and giveaways, and secured over $6.7 million to modernize the Benning Stoddert Recreation Center and four underserved schools. She volunteers as a literacy tutor and has helped reinstate funding for DC’s community schools.
Christine Benson is serving her second term on the Illinois State Board of Education, where she is the board’s secretary, and chair of the Finance Committee. She served on several NASBE committees and concluded a term as chair of the NASBE board in 2023. She earlier served as a NASBE central area director.
A strong advocate for career and technical education (CTE), Benson has championed the development and funding of CTE pathways as vital options for students. She played a key role in ensuring that changes to the state funding formula equitably supported CTE programs. Her efforts contributed to a $10 million increase for CTE funding in the state budget. Benson also supported Illinois’s Literacy Plan, securing funds for high-quality professional development for administrators and teachers statewide.
“Chris’s leadership in these areas and others is extremely valuable for influencing locally elected officials,” said Steven Isoye, chair of the Illinois state board. “Her dedication to ‘getting it right’ for the children of our state has always been a top priority.”
A retired educator with 35 years of experience, Benson has served as a music teacher, school administrator, and superintendent. Her commitment to equity has been crucial in shaping Illinois’s strategic plan for education and the Illinois Association of School Administrators’ Vision 20/20, which expanded funding for schools in an equitable manner, updated the teacher workforce, and ensured practicing educators played a more prominent role in education policymaking.
Lisa Fricke, elected to the Nebraska State Board of Education in 2016, is serving her second and final term. Fricke is chair of her board’s Rules and Regulations Committee, a member of the Budget and Finance Committee, and has contributed to the Executive and Planning and Evaluation Committees.
Fricke’s 36-year career as a public school teacher highlights her deep commitment to education. She frequently speaks at state education conferences, including those hosted by the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association, Nebraska Association of School Boards, Nebraska Council of School Administrators, and Nebraska State Education Association (NSEA). In retirement, Fricke remains active with the NSEA, advocating for the teaching profession.
Serving the needs of children, families, and teachers is central to Fricke’s board work. She engages with stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard and advocates for key issues, such as special education, early childhood education, career and technical education, and support for Native American students and children of military families. She recently led efforts in the state to remove barriers to the teaching profession and regularly encourages young people and career changers to become educators.
“Lisa is a thoughtful, considerate board member who listens to and respects the perspectives of her peers, whether she agrees with them or not. Her teaching career and ongoing commitment to public service testify to her dedication to education and to why she is so deserving of this honor,” said Elizabeth Tegtmeier, president of the Nebraska state board.
A dedicated NASBE member, Fricke has twice chaired NASBE’s PEP Committee and frequently participates in NASBE’s learning sessions, state networks, and conferences. She was recently honored by her alma mater, Wayne State College, with an outstanding alumni award for her work in education and counseling.
Distinguished Student Service Award: Téa Washington, former student member of the DC State Board of Education.
Téa Washington is a recent graduate of BASIS DC Public Charter School and recently concluded her second term on the DC state board as a student member. As a member of the state board’s State Level and Systemic Policy Committee, Washington collaborated with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education to update the categories and format of the DC School Report Card for 2024. She provided invaluable feedback on the district’s first-ever financial literacy standards. She also advocated for social and emotional learning standards, urging their incorporation of social media and the internet’s impacts on student wellness. Thanks to her feedback, the final standards help ensure that students learn important media literacy skills.
Passionate about student safety and mental health, Washington presented on the subject at NASBE’s Annual Conference in 2023. During the session, Washington drew from her own experiences as a student to help attendees understand the importance of taking care of one’s mental health during the school day. She also provided strategies and mindfulness practices state leaders can encourage to promote students’ emotional regulation and wellness.
Washington is now pursuing her undergraduate degree at Howard University on a merit scholarship. She has served in additional leadership roles, including state director of the Youth Legislative Action Center (DC Chapter), city council chair of YMCA DC Youth & Government, a member of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Youth Advisory Council, and a delegate to the YMCA’s Youth Conference on National Affairs. She also cofounded her high school’s Black Student Union to bring students together to talk about the challenges Black students continue to face.
Friend of Education: Salman "Sal" Khan, education technology innovator and founder of Khan Academy. Read about Sal's contributions to education here.
Salman “Sal” Amin Khan is the founder of Khan Academy. He is being honored as the 2024 Friend of Education by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). This national award is given annually to an individual or organization whose contributions to preK-12 education are significant and enduring.
Khan Academy is an educational nonprofit on a mission to “provide free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere.” What began with tutoring Khan’s young cousin has grown into an organization that serves more than 170 million registered users worldwide, offering lessons in more than 50 languages across a wide range of subjects, from math and science to financial literacy and SAT preparation. In 2009, Khan left his career as a hedge fund analyst to lead Khan Academy full time. It now includes Khanmigo, a pilot artificial intelligence (AI)–powered tutor and teaching assistant that The Washington Post has praised as “the best model we have for how to develop and implement AI for the public good.”
Khan also founded the Khan Lab School in Silicon Valley; co-founded Schoolhouse.world, a platform for free, small-group tutoring over Zoom; and co-founded Khan World School, a nonprofit online school in association with Arizona State University. He recently published Brave New Words, a book exploring how AI and GPT technology can transform learning, improve student outcomes, and expand access to quality education for all. In it, he emphasizes that “embracing AI in education is not about replacing human interaction but enhancing it with customized and accessible learning tools that encourage creative problem-solving skills and prepare students for an increasingly digital world.”
Born to immigrant parents from India and Bangladesh, Khan’s credentials include degrees from M.I.T. and Harvard University. He has been honored with multiple awards, including the Microsoft Education Award, the Heinz Award for the Human Condition, the Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, and the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of the Republic of India. In 2012, he was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world.
These awards will be presented during NASBE’s Annual Conference, October 23-25, 2024. Learn more about the conference and register.
About the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)
A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, NASBE elevates state board members’ voices in national and state policymaking, facilitates the exchange of informed ideas, and supports members in advancing equity and excellence in public education for students of all races, genders, and circumstances.
NASBE’s mission is to develop, support, and empower citizen leaders on state boards of education to strengthen public education systems so students of all backgrounds and circumstances are prepared to succeed in school, work, and life.
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