“The goal of the Global Education Challenge was to rally innovative thinkers worldwide to share creative ideas for tools that address the issues inhibiting student achievement, and identify solutions that foster positive student outcomes,” said Michael Muldowney, Chief Financial Officer of HMH. “These winning ideas illustrate the power that communities can have in generating tangible education solutions.” 

Three winners were chosen from the ideas submitted through the Global Education Challenge’s online platform. The first prize winner will receive $100,000, as well as $25,000 worth of fiction, non-fiction and reference titles to the K-12 school of their choice. The second prize winner will receive $25,000 plus $20,000 worth of titles for a K-12 school, and the third prize winner will receive $15,000 and $15,000 worth of titles to a K-12 institution. 

FIRST PRIZE

• Pocket Tales, an online social reading game, seeks to inspire a lifelong love of reading in kids through adding a motivational game layer to books. Pocket Tales, submitted by Yaw Aning of Indianapolis, Ind., uses a variety of well-researched methods to encourage kids to read, including game mechanics, goal setting, social interaction, and feedback.

SECOND PRIZE

• Education Hotspots proposes programs to provide mobile hotspots and free educational courseware to underdeveloped regions with no internet infrastructure. The idea was developed by Neil Dsouza, who is currently living in Mongolia and working to establish education hotspots in remote towns. With new educational content constantly becoming available digitally, a solution for internet infrastructure is vital to global education. 

THIRD PRIZE

• The third finalist, Reading Glue, is a digital reading program that provides parents the tools they need to teach effective reading strategies at home. The program, created by James Stubblefield of DeKalb, Ill., includes ways parents can implement guided and leveled reading practice, and digital solutions that allow them to keep reading practice on track while on the go.

 The winning ideas were chosen from a pool of entries from 23 countries and 37 states throughout the U.S. The judging panel included Joe Blatt of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Carlos Garcia, Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District, Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Education at Microsoft and Fiona O’Carroll, Executive Vice President, Digital Products Research & Development, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt among others.

Winners are being honored at a colloquium in Washington, D.C. this evening, which will include a thought leadership panel on innovation in education. Hosted by HMH, the event will feature education leaders and innovators including Global Education Challenge judges William J. Bennett, Former U.S. Secretary of Education and Phoenix M. Wang, Co-founder and Managing Director of Startl, as well as Thomas Vander Ark, CEO of Open Education Solutions and Partner in Learn Capitol. 

“There is a critical need for innovative solutions to the education challenges faced by students, parents and teachers around the world,” said Phoenix Wang of Startl. “It is vital that we continue to invest in discovering these solutions and enabling their development to benefit student achievement globally.”

The Global Education Challenge, an initiative of HMH’s Innovation Fund, is part of the Company’s commitment to invest $100 million in support to promising education initiatives and ultimately bring innovative solutions to the education market, with the ultimate goal of transforming education.

To learn more, visit http://www.hmhco.com/content/hmh-innovation-fund.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

With education products and services used by 57 million students throughout all 50 U.S. states and 120 countries, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global education and learning company. The world's largest provider of materials for pre-K–12 learning, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is leading the way with innovative solutions and approaches to the challenges facing education today. Through curricula excellence coupled with technology innovations and professional services, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt collaborates with school districts, administrators, teachers, parents and students, providing interactive, results-driven learning solutions. Its Educational Consulting Services group works to increase student achievement in underperforming schools by developing, implementing and supporting education transformation through sustained district partnerships.  With origins dating back to 1832, the Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.