October 2021

The AOG Service Spotlight highlights members of the Air Force Academy family (grads, cadets, family and friends of the Academy) every month who perform outstanding service that makes a positive and meaningful impact in their communities and beyond. Let these inspiring stories foster a spirit of service within the Air Force Academy family and inspire further commitment to a lifetime of service.

Eric Hanushek '65

Professor Eric Hanushek '65 was awarded the 2021 Yidan Prize for Educational Research in recognition of ground-breaking work addressing a crucial piece of the education puzzle: improving quality of education and outcomes for learners at scale. It is the world’s highest education accolade.

Read more about Professor Hanushek from the Yidan Prize Foundation:

• He is deeply committed to closing the gap between the rich and poor parts of the world through transforming education.
• He pioneered the ‘value-added’ approach in measuring teacher effectiveness by students’ learning gains, driving education policy on teacher recruitment and performance evaluation globally.
• For decades, he has worked with governments to use scientific research to inform effective education policies, bringing the focus on how money is spent rather than the amount spent. He is now working to build and support a network of young, local researchers in developing countries, beginning with sub-Saharan Africa, to gather high-quality data and translate it into plans policymakers can use.
• "We know that quality schools made up of highly effective teachers offer the possibility of changing the lives of students and in turn enhancing the well-being of countries... I hope to catalyze educational improvements in places with the greatest needs," Hanushek said.
• With the Yidan Prize funding, he is planning a research fellow program in Africa, supporting analytical capacity to shape education policies from a local perspective.

Learn about more USAFA grads serving their communities. ►