Jill Disanto-Hanes

Recognizing that education plays a critical role in today’s knowledge-based society, Penn’s Graduate School of Education and the Milken Family Foundation have launched a global education business plan competition calling for entrepreneurial ideas and innovative solutions to persistent challenges in education.

The goal of the Milken-Penn GSE Prize for Business Plans in Education is to generate fresh ideas into the education marketplace, ultimately boosting student achievement and school effectiveness. The competition is open to individuals or teams from around the globe.
 
“More money is spent on education than on health care in the U.S. but with little results,” says Doug Lynch, vice dean of GSE. “Innovation and entrepreneurship can address problems in education. We’re excited to see what great ideas will emerge.”
 
The competition encourages entrants to address the most serious issues facing all levels of the education system, such as curriculum, professional development, assessment and evaluation and technological innovation. The first-place award is $25,000 and the second-place prize is $15,000. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 1. Winners will be announced in May.

 “This competition is designed to challenge the status quo,” says Gregory Milken, a member of Penn GSE’s board of overseers and the Milken Family Foundation board of trustees. “It will create opportunities for entrepreneurs, educators and, ultimately, students.”
 
Supporting Penn GSE and the Milken Family Foundation in this business-plan competition are Penn’s Wharton School and Fels Institute of Government.
  
To learn more about the competition, its goals and the competition guidelines visit www.gse.upenn.edu/entrepreneurcomp.