LEAD 359 - USA

In one of America's most underserved congressional districts — where nearly 30% of residents live in poverty and public schools have long been told what they cannot do — Dr. Alexa Sorden and LEAD 359 are dismantling a quiet, devastating belief held by too many of their scholars: "Kids like us don't do big things."

Founded as a turnaround of a school once labelled "failing," LEAD 359 now serves 250 scholars (ages 3–14) in the Bronx and has become one of the most celebrated public schools in the United States. Its students outperform city, district, and state benchmarks across every subject. The school has earned the National Blue Ribbon School distinction, a place on the Best Schools in America list, and serves as a Transcend RevX Demonstration Site. It is currently pursuing IB certification.

But what distinguishes LEAD 359 is how it achieves excellence. Its signature DEEDS framework (Discover, Examine, Engineer, Do, Share) anchors every unit in real-world, globally connected inquiry. First-graders invent comfort devices for children in foster care. Fourth-graders analyse traffic data and redesign dangerous intersections. Seventh-graders monitor air quality near expressways and prototype renewable energy solutions. Learning is inseparable from the life of the borough — and the world.

Peace is taught as a practical skillset. Scholars begin each day with mindful centering, practice weekly restorative circles, and engage in structured reflection before entering dialogue after conflict. The approach is so embedded that parents report children using "I-statements" at home. When tragedy struck — the loss of beloved scholar Angie to gun violence — students responded by founding Angie's Fashion Club, a student-led peacebuilding initiative that designs and sells clothing to fund support for youth and families affected by gun violence.

LEAD's global partnerships are equally ambitious. In collaboration with the Nobody's Listening VR exhibition on the Yazidi genocide and Columbia University's Peace Center, middle schoolers co-designed a "Designing a Peaceful Society" module, culminating in an immersive Peace Futures Exhibition featuring student models of equitable governance and reconciliation.

The results speak through community trust: 99% of families report feeling heard and included, over 80% stayed through a school relocation, and the school maintains 100% teacher retention. More than 150 educators visit annually to study LEAD's systems, and virtual sessions draw 100+ participants nationwide. The school has been profiled in The New York Times ("Smart Is Something You Get") and Edutopia, and its model has been adopted by schools across New York City — including a new public high school in Queens.

Dr. Jenn Charlot of Transcend calls LEAD "one of the most extraordinary schools in the country" and "a blueprint" for what public education can be.

Prize funds would scale LEAD's impact globally: building an AI-powered curriculum platform for cross-border classroom collaboration, piloting field partnerships from Puerto Rico to West Africa, and launching a Bronx-based educator residency. The vision is bold — a world where young people from the Bronx, Bogotá, Lagos, and Manila solve global challenges together, long before adulthood.