Photos: Education Game Changers

People that are changing education for the better.

Newark Mayor Wins Re-election - Cory Booker fended off three challengers to handily win a second term as mayor of Newark, New Jersey. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Booker had more than 21,000 votes compared to 12,500 for his closest competitor, former county prosecutor Clifford Minor. Booker calls his victory "a pretty profound statement in an economy and a nation that seems to be throwing out incumbents left and right." He also vowed to continue crime-fighting initiatives.

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Mayor Cory Booker - After securing a $100 million donation from Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg solely for Newark’s education system, Mayor Cory Booker showed that there’s more than one way to get education funding during hard economic times. Other elected officials should take note!

Geoffrey Canada - Not enough can be said about the CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ). The innovative educator saw a need for a change in his city’s education system and took action. The success of HCZ has garnered Canada international recognition, including President Obama implementing his model in 20 cities across the country.

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Geoffrey Canada - Not enough can be said about the CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ). The innovative educator saw a need for a change in his city’s education system and took action. The success of HCZ has garnered Canada international recognition, including President Obama implementing his model in 20 cities across the country.

Michelle Obama - The first lady’s Let’s Move! Initiative has inspired school districts across the country to take a closer look at how healthy their lunch menus are. Let’s Move! is designed to promote healthy choices, improve quality in schools and increase access to healthy, affordable food.

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Michelle Obama - The first lady’s Let’s Move! Initiative has inspired school districts across the country to take a closer look at how healthy their lunch menus are. Let’s Move! is designed to promote healthy choices, improve quality in schools and increase access to healthy, affordable food.

John Legend - Grammy Award-winning singer John Legend has two passions; one is obvious, but the other? Education. Legend created the Show Me Campaign, a non-profit organization that believes equal access to quality education will facilitate the eradication of poverty. Legend was the recipient of the 2010 BET Humanitarian Award for his work.

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John Legend - Grammy Award-winning singer John Legend has two passions; one is obvious, but the other? Education. Legend created the Show Me Campaign, a non-profit organization that believes equal access to quality education will facilitate the eradication of poverty. Legend was the recipient of the 2010 BET Humanitarian Award for his work.

Michelle Rhee - Michelle Rhee serves as D.C. Public Schools Chancellor and has aggressively battled to reform D.C.’s education system. Rhee not only fights for education in our nation’s capital, but she founded the New Teacher Project, a non-profit organization that has recruited more than 10,000 teachers to work in needy school districts since its inception.

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Michelle Rhee - Michelle Rhee serves as D.C. Public Schools Chancellor and has aggressively battled to reform D.C.’s education system. Rhee not only fights for education in our nation’s capital, but she founded the New Teacher Project, a non-profit organization that has recruited more than 10,000 teachers to work in needy school districts since its inception.

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Dr. Orlando Patterson - Dr. Patterson is a professor of historical and cultural sociology at Harvard University, and has made it his life’s work to study the behavior of young African-American students and their learning habits. His findings have helped educators across the country to better understand how to teach students.

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Dr. Orlando Patterson - Dr. Patterson is a professor of historical and cultural sociology at Harvard University, and has made it his life’s work to study the behavior of young African-American students and their learning habits. His findings have helped educators across the country to better understand how to teach students.

Economy Speech - Obama will travel to New Jersey on Wednesday to talk about the economy.

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President Barack Obama - Even before President Obama was elected, one of his campaign platforms was to provide school districts with funding for early-education programs to increase graduation rates. He has continued in this effort by creating the “Race to the Top” fund, an initiative that offers states funding dollars as an incentive to reform their education systems.

Harriett Ball - If students can memorize lyrics to popular songs, why can’t they memorize facts in the classroom? Harriett Ball thought the same thing, and teaches her students through song to enforce cognitive memorization of facts and concepts. Her innovative style has inspired the creation of the Knowledge is Power Program, and she has a teaching consultant business, Harriett Ball Enterprises.

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Harriett Ball - If students can memorize lyrics to popular songs, why can’t they memorize facts in the classroom? Harriett Ball thought the same thing, and teaches her students through song to enforce cognitive memorization of facts and concepts. Her innovative style has inspired the creation of the Knowledge is Power Program, and she has a teaching consultant business, Harriett Ball Enterprises.

Renata 'Toni' Roy - Instead of continuing her work in corporate America, Roy chose to follow her passion and help children get a better education. She established the 105 Voices of History, a non-profit organization whose mission is to assist students with funding and professional development in the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Roy was the first White House appointment for the Initiative on HBCUs.

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Renata 'Toni' Roy - Instead of continuing her work in corporate America, Roy chose to follow her passion and help children get a better education. She established the 105 Voices of History, a non-profit organization whose mission is to assist students with funding and professional development in the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Roy was the first White House appointment for the Initiative on HBCUs.

Russlyn Ali - Russlynn Ali serves as the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights at the Department of Education. Her appointment is no surprise; for most of her career, Ali’s mission has been to close the achievement gap in public education. She served as vice president of Education Trust, a non-profit that advocates for impoverished minority students. Now in her elevated position, Ali has the power to change the plight of disadvantaged students, and plans to make it happen.

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Russlyn Ali - Russlynn Ali serves as the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights at the Department of Education. Her appointment is no surprise; for most of her career, Ali’s mission has been to close the achievement gap in public education. She served as vice president of Education Trust, a non-profit that advocates for impoverished minority students. Now in her elevated position, Ali has the power to change the plight of disadvantaged students, and plans to make it happen.