The nation’s top prize for education innovation has gone to California in recognition of the state’s improvements in educating all students and closing equity gaps.

On June 22, the Education Commission of the States announced California as the winner of the 2022 Frank Newman Award for State Innovation.

“California is transforming education from pre-kindergarten through to college and beyond, empowering students and families with more supports, more choices and more opportunities,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a press release accompanying the announcement. “This award recognizes the hard work that’s gone into this transformative change by leaders throughout the state — including legislators, state government partners, educators, staff, administrators and local leaders — and the winners here are California’s kids and parents.”

According to the commission, the state received this award for “its coordinated approach to educating all students from preschool to postsecondary, with explicit attention toward whole-child supports and services, as well as its historic financial investments to ensure educational equity.”

The commission recognized California’s Local Control Funding Formula as one of the nation’s most equitable formulas for distributing funds to the schools. The commission also cited investments in summer, before- and after-school programming, establishing full-service community schools, and universal TK.

“California is demonstrating an intentional, comprehensive investment of funding and other resources that recognize and honor whole-child approaches to education, not only instruction,” according to the commission.

Since taking office, Newsom has prioritized funding for public education, most recently having proposed the highest level of funding in state history — over $128 billion for California’s schools, amounting to $22,850 per pupil. That is up from $97 billion, or $16,350 per pupil, when he took office.