The Kidder-Pascal Awards for System Change & Innovation in Education
About The Kidder-Pascal Awards
Annie Kidder and Charles Pascal
The Kidder-Pascal Awards for Systems Change and Innovation in Education celebrate visionary leadership, bold ideas, and transformative action that advance the promise of public education in Canada.
Named in honour of Annie Kidder and Charles Pascal— two of Canada’s most influential champions for public education—the awards recognize people and organizations who are reshaping education so that it can deliver on that promise.
People for Education’s 5-year initiative, The Education Promise, is based on the belief that public education is one of Canada’s greatest, but underappreciated assets, and that public schools can be an upstream policy solution to a range of challenges Canada is facing. But that working differently and together across the country and across sectors is critical for education to realize its promise.
Annie and Charles’ lifelong commitment to public education are aligned with the goals of The Education Promise, and these Awards seek to celebrate leaders and organizations who strive to transform public education so that learners are equipped with the creativity, empathy, and critical thinking necessary to navigate and improve a complex, polarized world.
Two distinct awards make up the Kidder-Pascal Awards for Systems Change and Innovation in Education:
- The Systems Change Award
- The Promise in Practice Award
Together, these awards honour the legacy of Annie Kidder and Charles Pascal by recognizing those who are building the future of public education—through systemic transformation and the innovative local practices and leadership that make it possible.
Congratulations to our 2026 winners!
The Systems Change Award: Cindy Blackstock
Awarded to a person or persons whose work addresses the broader systems that shape education, recognizing public education as central to a healthier, sustainable, productive, and democratic society. Recipients of the Systems Change Award can be from any sector, but their work must intersect with public education.
Selected by the Kidder-Pascal Nominating Committee, Dr. Cindy Blackstock is recognized for her tireless advocacy for the rights of First Nations children. Her work has fundamentally shifted national policy and legal frameworks, ensuring that systemic change is rooted in justice, equity, and the inherent dignity of every child.
The Promise in Practice Award : Student Vote, CIVIX
Awarded to an individual, program, initiative, or organization working with publicly-funded schools in Canada that exemplifies the transformative potential of public education, particularly related to role of public education in addressing challenges related to one or more of The Education Promise’s policy areas: Civic Engagement & Democracy, Environment & Climate Change, Health, and Skills & Economy.
Chosen through a competitive open nomination process from a field of exceptional provincial and national programs and leaders, Student Vote by CIVIX is honoured for its excellence in experiential learning. By bringing the democratic process into the classroom, Student Vote empowers the next generation of informed and engaged citizens.
Special Citation for Lifetime Impact: Medhat Mahdy
The Kidder-Pascal Awards honours the late Medhat Mahdy, former President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Toronto, with a special posthumous citation. His lifelong dedication to youth development, early years and child care, and his vision of the YMCA as a cornerstone of community wellbeing left an indelible mark on the lives of countless Canadians.
Celebrating the Winners
Join us to celebrate the 2026 winners of the Kidder-Pascal Awards in Toronto on June 10th. In addition to recognizing the honourees, the Awards Breakfast will feature a fireside chat about why we need strong public education now more than ever with The Honourable Bob Rae, Canada’s former UN Ambassador in conversation with 2026 Obama Foundation Scholar Victoria Kuketz.
Individual tickets and tables are now available!
About Annie Kidder and Charles Pascal
Annie Kidder
Annie Kidder was one of the founders of People for Education, an independent, charitable organization working to support and advance public education through research, policy analysis, and public engagement. For nearly 30 years, she was the organization’s Executive Director and chief spokesperson.
Annie is an expert on education policy, a passionate believer in public education’s foundational role in building a fair and prosperous society, and an advocate for using evidence to support system change. She has regularly provided advice to policymakers and government, and her writing on education has been widely published. She also appears in the media as an expert in public education.
She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Ontario Principals’ Council 2004 Outstanding Contribution to Education Award, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation 2005 Public Education Advocacy Award, and, in 2018, an honourary doctorate from York University. Annie is also a Maytree Policy School alumna. She has spoken at conferences in Canada, the United States, Europe, Africa, and South America as an expert on education issues.
Charles Pascal
Born in Chicago and later becoming one of Canada's most influential public policy architects, Charles Pascal was a visionary leader dedicated to the transformative power of education. After earning his PhD in psychology from the University of Michigan, he moved to Canada, where he began a distinguished academic career at McGill University and later the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). His early work in early childhood development laid the foundation for his lifelong advocacy, viewing education not merely as a system of schooling but as a fundamental pillar of a healthy democracy.
Meet the Nominating Committee
- Annie Kidder (chair)
- Arlene Perly Rae
- Tassie Notar
- Pedro Barata, CEO & President, Habitat for Humanity and The Education Promise Advisory Board member
- Florence Bergeron, Associate Director Operations, The Students Commission of Canada
- Andrew Bieronski, Head of Growth – Canada, Wayground
- Patrick Case, human rights advocate
- Joseph Flessa, Associate Dean, Programs, OISE-UofT
- Candy Ho, faculty, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, past Board Chair, CERIC, and The Education Promise Advisory Board member
Kidder-Pascal Awards Supporters
Thank you to our award launch partners for their support!
