The Dr. Michael Casserly Award for Educational Courage and Justice will be presented annually to a person who has made outstanding contributions in the field of K-12 urban education. The awardee shall give a $10,000 scholarship funded by Curriculum Associates to a Great City School graduate who aspires to leadership in urban education. 

The 2024 winner of the award was Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. 

Schumer has served as a member of the U.S. Senate since 1999 and, in 2021, became the first New Yorker to serve as Senate Majority Leader. As majority leader, he ushered landmark legislation through the Senate including the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which provided more than $40 billion in supplemental COVID-relief funding to the 77 member school districts that represent the Council, as part of the $122.8 billion provided under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. 

The senator is the fourth person to receive the award; the first person was Michael Casserly himself.