For Principal Beth Hert of Corona Arts and Sciences Academy (CASA), the status quo has never been her focus. She has been in education for 25 years, and in the past 13 years, she has founded a new middle school and launched a transformative project-based learning (PBL) model at that school.
This innovative spirit did not go unnoticed. PBLWorks, a nonprofit dedicated to improving access to PBL opportunities, especially for underrepresented groups, recognized Hert as their 2026 individual champion.
CASA is a Progressive Redesign Opportunities Schools for Excellence (PROSE) school, meaning that the Department of Education granted them the permission to “implement innovative practices outside of existing rules.”…