# Norman Atkins

> Norman Atkins is a New York-based education founder and managing partner at Array Education. A former journalist and Robin Hood Foundation co-executive director, he co-founded North Star Academy in Newark, served as Uncommon Schools’ founding CEO, and co-founded Relay Graduate School of Education, where he is president emeritus. His work focuses on educational opportunity and the preparation of teachers and school leaders.

- **Role:** Managing Partner at Array Education; Co-founder and President Emeritus at Relay Graduate School of Education
- **Organizations:** Array Education, Uncommon Schools, North Star Academy, Relay Graduate School of Education, Robin Hood Foundation, Zearn
- **Education:** A.B. in History, Brown University, M.A. in Educational Administration, Teachers College, Columbia University
- **Known for:** Co-founded North Star Academy in Newark in 1997., Served as Uncommon Schools’ founding CEO., Co-founded Relay Graduate School of Education.

## Career timeline

- **1984** — Graduated from Brown University with a degree in history.
- **1985-1989** — Worked as an independent journalist.
- **1989-1994** — Served as co-executive director of the Robin Hood Foundation.
- **1997** — Co-founded North Star Academy with Jamey Verrilli; the Newark school opened with 72 students. Completed his Teachers College master’s degree.
- **1996-2008** — Founding period and CEO tenure of Uncommon Schools, as dated in his 2016 biographical timeline.
- **2008** — Teacher U began at Hunter College, the precursor to Relay.
- **2011** — Relay became an independent graduate school with Atkins as founding president.
- **2012** — Elected an Ashoka Fellow; co-founded Zearn.
- **2018** — Received the 23rd Heinz Award in the Human Condition category; ended his Relay presidency.

## Achievements

- Co-founded North Star Academy in Newark in 1997.
- Served as Uncommon Schools’ founding CEO.
- Co-founded Relay Graduate School of Education.
- Received the 2018 Heinz Award in the Human Condition category.
- Elected an Ashoka Fellow in 2012.
- Received the 2015 William E. Simon Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Social Entrepreneurship.

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — In a Chalkbeat interview, North Star leader Mike Mann recalled the influence of meeting Atkins and Jamey Verrilli.
- **2026-05** — Array Education’s Form 990 filed on May 13, 2026, lists Atkins as director and managing partner.

## Links

- Website: https://www.arrayeducation.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/norman-atkins-7939b099
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/norman_atkins

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/norman-atkins
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-12