The James Bryant Conant Award is a US education award that recognizes individuals for their contributions to public education.^[1] Offered by the Education Commission of the States (ECS), it has been awarded annually since 1977. It was established and named in honour of US chemist and educator James Bryant Conant, one of the co-founders of the ECS.

Recipients

• 1977 - Benjamin Mays
• 1978 - Joan Ganz Cooney
• 1979 - Francis Keppel
• 1980 - Ralph Tyler
• 1981 - Terry Sanford
• 1982 - John Brademas
• 1983 - Carl D. Perkins
• 1984 - James B. Hunt Jr.
• 1985 - Terrel H. Bell and David P. Gardner
• 1986 - Harold Howe II
• 1987 - Marian Wright Edelman
• 1988 - Lamar Alexander
• 1989 - Fred M. Hechinger
• 1990 - No award given
• 1991 - James P. Comer
• 1992 - Theodore R. Sizer
• 1993 - Wilhelmina Delco
• 1994 - Ernest L. Boyer
• 1995 - Richard W. Riley
• 1996 - John W. Gardner
• 1997 - Claiborne Pell
• 1998 - Robert Slavin
• 1999 - Frank Newman
• 2000 - John Goodlad
• 2001 - Fred Rogers
• 2002 - Robert P. Moses
• 2003 - Roy Romer
• 2004 - Thurgood Marshall and John H. Stelle (both posthumously)
• 2005 -
• 2006 - Nancy S. Grasmick
• 2007 - Gaston Caperton
• 2008 - Ron Wolk
• 2009 - Kati Haycock
• 2010 - Linda Darling-Hammond
• 2011 - Ted Kolderie
• 2012 - Eric Donald Hirsch
• 2013 - Gene Wilhoit
• 2014 - Marc Tucker
• 2015 - William Sanders
• 2016 - Sal Kahn
• 2017 - Lowell Milken
• 2018 - Bill Haslam
• 2019 - A.J. Crabill
• 2020 - Philip Uri Treisman
• 2021 - Michael Kirst
• 2022 - Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr.