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There should be an equivalent to the Nobel Prize for education.
As I heard a brilliant speaker say once: if we can fix the problems in education, then that will, in turn, fix most of the other problems. That is profound, and it speaks to the fact that the better education system we create, the more medical and scientific and even peaceful innovations our future scientists and activists will come up with.
What is more, I think Dean Kamen should be the first recipient. His creation of the FIRST robotics program is a piece of exemplary science. Far too much - in fact most - of discussion about education policy and practice is mired in theory and abstract research debates. Kamen has run an experiment to ground his claims, and it has been replicated over and over proving it as a core approach to re-engaging our kids in learning.
In 30 years, the number of leading scientists, innovators, and researchers who can point to their experiences in the FIRST program as a keystone of their success will be staggering.
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Erik Richardson 500+
As far as your question about what kind of person gets it, I think it would/should lean much more toward the scale of impact - i.e., Kamen or Gates, than the particular classroom teacher.
With regard to which of those people get it - Kamen or Robinson or Gates, etc.—again, I think this could be handled by imitation of the other awards, with a committee evaluating the candidates and reaching a consensus.
I will be more than happy to sit on the committee that hammers out the details once I find someone to fund the annual award. :-D