Alliance for Excellent Education

Alliance for Excellent Education
Name	Alliance for Excellent Education
Formation	1999
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President and CEO
Leader name	Julián Castro

Alliance for Excellent Education

The Alliance for Excellent Education is a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit advocacy organization focused on improving secondary schooling outcomes for historically underserved adolescents. The organization conducts research, develops policy recommendations, and partners with federal and state leaders to address issues affecting high school graduation and college and career readiness. It works across networks of educators, legislators, philanthropies, and civil rights groups to pursue systemic reforms in American secondary schools.

History

The organization was established in 1999 amid a policy environment shaped by the aftermath of the Goals 2000 initiative, the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act debates, and a growing national focus on college readiness exemplified by the National Commission on Excellence in Education reports. Early connections linked the group with leading education advocates from institutions such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Business Roundtable, and the National Governors Association. Through the 2000s the organization engaged with policy debates around the Every Student Succeeds Act predecessor measures and participated in coalitions alongside the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and the Education Trust. Major moments in its timeline intersected with federal initiatives under administrations that included President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, as well as with legislative developments in the United States Congress and state capitols.

Mission and Goals

The group's stated mission emphasizes raising the high school graduation rate and ensuring that secondary students, particularly from African American, Latino and Native American communities, graduate prepared for postsecondary education and the workforce. Goals include reducing achievement gaps championed by advocates such as those in the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, promoting college- and career-ready standards akin to the Common Core State Standards Initiative, and advancing policies on early warning systems influenced by research from the Institute of Education Sciences and the American Institutes for Research. The Alliance frames its objectives within civil rights histories represented by organizations like the NAACP and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs center on evidence-based interventions that mirror practices supported by the Bill of Rights-era expansion of federal supports and contemporary initiatives like the STEM Education Coalition. Signature efforts include campaigns on high school redesign informed by research from the MetLife Foundation and programmatic collaborations with entities such as the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ford Foundation. Initiatives often promote digital learning strategies advanced by partners like Google for Education and Microsoft Education, and advocate for expanded access to Advanced Placement pathways similar to those overseen by the College Board. Other work aligns with dropout prevention models studied by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform and college-access programs operated by groups like Upward Bound and the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.

Policy Advocacy and Impact

The Alliance engages in policy advocacy that intersects with federal legislative activity in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, and with executive branch education policymaking through the U.S. Department of Education. The organization has submitted recommendations on high school graduation metrics comparable to proposals advanced by the National Academy of Sciences and has testified before congressional committees alongside representatives of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Association of State Boards of Education. Its policy briefs have influenced state-level adoption of accountability measures and early warning systems similar to those promoted by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and have been cited in reports from the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Kaiser Family Foundation when discussing youth outcomes.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams have included grants and philanthropic support from major foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Lumina Foundation for Education, along with partnerships with corporate entities like AT&T and Verizon Foundation for digital learning projects. Collaborative relationships extend to civil rights organizations including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, research centers such as the RAND Corporation, and educator organizations like the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. The Alliance also works with state education agencies and philanthropic intermediaries exemplified by the Annenberg Foundation and the StriveTogether network to scale interventions.

Organization and Leadership

The Alliance is governed by a board of directors composed of leaders from philanthropy, business, and education, including former policymakers linked to offices such as the United States Department of Education and the White House Domestic Policy Council. Executive leadership has featured figures who previously held roles in nonprofit management, federal agencies, and legislative staff positions associated with committees in the United States Congress that oversee education policy. Staff expertise spans research and communications teams with backgrounds at institutions including the Harvard Kennedy School, the Brookings Institution, and the Urban Institute, and program directors often maintain networks with state chiefs from the Council of Chief State School Officers and college-access coalitions like Complete College America.

Category:Educational advocacy organizations in the United States