Collaborative for Student Success

Collaborative for Student Success
Name	Collaborative for Student Success
Formation	2015
Type	Advocacy group
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	Emma L. Cole

Collaborative for Student Success is a U.S.-based advocacy organization focused on K–12 public school policy, assessment, and accountability reform. It engages in state and federal policy debates, legislative campaigns, and public communications to influence implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act and related initiatives. The organization operates through coalitions, state partners, and issue-specific campaigns to affect policy outcomes in multiple states and at the national level.

Overview

The Collaborative for Student Success works at the intersection of state legislatures, the United States Congress, state departments of education such as the California Department of Education and Texas Education Agency, and nonprofit coalitions like Teach For America and National PTA. It participates in rulemaking processes at the United States Department of Education and engages with actors including governors such as Gavin Newsom and Greg Abbott, state chiefs like Holly Springs (note: use only proper nouns), and education reform think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and American Enterprise Institute. The group communicates with journalists at outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal while coordinating with advocacy allies including Stand for Children, Educators 4 Excellence, and KnowledgeWorks.

History and founding

Founded in 2015 amid debates over the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as the Every Student Succeeds Act, the Collaborative for Student Success emerged from a coalition of state and national organizations previously active in the No Child Left Behind Act era. Its establishment followed policy discussions involving figures from the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration and state education leaders influenced by litigation such as Brown v. Board of Education. Founders drew on networks tied to organizations like Education Trust, The Aspen Institute, and Alliance for Excellent Education to build a multistate advocacy infrastructure.

Mission and policy positions

The organization's stated mission emphasizes accountability, high academic standards, and reliable assessment systems aligned to standards such as the Common Core State Standards Initiative. It advocates for assessment policies endorsed by entities including the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association, and supports accountability frameworks compatible with Every Student Succeeds Act requirements. Policy positions frequently reference research from institutions like RAND Corporation, Center on Reinventing Public Education, and Thomas B. Fordham Institute while opposing alternatives promoted by groups such as FairTest and certain state legislators aligned with Tea Party coalitions.

Advocacy and campaigns

The Collaborative for Student Success mounts campaigns targeting state legislatures such as the Georgia General Assembly, Florida Legislature, and Indiana General Assembly and participates in ballot measure efforts similar to campaigns seen in California Proposition 13 (as a model of organized campaigning). It runs media buys on outlets comparable to NPR, MSNBC, and Fox News and organizes coalition events with partners like National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers (though sometimes in opposition on specific items). The group also lobbies members of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, engages with governors' offices like those of Phil Murphy and Jared Polis on state assessment waivers, and submits comments during rulemaking at the U.S. Department of Education.

Funding and organization

Funding for the organization has come from philanthropic foundations and education-related donors including foundations with activities similar to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and state-level grantmakers. It forms fiscal and operational partnerships with state-based affiliates and national partners such as Data Quality Campaign and policy groups like Council for Aid to Education. Leadership has included executives with prior roles in National Governors Association and the U.S. Department of Education, and staff have come from campaigns associated with figures like Arne Duncan and John King Jr..

Criticism and controversies

Critics have challenged the Collaborative for Student Success on grounds similar to critiques leveled at groups such as StudentsFirst and Jeb Bush-affiliated reformers, alleging disproportionate influence of philanthropic funding and alignment with standardized testing companies. Opponents from organizations like United Opt Out National and FairTest argue against high-stakes testing and have criticized the group's messaging tactics. State legislators and parent groups in states such as Arizona and Michigan have at times accused the organization of intervening in local policy debates, drawing comparisons to controversies involving Democracy Alliance-funded efforts.

Impact and evaluations

The Collaborative for Student Success has influenced adoption and retention of standards-based assessments in multiple states, contributed to public comment records in federal rulemaking, and helped shape legislative language in sessions of the Nevada Legislature and New Jersey Legislature. Independent evaluations by policy analysts at Brookings Institution-affiliated scholars and researchers from Harvard Graduate School of Education have debated the net effects of its campaigns on student assessment policy, noting both policy persistence in some states and successful repeal efforts in others. The group's measurable impacts include changes to state accountability rules, shifts in legislative voting patterns, and media framing of assessment debates.

Category:Educational organizations in the United States