Council for Opportunity in Education

Council for Opportunity in Education
Name	Council for Opportunity in Education
Formation	1972
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President
Leader name	Unknown
Former name	College Opportunities Program

Council for Opportunity in Education

The Council for Opportunity in Education is a national nonprofit organization focused on promoting access to higher education through programs and policies that support low-income, first-generation, and disabled students. Founded in the early 1970s, the organization works with federal agencies, legislators, colleges, universities, and community organizations to administer campus-based programs and advocate for student aid. The Council has engaged with federal legislation, national coalitions, and campus practitioners while producing research and guidance on program implementation.

History

The organization traces roots to initiatives during the Nixon and Ford administrations and expanded under the Carter and Reagan eras through legislation such as the Higher Education Act and subsequent reauthorizations that shaped campus-based programs. It formed professional networks connecting practitioners from institutions like University of California, Los Angeles, University of Michigan, Howard University, Texas A&M University, and City University of New York to implement outreach models pioneered at programs similar to ones at Truman State University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Florida State University, and Ohio State University. Over decades the Council intersected with policy developments involving actors including the U.S. Department of Education, congressional committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and advocacy organizations like National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, American Council on Education, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, NAACP, and YMCA. The Council’s history includes collaborations with foundations and funders like the Ford Foundation, Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Lilly Endowment, and Bush Foundation to scale outreach practices used in targeted programs at institutions such as University of Phoenix, Temple University, and Georgia State University.

Mission and Programs

The Council’s mission centers on increasing postsecondary access through campus programs, professional development, and policy advocacy, aligning activities with federal grant programs modeled after demonstration projects at City College of New York, Boston University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Core programmatic work mirrors structures used by existing initiatives at Cornell University, Duke University, Yale University, Columbia University, and Princeton University while targeting populations served by institutions including Bates College, Howard Community College, Ivy Tech Community College, Miami Dade College, and Los Angeles City College. Professional development offerings reference practitioner networks represented by members from Pennsylvania State University, Michigan State University, University of Florida, Auburn University, and North Carolina State University and connect with service models used by Teach For America, AmeriCorps, and Peace Corps alumni who transition into higher education roles.

Governance and Structure

The Council operates with a board of directors and staff leadership that collaborate with campus coordinators, regional chapters, and advisory councils, drawing governance models similar to Smith College, Barnard College, Mount Holyoke College, Oberlin College, and Amherst College consortia. Committees reflect practice areas familiar to institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, and Princeton Theological Seminary. Administrative functions interact with federal grant offices at agencies like U.S. Department of Education and oversight bodies including Government Accountability Office and legislative oversight from entities like the United States House Committee on Education and Labor.

Advocacy and Policy Work

The Council engages in advocacy on appropriations, reauthorization, and regulatory rulemaking linked to statutes such as the Higher Education Act and programs historically influenced by policy debates involving figures and institutions like Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and panels convened by the Institute of Education Sciences. It participates in coalitions with organizations like The Education Trust, Lumina Foundation, Jobs for the Future, Brookings Institution, and Urban Institute to shape policy positions on campus-based grants, student support services, and retention strategies implemented at campuses including Rutgers University, University of Maryland, College Park, Indiana University Bloomington, Arizona State University, and University of Washington. The Council files public comments, provides testimony before congressional hearings, and consults with state higher education agencies such as California Community Colleges System, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and Florida Board of Governors.

Research and Publications

The Council publishes reports, policy briefs, program manuals, and evaluation summaries drawing on methodologies used by researchers at Harvard University, Stanford University School of Education, University of Chicago, Vanderbilt University, and University of Pennsylvania. Topics have included access program outcomes, retention and persistence studies, and cost-benefit analyses referencing work from think tanks like Pew Research Center, RAND Corporation, Center for American Progress, Cato Institute, and American Enterprise Institute. Publications distribute best practices for campus practitioners employed at institutions such as Syracuse University, Clemson University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Louisiana State University, and University of Arizona.

Partnerships and Funding

Funding and partnerships have linked the Council with federal grantmakers, private philanthropy, and campus partners, collaborating with organizations such as Annie E. Casey Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Knight Foundation, and corporate partners including Microsoft, Google, IBM, AT&T, and Verizon on workforce and digital literacy initiatives used by partner colleges like Kent State University, University of Cincinnati, San Diego State University, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of Oregon. The Council also coordinates with national networks and professional associations including National Association of Colleges and Employers, Association of American Universities, Council of Graduate Schools, American Association of Community Colleges, and National Skills Coalition to leverage program funding and technical assistance.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.