Every Student Succeeds Coalition

Every Student Succeeds Coalition
Name	Every Student Succeeds Coalition
Type	Nonprofit advocacy coalition
Founded	2015
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Region served	United States
Focus	Education policy

Contents

Every Student Succeeds Coalition The Every Student Succeeds Coalition is a United States-based advocacy network formed to influence federal and state policy related to K–12 No Child Left Behind Act successor frameworks and accountability systems. It engages lawmakers, state chiefs, district leaders, and civil society actors to advance standards-based accountability tied to student outcomes and school improvement, operating at the nexus of policy debates in United States Department of Education, state legislatures such as the California State Legislature and Texas Legislature, and education-focused organizations like National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers. The coalition has intervened in debates involving landmark statutes and initiatives including the Every Student Succeeds Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and state waiver processes involving the Race to the Top program.

Overview

The coalition functions as a cross-sector intermediary connecting leaders from the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, state departments such as the New York State Education Department and Florida Department of Education, philanthropic funders including foundations modeled after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Ford Foundation, and nonprofit service providers like Teach For America and KIPP. Drawing on expertise from think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, the Heritage Foundation, and the American Enterprise Institute, it frames policy proposals for federal actors such as the Speaker of the House and the Secretary of Education while engaging media outlets and advocacy groups including American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association.

The coalition was established in the aftermath of legislative negotiations over the Every Student Succeeds Act and in response to shifting priorities after high-profile federal initiatives such as Race to the Top and administrative guidance from the U.S. Department of Education under Arne Duncan. Founders included former officials from the Office for Civil Rights (United States Department of Education), state chiefs formerly associated with the Education Commission of the States, and policy directors with roots at institutions like The Heritage Foundation and Center for American Progress. Early organizing occurred in proximity to national conferences such as the ASCD Conference and the National Conference of State Legislatures annual meeting, with incorporation filings linked to legal counsel operating before courts like the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

The coalition's stated mission aligns with efforts to influence implementation of statutes like the Every Student Succeeds Act and to inform rulemaking processes at the U.S. Department of Education and state education agencies such as the Ohio Department of Education and Pennsylvania Department of Education. Its activities have included convening briefings with members of the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and staff from the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce, producing policy briefs in collaboration with research centers like the RAND Corporation and Urban Institute, and filing amicus positions in cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. The coalition has also hosted panels featuring leaders from Council of the Great City Schools, nonprofit operators such as Success Academy Charter Schools, and higher education partners including Teachers College, Columbia University.

Governance structures reflect contributions from a board composed of state chiefs, former congressional staffers, and executives from philanthropic intermediaries modeled on the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Lumina Foundation. The coalition's funding streams include grants from private foundations, contracts with policy research entities such as Mathematica Policy Research, and donor-advised gifts tied to families and entities with ties to figures like Michael Bloomberg and organizations resembling the Walton Family Foundation. It maintains compliance filings with the Internal Revenue Service and has engaged law firms with histories of representation before the United States Supreme Court and lobbying registrations in the Federal Election Commission context.

The coalition has formed operational partnerships with civic organizations including City Year, advocacy networks such as Stand for Children, and research partnerships with university-based centers at Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education, and University of Michigan School of Education. It coordinates campaigns with state associations like the National Association of State Boards of Education and national coalitions such as Chiefs for Change and has intersected with policy dialogues featuring stakeholders from Parents for Public Schools and civil rights groups modeled on the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Observers credit the coalition with shaping regulatory guidance and state plan negotiations under the Every Student Succeeds Act and influencing legislative language debated in the 116th United States Congress and 117th United States Congress. Critics, including labor unions such as the American Federation of Teachers and advocacy parents' groups, have argued the coalition privileges standardized accountability models championed by philanthropic actors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation over alternative approaches promoted by civil rights organizations like the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Legal scholars and policy analysts from institutions like the Brennan Center for Justice and the Bipartisan Policy Center have raised concerns about transparency, stakeholder representation, and the effects of funder-driven agendas on local school boards such as those in Chicago Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District.

Category:Education policy organizations in the United States