The K-12 Education Policy team is committed to developing policies for a new education agenda rooted in principles of opportunity for all and equity in access.
K-12 Education applies an explicit race and resource equity lens to our policy and research agenda. We set a standard where equity is centered in all education policymaking and practice, and where institutional racism is called out and addressed as a barrier to progress.
We are dedicated to preparing all students for college, civic engagement, and the workforce. We recognize the importance of the K-12 education system in providing every child with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in higher education and a changing workforce.
We recognize that no education reform effort can be successful without teachers. We are working to modernize and elevate the teaching profession so that teachers receive the training, pay, and respect they deserve and all students have access to high-quality teachers.
We know that funding matters in education, and there are both racial and socioeconomic disparities in investment and opportunities. We are fighting for increased investment and more equitable funding systems so that schools and students receive the resources they deserve.
The K-12 Education team is grateful to be part of several great coalitions that allow education advocates and community members to share information, coordinate advocacy, brainstorm policy proposals, and more.
Public Education Big Table Coalition
This coalition represents a group of education, civil rights, disability, research, and community organizations working on K-12 education policy and advocacy.
This national coalition of diverse education organizations and educators sought to transform the systems and policies that support teachers to ensure all students have access to great teaching.
Major Initiatives
The K-12 Education team has worked with partner organizations on major initiatives aimed at strengthening different parts of the U.S. education system.
Our team believes that education policymaking should be developed with support from the community. We collaborate with community-based groups to hold conversations with educators, administrators, students, and parents and incorporate these stories and insights into our policy proposals and advocacy. Here are some of the organizations we have worked with.
We are deeply committed to the role of education in building an equitable and just society. Our approach is to apply an explicit racial equity lens to problem-solving. That lens requires us to engage the communities and people most deeply impacted by education policies in our research, advocacy, and coalition-building. A combination of professional expertise and expertise from the lived experiences of community members allows us to develop and advocate for ideas that will expand opportunity, build a strong democracy, and advance an inclusive economy, both now and in the future.
Social and Emotional Supports for Educators During and After the Pandemic
As K-12 districts and schools plan for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that providing social and emotional supports for educators is a key part of the conversation.
Recommending the Reestablishment of Five White House Initiatives
In this letter, Khalilah Harris recommends that the Biden administration reestablish five White House initiatives housed in the Department of Education.
Remote Learning and School Reopenings: What Worked and What Didn’t
As the United States recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and schools return to in-person learning in the fall, it is key that educators learn from the successes of the past year and avoid making the same mistakes.
Investing in Educators Through the American Families Plan
Led by Teach Plus, this letter to Congress asks that $9 billion in funding be included in the American Families Plan to invest in the teaching workforce.
Closing Advanced Coursework Equity Gaps for All Students
Even in high schools with similar levels of access to advanced coursework, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students are less likely to be enrolled in advanced courses—and even when they are enrolled, they experience less success in these courses than their peers.
This interactive uses data from the U.S. Department of Education to estimate how many students, overall and disaggregated, enroll in AP courses, take AP tests, and pass AP tests.
Led by GLSEN and six other co-leaders, these comments were submitted in response to the Department of Education’s public hearing on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
Proposed Priorities for Grant Programs Under the Effective Educator Development Division
In these comments, the Center for American Progress provides some suggestions for strengthening two proposed department priorities concerning grants programs under the Effective Educator Development Division.
The Compound Benefits of Greening School Infrastructure
With long-term federal infrastructure investment, schools can deliver critical health and learning benefits to students while supporting the transition to a 100 percent clean energy future.
The Education Data That Matter Most to Parents and School Stakeholders
The current K-12 accountability system provides important information for education leaders, but local school communities need access to other timely and useful data to help improve the quality of education each child receives.
