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.
Students go over their drawings during an art class. (Getty/Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times)
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.
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.
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.
Joint Comments for the Department of Education Regarding Unfinished Learning, Accelerated Learning, and Tutoring
The Center for American Progress joined some of its partners to recommend ways that the Department of Education can support state and local efforts to spend learning-related federal relief funds.
The Education Trust, Education Reform Now, FutureEd, 2 Morethe Center for American Progress, Success for All
Recommending the Establishment of an Interagency Working Group on the Teaching Profession
Led by the Center for American Progress, this letter requests that the Biden administration establish an interagency working group focused on modernizing, diversifying, and elevating the teaching profession.
Supporting a Youth Partnership With the Biden-Harris Administration’s Department of Education
The Center for American Progress signed a letter written by Student Voice to the incoming Biden administration regarding greater partnership with youth on education policymaking.
Supporting the Expansion of Next Generation Community Schools
Scott Sargrad joins his fellow members of the Task Force on Next Generation Community Schools to write a letter to the incoming Biden-Harris administration about supporting community schools.
The Task Force on Next Generation Community Schools
Co-Sponsoring the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act (S. 4360/H.R. 7848)
Led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, this letter urges members of Congress to co-sponsor the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, partners
Advancing Educational Equity Through the Biden-Harris Administration
Led by the Education Trust and EducationCounsel, this memo outlines critical policy actions that the Biden-Harris administration should take during its first term to advance educational equity.
