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Education

K-12 Education Policy

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)

What We're Doing

Racial equity and community-informed policies

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.

College, career, and civic readiness

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.

Modernizing and elevating the teaching profession

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.

Investment and funding equity for public education

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 Policy team is committed to developing policies for a new education agenda rooted in principles of opportunity for all and equity in access.

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Featured Experts

Featured work

Coalition Partners

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.

TeachStrong

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.

WeBuildEDU, in partnership with EduColor

WeBuildEDU is a campaign led by the Center for American Progress and EduColor dedicated to amplifying the voices of educators of color in discussions about what public education should look like in light of the ongoing movement for racial justice and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a combination of media, local organizing, and policy proposals, the campaign will work to ensure that decision-makers are centering the ideas and experiences of educators of color and involving them in policymaking in the short and long term.

Moonshot for Kids, in partnership with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute

The Moonshot for Kids initiative was a yearlong collaboration with the Fordham Institute to gather ideas for new research and development (R&D) and bolster bipartisan support for education R&D. The initiative had three components: publications about the history of education R&D; a competition to identify big, bold ideas that additional investment in education R&D could fund; and a policy proposal for how to build out a sustainable education R&D infrastructure.

Community Partners

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.

About our team

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.

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Proposed Changes to the Mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection Sign-On Letter

Proposed Changes to the Mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection

In these comments, the Center for American Progress suggests revisions to the Civil Rights Data Collection to get the data necessary to address equity gaps in education.

Center for American Progress and partners

Q&A With CAP’s New Senior Vice President for Education, Jesse O’Connell Article

Q&A With CAP’s New Senior Vice President for Education, Jesse O’Connell

Jesse O'Connell, the new senior vice president for Education at the Center for American Progress, talks about the opportunities this moment offers to improve early childhood, K-12, and higher education in the United States.

Jesse O’Connell

Education Policies Need To Address the Unique Needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities Report
A group of young (1st grade) Asian students dressed in colorful traditional clothing, standing in front of a microphone. They are holding sheets of light yellow paper, performing folk poetry for the Hmong American Day celebration at the state capitol.

Education Policies Need To Address the Unique Needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities

The Center for American Progress is conducting new research that uplifts the lived experiences in public education of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. This research will advance CAP’s ongoing work to apply an explicit racial equity lens to K-12 education policymaking.

Roby Chatterji, Jessica Yin

Co-Sponsoring Legislation To Advance Safe, Healthy, and Inclusive School Climates Sign-On Letter

Co-Sponsoring Legislation To Advance Safe, Healthy, and Inclusive School Climates

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 Keeping All Students Safe Act, the Protecting our Students in Schools Act, the Safe Schools Improvement Act, and the Ending PUSHOUT Act.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, partners

Retaining and Fostering Diverse Schools Program in the FY 2022 Budget Sign-On Letter

Retaining and Fostering Diverse Schools Program in the FY 2022 Budget

Led by the National Coalition on School Diversity, this letter advocates for the inclusion of the Fostering Diverse Schools program in the fiscal year 22 budget.

The National Coalition on School Diversity, partners

Supporting the Strength in Diversity Act (H.R. 729) Sign-On Letter

Supporting the Strength in Diversity Act (H.R. 729)

Led by the National Coalition on School Diversity, this letter expresses support for the Strength in Diversity Act.

The National Coalition on School Diversity, partners

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