National Organizations

For lists of advocacy organizations by state, use our State-by-State map.
For a list of national policy organizations, see our Policy Organization list.

This list is divided into two sections: National Organizations and University-Based Organizations

The 21st Century School Fund, founded in 1994, emphasizes its commitment to the creation of healthy, safe, and educationally appropriate learning environments. The Fund's stated mission is to build the public will and promote community responsibility and ability to improve urban public school facilities. The Fund is the leader of four organizations collaborating in Building Educational Success Together (BEST), which is working to ensure that improvement of school facilities is a priority of national and regional school reform agendas.

Executive Director: Mary Filardo
2814 Adams Mill Road, NW
Washington, DC 20009-2204
Phone: (202) 745-3745
Fax: (202) 745-1713
info@21csf.org

Advancement Project

The Advancement Project describes itself as a democracy and justice action group. The organization focuses on three main areas of policy and research: opportunity to learn, power and democracy, and urban peace. The Advancement Project produces policy and legal research and analysis, and translates academic and legal language into "user-friendly" materials that are relevant to their advocacy efforts. Partnering with local communities to link external resources with concerned citizens, the Advancement Project works to advance universal opportunity and equality and access to those left behind in America. The Advancement Project also does advocacy work.

1730 M Street, NW #910
Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: (202) 728-9557
Fax: (202) 728-9558
ap@advancementproject.org

West Coast office:
Advancement Project Los Angeles
1545 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 800
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: (213) 989-1300
Fax: (213) 989-1309

Alliance for Excellent Education

The stated mission of the Alliance for Excellent Education is to promote high school transformation to make it possible for every child to graduate prepared for postsecondary education and success in life. The Alliance works on both advocacy and policy and envisions a larger federal role in funding programs for at-risk students. The organization advocates for additional help for older students who struggle to read at grade level, academic counseling that encourages parental involvement, quality teachers, and school environments that foster achievement.

President: Bob Wise
1201 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 901
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 828-0828
Fax: (202) 828-0821
wise@all4ed.org

The Center for Community Change

The Center for Community Change describes itself as a progressive social justice organization whose mission is to support the emergence of social and economic justice movements in the United States. They strive to transform national debate and politics, institutions, economic systems and policies that affect low-income, working class and minority communities. Working to achieve this goal, they help grassroots leaders build strong organizations, coordinate and support national issue campaigns, engage low-income and minority communities in political participation, and advocate for strategies and policies that promote economic and social justice.

Center for Community Change
1000 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 342-0519
info@communitychange.org

Field Office
8201 Fourth Street, Suite G
Downey, CA 90241
(562) 862-2070
LAOffice@communitychange.org

Center for Reflective Community Practice

The Center for Reflective Community Practice at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology organizes teams of diverse individuals in order to "build social capital, improve community practice, and inform policy." The Center strives to bring together experts, community members, and various interest groups in order to utilize the expertise and innovation of each group to create original and unusual solutions to the problems of under-resourced communities. The Center's projects focus on building the engagement, health, and cultural awareness of communities, especially through the creative use of technology.

Center for Reflective Community Practice
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Building 7, Room 307
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 253-3216
Fax: (617) 258-6515
crcp@mit.edu

Children's Aid Society's National Technical Assistance Center for Community Schools (NTACCS)

The Children's Aid Society's National Technical Assistance Center for Community Schools (NTACCS) was created in 1994 as a result of an increased demand for information about the Children's Aid Society (CAS) Community Schools model. NTACCS provides technical assistance about the collaboration and integration of social services in a public education institution as demonstrated by the CAS community schools. Beyond showing others how to adapt the model, NTACCS plays a leading role in local and national advocacy efforts to advance the community schools movement and place this approach on the broader education agenda.

NTACCS
I.S. 218 Community School, NYC
Phone: (212) 569-2866 or 2882
Fax: (212) 544-7609
ta@childrensaidsociety.org

Critical Exposure

Critical Exposure describes itself as an organization dedicated to building public demand for quality education through the use of compelling documentary photography, first-person narrative and accessible policy analysis. It accomplishes this mission through youth development and empowerment, public engagement, and partnering with local school reform groups. They provide students with cameras and training in documentary photography so the can document the impact of school funding disparities and use photographs as a tool to help engage the public and policymakers.

2755 Ordway Street, NW
Suite 305
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: (202) 258-6626
Phone: (202) 257-5075

Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform

The Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform states that it is a national network of school reformers that supports efforts to create high-quality schools that ensure educational success for all urban young people. To that end, Cross City advocates for policies and practices that move authority, resources, and accountability to the school level, reconnect schools with their community, and rethink the role of school districts. Headquartered in Chicago, Cross City's membership includes parents, educators, researchers, and funders from nine major cities: Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

407 South Dearborn Street, Suite 1500
Chicago, Illinois 60605
Phone: (312) 322-4880
Fax: (312) 322-4885
http://www.crosscity.org/contact_us.html

The Education Trust

The Education Trust "works for the high academic achievement of all students at all levels, pre-kindergarten through college, and forever closing the achievement gaps that separate low-income students and students of color from other youth." The Education Trust "advances its mission along several fronts, from raising its voice in national and state policy debates to helping teachers improve instruction in their classrooms." Their actions include: "advocacy that encourages schools, colleges, and whole communities to mount effective campaigns so that all their students will reach high levels of academic achievement; analysis and expert testimony on policies intended to improve education; writing and speaking for professional and general audiences about educational patterns and practices; research and wide public dissemination of data identifying achievement patterns among different groups of students; assistance to school districts, colleges, and community-based organizations to help their efforts at raising student achievement, especially among minority and poor students."

President: Kati Haycock
The Education Trust
1250 H St. NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005
PH: 202-293-1217 FAX: 202-293-2605
http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/contact+us

The Institute for Educational Equity & Opportunity

The Institute for Educational Equity & Opportunity (“IFEEO”) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the pursuit of educational equity and opportunity, particularly for disadvantaged public school children through legal means. The IFEEO is especially interested in fair and equitable public school finance laws. IFEEO has four main projects: (1) the study of the history of the education clause in the state constitutions of all fifty states; (2) a IFEEO Legal Fellowship and Summer Associate Award; (3) the IFEEO Educational Archives Project; (4) grants to counsel for plaintiffs for assistance with drafting an article regarding school equity and finance litigation.

Washington Office
Phone: 202-661-4652
Fax: 202-661-4699
Philadelphia Office
Phone: 215-557-6224
Fax: 215-557-9552
info@ifeeo.org

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, founded in 1963, describes itself as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose mission is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law. Its major objective is to use the skills and resources of the bar to obtain equal opportunities for minorities by addressing factors that contribute to racial justice and economic opportunity. Besides various projects in voting rights, housing, environmental justice, and employment equality, LCCRUL also does extensive advocacy on equal opportunities for minority and poor youth within the nation’s public schools and institutions of higher education. The Lawyers' Committee implements its mission and objectives by marshaling the pro bono resources of the bar for litigation, public policy advocacy, and other forms of service by lawyers to the cause of civil rights.

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, D.C.20005
Phone: (202) 662-8600
Fax: (202) 783-0857

Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), founded in 1950, is a civil rights coalition of over 180 national organizations representing a wide variety of constituents. LCCR is a legislative advocacy organization that claims to have been involved in coordinating national campaigns on behalf of every major civil rights law since 1957. Its stated mission is to promote the enactment and enforcement of effective civil rights legislation and policy.  LCCR also has an Education Fund which is devoted to public education concerning pressing topics in public policy, including education reform.

Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
1629 K Street NW
10th Floor
Washington , DC 20006
Phone: (202) 466-3311

Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund
Phone: (202) 466-3434

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)

MALDEF describes itself as a nonprofit Latino litigation, advocacy and educational outreach institution. According to MALDEF, its mission is to foster sound public policies, laws and programs to safeguard the civil rights of Latinos living in the United States and to empower the Latino community to fully participate in our society.

Offices and Contact Information:
http://www.maldef.org/about/offices.cfm

National Black Caucus of State Legislators

The National Black Caucus of State Legislators’ (NBCSL) primary mission is to develop, conduct and promote educational, research and training programs designed to enhance the effectiveness of its members, as they consider legislation and issues of public policy which impact, either directly or indirectly, upon "the general welfare" of African American constituents within their respective jurisdictions.

444 North Capitol Street, NW
Suite 622
Washington DC 20001
Phone: (202) 624.5457
Fax: (202) 508.3826
staff@nbcsl.com

National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators

Since its founding in 1989, the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislator's (NHCSL) primary mission has been to organize Hispanic state legislators who advocate on behalf of Hispanic communities across the United States, its commonwealths, and territories. Their efforts focus on advancements in education, healthcare, housing, economic development, criminal justice, and employment and job training for the Hispanic community.

444 North Capitol Street, NW
Suite 404
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 434-8070
Fax: (202) 434-8072
http://www.nhcsl.com/contact.html

National Indian Education Association

The National Indian Education Association states that its mission is to support traditional Native cultures and values, to enable Native learners to become contributing members of their communities, to promote Native control of educational institutions, and to improve educational opportunities and resources for American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians throughout the United States.

Acting Executive Director: Sheryl McCreary
700 North Fairfax Street, Suite 210
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703-838-2870
Fax: 703-838-1620
niea@niea.org

National School Boards Association (NSBA)

The stated mission of the National School Boards Association is to promote excellence and equity in public education through school board leadership. NSBA believed that school boards are American's best examples of grassroots democracy, and that they are especially capable of providing leadership for the purposes of improving student achievement and of actively engaging the community. They feel that if school boards working together and individually aim to formulate clear goals for increasing student and school performance, they can prepare students for the unique challenges of today and tomorrow.

Executive Director: Anne L. Bryant
1680 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 838-6722
Fax: (703) 683-7590
info@nsba.org

Parents for Public Schools (PPS)

Parents for Public Schools (PPS) describes itself as a national organization with approximately 25 community-based chapters in 13 states around the country working to strengthen public schools through proactive involvement. Its members believe that quality public education is vital to our democracy and to America's future, and they therefore aim to help make public schools attractive to all families in a community by making sure all schools effectively serve all children.

Executive Director: Ken C. Rolling
National Headquarters:
3252 North State Street
Jackson, MS 39216
Phone: (60) 713-3229
Fax: (601) 713-3099
ppschapter@parents4publicschools.com or http://www.parents4publicschools.com/contactus.html

Pre-K Now

Pre-K Now is a public education and advocacy organization that advances high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds. They describe themselves as "committed to [the] vision of a nation where every child enters kindergarten prepared to succeed."

Executive Director: Libby Doggett
1025 F Street, NW
Suite 900
Washington, DC 20004
Main Number 202.862.9871
Fax 202.862.9870
http://www.preknow.org/contact/contact.cfm

Public Education Network (PEN)

The Public Education Network has been a long-standing, effective proponent of strong public schools nationwide, especially in low-income communities. PEN believes that "equal opportunity, access to quality public schools, and an informed citizenry are all critical components of a democratic society."

To promote what it describes as essentials for successful public education - public engagement, community support, and adequate resources - PEN was established nearly two decades ago as a national association of nonprofit, local affiliate organizations, Local Education Funds (LEFs). PEN has grown to 69 LEFs in 28 states and the District of Columbia, including, for example, the Mobile Area Education Foundation in Alabama, Forward in the Fifth in Kentucky, New Visions for Public Schools in New York City, and the Portland Schools Foundation in Oregon.

PEN's website provides a wealth of information, including links to other websites, on dozens of important education topics.

601 Thirteenth Street, NW
Suite 710 South
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 628-7460
Fax: (202) 628-1893
pen@publiceducation.org

Rebuild America's Schools (RAS)

Rebuild America's Schools describes itself as a nonpartisan coalition of national organizations and school districts from around the county that works to create federal support for the efforts of local communities to build, renovate, and modernize school facilities. It enumerates two immediate goals: 1) persuade federal lawmakers to put school modernization on the agenda of Congress and 2) build and show public support for a partnership between the federal government and state and local communities dedicated to building and funding modern schools. RAS provides its member school districts with newsletters, legislative updates, and Action Alerts. RAS partner organizations include the Organizations Concerned about Rural Education (OCRE), the National School Boards Association (NSBA), the National Education Association, and the American Institute of Architects.

Chair: Robert Canavan
1440 N Street NW, Suite 106
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 462-5911
Fax: (202) 588-8094
information@modernschools.org

The Rural School and Community Trust

The Rural School and Community Trust describes itself as a national nonprofit organization rooted in rural America that works with schools and community groups across the country. Through its Policy Building and Capacity Building Programs, it aims to improve the links between schools and rural communities to better the quality of education and community life and to affect state education policy. The Rural Trust sees itself as primarily focused on those rural communities facing historic patterns of poverty and racism or challenged by declines in population, major changes in population composition, and fundamental economic change. The Trust is the convener of the Rural Equity Collaborative, which aims to improve the equity and adequacy of school finance systems in rural communities with high poverty rates. The Trust's website provides state-by-state links to issues, projects, and rural advocacy groups.

The Trust has also established the Rural Education Finance Center (REFC), which describes itself as dedicated to improving educational opportunity for rural children by reducing inequality in state school finance systems, improving rural schools' fiscal practices, and ensuring the adequacy of rural-school funding. The REFC states that it strives to meet those goals by: building civic capacity; generating good research and monitoring existing research; and providing legal support for rural people involved in school-finance lawsuits. President: Rachel B. Tompkins

National Office:
1825 K Street NW, Suite 703
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 955-7177
Fax: (202) 955-7179
info@ruraledu.org

Director, Rural Education Finance Center: Gregory C. Malhoit
3344 Hillsborough Street, Suite 302
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 833-4541
greg.malhoit@ruraledu.org

Stand for Children

Stand for Children has refined the model of valuable citizen activism by successfully building effective networks of grassroots advocates and joining people under one voice to promote concrete and lasting improvements for children at state and local levels. The organization focuses on securing adequate funding for public schools and reforming education policies to give children the opportunity to succeed academically. Since 1999 members of Stand for Children have won 88 state and local victories - achieving a number of education reforms and leveraging more than $1.7 billion in public funding for programs that are now improving the lives of more than 2.7 million children. Every dollar donated to the organization has delivered $115 in public funding for schools and other children's programs. Stand for Children has state affiliates in Massachusetts, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.

Executive Director: Jonah Edelman
516 SE Morrison, Suite 420
Portland, OR 97214
Phone: 800-663-4032
fax. 503-963-9517
stand@stand.org

Education Justice Collaborative
University of California, Los Angeles

The Education Justice Collaborative is a coalition of about 30 grassroots, research, and advocacy organizations. The EJC allows these groups to share resources and strategies in order to maximize their impact on the educational opportunities in their communities and across the state, and specifically to ensure that these opportunities are equally accessible to students of color, low-income students and immigrant students. The group’s members include Californians for Justice, Public Advocates, and many others. EJC does not participate in any advocacy on its own behalf, but provides research assistance and support to member organizations who themselves advocate for change. The EJC is a joint program of UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education and Access (IDEA) and Program in Public Interest Law and Policy (PILP).