2025 Eddies Awards: Best Kept Secret

The Eddies—annual, advocate-nominated and voted awards—feature strategic advocacy that is driving impactful policy change.

Best Kept Secret features replicable and innovative policy and advocacy work led by state and local advocates driving meaningful changes for students and families. We asked the Nomination Committee to pick from Honorable Mentions across all categories to identify finalists for Best Kept Secret.

See a complete list of 2025 nominees in all Eddies categories. Staff at PIE Network members and partner organizations, check your inbox for a link to vote in each category or log in and vote here. Questions? Email [email protected].

Best Kept Secret Winner

From Hidden Literacy Crisis to Historic Win; The Fight for Data Transparency

Nashville PROPEL

Network Policy Pillar: High Expectations

SUMMARY

This policy helps Tennessee families—especially those who are from historically underserved communities—to access clear, honest information about whether their child is reading on grade level on their report card so they can demand timely support, ensure transparency, and push for equitable literacy outcomes.

Our policy and advocacy impacts approximately 700,000 K–8 students in Tennessee public schools by ensuring families receive clear, meaningful, understandable, and timely information about reading proficiency—empowering them to take action and demand stronger literacy outcomes for their children.

WHY THIS WIN MATTERS

Tennessee’s redesigned student report card policy is a game-changing win for families (especially Black and brown families and families in low-income communities) who have been misled by inflated grades and vague progress reports while literacy rates remained dangerously low. After years of sounding the alarm and being ignored, Nashville PROPEL led the fight to pass a statewide bill (Tennessee Senate Bill 1423) requiring every school to indicate whether a K-8 student is reading on grade level on their report card.

This seemingly simple shift is transformative. It reclaims a student’s report card as a tool for truth, not confusion, centering families with honest, actionable data that empowers them to intervene early. Statewide, parents and caregivers can see clearly whether their child is on track, ask the right questions, and demand meaningful support.

This win didn’t come from the top down. It was driven by families and powered by data. We conducted literacy assessments in partnership with Stanford University’s ROAR program, surfacing stark gaps between perception and reality.

Nashville PROPEL organized Nashville’s first parent-led poll on literacy with Embold Research in April 2024, which revealed that families overwhelmingly supported greater transparency. We gathered hundreds of surveys and a petition that moved lawmakers to act in a rare show of bipartisan unity. This law sets a new standard for educational accountability. It removes guesswork, exposes gaps, and helps ensure that no child falls through the cracks because a parent didn’t know there was a problem. Tennessee now leads the nation with a model of what happens when policy is driven by organized parents, real data, and an unshakable demand for equity.

WORKING ACROSS LINES OF DIFFERENCE & COALITIONS

We built a coalition grounded in one shared belief: every parent deserves to know if their child is reading on grade level—no matter their zip code, race, or school type. Nashville PROPEL united parents across political, racial, and geographic lines through listening sessions, literacy assessments, and door-to-door engagement. We activated a base of more than 8,000 trained parent advocates—Black and Brown parents in Nashville—around a bold demand for transparency.

We partnered with Stanford University’s ROAR (Rapid Online Assessment of Reading) to assess 100 students across grade levels and hosted a public briefing to release the results. This data became the foundation of a powerful shared narrative: what families believe about their child’s reading ability often doesn’t match reality. Two out of three parents surveyed said they received more or different information from the ROAR assessment than what their child’s school had shared.

We built trust with parents across charter and traditional public schools by centering their lived experience—not politics. To amplify their voices, we launched Nashville’s first-ever parent-led literacy poll with Embold Research, a citywide petition, and a media strategy that featured parents, not politicians. We worked with legislators on both sides of the aisle, providing cover for bold policy action while holding them accountable to families.

Our coalition included pastors, elected officials, principals, faith leaders, education reform groups like the Tennessee Charter School Center, literacy researchers, and civic organizations. We made space for fathers and mothers, bilingual households, and families failed by the system. Instead of asking families to support a pre-written bill, we built policy around what they said they needed.

This campaign exposed a hidden literacy crisis—and redefined change by putting organized parents in the driver’s seat.

ADVOCACY STRATEGIES & TACTICS USED TO BUILD & EXECUTE A WINNING CAMPAIGN

Never give up on the power of parents. That’s the most important lesson from this campaign. Policy didn’t move because we had the best talking points. It moved because organized parents demanded change and refused to be sidelined. Nashville PROPEL centered the parent voice at every stage and treated families not as stakeholders but as strategists.

We trained parents to understand the system, clarify their demands, and hold their ground. Then we created constant opportunities for them to use that power – at school board meetings, through one-on-one conversations with decision-makers, and by making coordinated phone calls to legislators. Parents showed up consistently, followed up, and kept the pressure on.

We built a disciplined, cross-sector coalition that stayed on message. Our allies – pastors, elected officials, principals, and advocacy groups – helped expand our reach, but we never lost sight of who was leading: the families most impacted by the literacy crisis. We were intentional about not letting policy insiders dilute the urgency of our goal.

We also organized across lines that are often barriers—race, geography, and political affiliation—by staying rooted in what all parents want: the truth about their child’s education and the ability to act on it. That clarity cut through the noise and helped us build unlikely alliances that moved votes.

Behind the scenes, we tracked the legislative process closely and leaned on trusted inside relationships when it mattered most. Parents didn’t just show up once, they followed up again and again, made calls, and built the kind of sustained presence that legislators couldn’t ignore.

This campaign is proof: when parents are equipped, organized, and centered, they don’t just influence policy – they drive it. If you’re building a campaign, put parents in the lead, stay focused, and keep showing up. That’s how you win.

RESOURCES

Best Kept Secret Finalists

Bringing Charter Schools Home: Nevada Facility Solutions

Opportunity 180

Non-Network partners: Governor Lombardo, State Treasurer, State Infrastructure Bank, Equitable Facilities Fund

Network Policy Pillars: Innovative Options, Responsive Systems

SUMMARY

This policy helps high-quality charter schools serving historically underrepresented populations to find and secure facilities that meet their specific needs so they can more equitably and effectively serve students, families, and the community and lower their monthly spend on a permanent facility.

Our policy and advocacy impacts 7,500 students over a 10-year period.

WHY THIS WIN MATTERS

Nevada charter schools must spend a significant portion of per-pupil funding on facilities, as the state lacks a dedicated facility funding stream for charters. This creates barriers across nearly every determinant of school success, including limiting enrollment growth, financial sustainability, compliance, and student engagement. As a result, some schools seeking to open or expand in Nevada have chosen to go elsewhere or not launch at all. Others have overspent on facilities, diverting resources from instruction and student achievement.

To address this, Opportunity 180 created two innovative pathways for facilities funding: the Nevada Facilities Fund, which provides short- and long-term facility financing at below-market interest rates; and a lease guarantee program that increases access to leasing and financing for high-performing, early-phase charter schools.

The Nevada Facilities Fund is a bipartisan, public-private partnership between Opportunity 180, the Equitable Facilities Fund, the Offices of the Governor and State Treasurer, and the State Infrastructure Bank. It represents a $100 million revolving loan fund that recycles repayments to support Nevada classrooms in perpetuity. Borrowing schools save an average of $150,000 annually. In the past year, the Fund has closed three loans: one enabled a school to purchase its leased building; two others purchased their existing facilities AND space for expansion.

Opportunity 180’s lease guarantee program, funded through a U.S. Department of Education Credit Enhancement Grant, supports new high-performing schools. Its first recipient utilized the program in its first year of operations, and leveraged it to purchase their building.

These programs represent a game-changing opportunity for charter schools looking to open or expand in Nevada, leveling the playing field for innovative schools and expanding the number of students with access to these educational opportunities.

WORKING ACROSS LINES OF DIFFERENCE & COALITIONS

Both programs represent bipartisan solutions to charter facilities financing. The Nevada Facilities Fund represents one of the largest bipartisan, public-private partnerships in Nevada history, reflecting an investment of $100 million in public and private capital to directly address the lack of adequate facilities funding for high-impact charter schools with a proven track record of student achievement and success. Given the sometimes polarizing nature of charter schools in state policymaking spaces, this partnership represented one of the most significant steps forward in bolstering the charter ecosystem. The investment infuses $100 million into the Nevada Facilities Fund’s revolving loan fund, including $80 million from Equitable Facilities Fund’s national funders and investors, $5 million in privately raised Nevada-based philanthropy, and a $15 million investment from the Nevada State Infrastructure Bank. The Infrastructure Bank funds began as an initial capitalization from Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak in 2021, finalized by Republican Governor Joe Lombardo in late 2023, with funds overseen by Democratic State Treasurer Zach Conine. This represents a bipartisan statement of support for charter schools in the state, sending a powerful message and providing a significant new resource for public education in Nevada.

The Fund, as well as the lease guarantee program as part of our facilities solutions for charter schools, also benefits from a $12 million federal credit enhancement grant from the US Department of Education, leveraging public dollars for increased impact, as with more favorable financing terms, schools can put money directly back into students and classrooms, spurring more efficient use of funds.

All together, these programs represent local, state, and federal funding paired with both national and local philanthropy for a true bipartisan, public-private partnership that can be replicated in other states.

ADVOCACY STRATEGIES & TACTICS USED TO BUILD & EXECUTE A WINNING CAMPAIGN

We sought to remove partisanship from policy conversations, focusing on the first-of-its-kind nature and the smart stewardship of public resources. This policy began under a Democratic Governor, was championed by a Democratic State Treasurer, has received bipartisan support, and was ushered across the finish line by a Republican Governor. We were willing to meet with anyone to discuss the initiative, and did so multiple times to increase understanding, emphasize impact, and cultivate relationships around areas of commonality. Clear messaging that drove toward impact helped steer the initiative from what could have been a partisan minefield into a smart, pragmatic way to approach one of the most pressing challenges in the charter sector for Nevada. This bipartisanship and impact on students and communities was highlighted in the media and touted by all of our partners involved.

The long-term impacts of leveraging this public-private partnership include efficient use and stewardship of public dollars, and leveraging a strong public-private partnership, to the benefits of students and schools that will more effectively use public dollars in classrooms, rather than on the classrooms. We were able to leverage a $15 million state investment, backed with $7.5 million in federal credit enhancement funds, matched with $85 million in philanthropy for a dedicated Facilities Fund that, with other credit enhancement funds going to lease guarantees.

Lastly, in every update, we brought it back to student impact and focusing on who would be most impacted if the program activated – students, families, and entire communities. The first three loans have shown the power of the program to a diverse, historically underserved student population, and how it continues to save money, leverage public-private partnerships, and stamp bold, creative, and innovative strategies to challenges.

RESOURCES

Nevada Infrastructure Bank Update 2025 – https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ltjofgymoH5nbo5pij_zcB_nh3Ph8KC4/edit?slide=id.gc536324bda_1_418#slide=id.gc536324bda_1_418
Eastside school gets first $12 million of State Fund Created to Help Charters – https://lasvegassun.com/news/2024/sep/09/east-side-school-gets-first-12-million-of-state-fu/
The Gift of Keys: Mariposa Language & Learning Academy Expansion – https://www.kolotv.com/2024/12/02/gift-keys-mariposa-language-learning-academy-expansion/

From Hidden Literacy Crisis to Historic Win; The Fight for Data Transparency

Nashville PROPEL

Network Policy Pillar: High Expectations

SUMMARY

WHY THIS WIN MATTERS

WORKING ACROSS LINES OF DIFFERENCE & COALITIONS

This campaign exposed a hidden literacy crisis—and redefined change by putting organized parents in the driver’s seat.

ADVOCACY STRATEGIES & TACTICS USED TO BUILD & EXECUTE A WINNING CAMPAIGN

RESOURCES

Leadership Matters! Leveraging Competition to Reimagine Principal Recruitment and Preparation

BEST NC

***Network Policy Pillars:* Great Educators, *Responsive Systems***

SUMMARY

This policy reimagined the principal talent pipeline, which is essential for improving teacher recruitment, retention, and quality.

Recruits, vets, and prepares the highest-caliber school leadership through a highly competitive process. The competitive process was defended in Fall 2024
Only the top 8 of 23 MSA-granting programs are qualified to train candidates
Includes a full year, paid residency that ensures hands-on, job-embedded leadership training
No cost to the candidate (fully funded by the state) to remove financial barriers for our most talented future leaders
First-year graduates are hired at a rate of 93% as compared to 33% for all other MSA programs in the state.
The program’s innovative design, implementation, and advocacy strategies and tactics resulted in a replicable model.

The NC Principal Fellows Program and BEST NC’s advocacy impact and estimated 400,000+ students each year by placing more than 700 competitively vetted and well-prepared administrators in schools across the state.

HISTORY & WHY THIS WIN MATTERS

We successfully defended the integrity of the 2015 Principal Fellow Program by preserving its competitive grant structure. Proposals to expand the number of institutions or earmark funds would dilute program quality, undermining both the integrity of the Program and the effectiveness of school leadership across the state.

This win matters because it protects a policy that ensures only the most selective, high-quality institutions prepare NC’s future principals, resulting in stronger school leadership that directly improve teacher effectiveness, student achievement, and outcomes for an estimated 400,000 students statewide.

The Institutions Selected to Prepare NC Principal Fellows are the Best of the Best.
- The NC Principal Fellows Program is intentionally competitive: only the top 8 of 23 MSA programs qualify to participate
- The selective structure of the grant award process ensures only the top institutions are preparing principal candidates
The competition also raises the overall quality of MSA programs by incentivizing them to improve in order to receive or retain these grants
- The Program flips the traditional incentive model by rewarding rigor, effectiveness, and impact, not just enrollment numbers
- Institutions that Compete Based on Outcomes are Incentivized to Only Select the Best Candidates.
- Participating institutions become highly selective with candidates knowing that the 6-year grant renewal cycle depends on the outcomes of their graduates
In contrast, most MSA programs outside the Principal Fellows Program network accept 70%-100% of applicants with less emphasis on candidate quality.

WORKING ACROSS LINES OF DIFFERENCE & COALITIONS

BEST NC worked across lines of difference by partnering with experts and policymakers to establish a ‘Development Grant’ for the runner-up institution that falls just short of receiving the grant. The Development Grant preserved the Program’s competitive integrity while expanding opportunity and successfully prevented expansion or dilution that would weaken the NC Principal Fellows Program.

Convene Stakeholders, Including Adversaries When Possible:

BEST NC collaborated with a diverse group of experts to publish a policy brief focused on protecting the NC Principal Fellows Program’s competitive integrity.
By understanding the pain points of the opposition and better articulating which were valid and which were inconsistent with program quality, we were able to lay out a more coherent diagnosis and solution.

Find Win-Win Solutions:

A key recommendation in the published NCPFP Brief was the creation of a “Development Grant” awarded to the runner-up institution each grant cycle.
The Development Grant offers up to $250,000 per year for six years, helping strengthen near-miss programs without lowering selection standards.
This solution balances quality and equity by expanding support to more institutions, while maintaining the high bar for full program participation.

Seek a Third-Party Endorsement:

The NC Principal Fellows Commission formally approved the NCPFP Brief recommendation and submitted it for legislative action.
The Commission includes MSA Program deans, so it demonstrated the universal acceptance of the recommendation.

Success!

Since identifying and publishing this collaborative, bipartisan solution, and by securing an endorsement by the governing body, no legislation has been introduced to dilute the program by expanding it to less-qualified or earmarked institutions.

ADVOCACY STRATEGIES & TACTICS USED TO BUILD & EXECUTE A WINNING CAMPAIGN

PIE Network members can learn that controlling the narrative was the key to our success in defending and, in fact, strengthening this policy.

Shape the narrative thorough a research-based brief

- Documenting a program’s history, purpose, benefits, and future path helps prevent misinterpretation as the policy ages Emphasize the shared goals of the program such as, in this case, school leadership quality and student outcomes.
- Convene diverse voices early, documenting where consensus can be found, but not requiring an endorsement so the opposition cannot claim they were unaware of these recommendations.
- Establish specific, actionable policy recommendations tied to an advocacy strategy. Look for opportunities that not only defend but also strengthen the program. In this case, we realized that providing a development grant would thwart opposition while it also helped sustain competition amongst the programs that are competitive for the lower-ranked spots, e.g., there might be 10 institutions that are competitive for spots 5-8 and we want an added incentive to keep them competing cycle after cycle.
Build a coalition around the recommendations.

Establish the brief and its recommendations as the most credible, viable option.
Work with the appropriate channels to build support. In this case, we worked with the Principal Fellows Commission to formally endorse this approach and recommend it to the legislature.

RESOURCES

NC Principal Fellows Program Brief: https://bestnc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/New-North-Carolina-Principal-Fellows-Program-Brief-Digital-Copy.pdf
NC Principal Fellows Program Landing Page: North Carolina Principal Fellows Program – BEST NC: https://bestnc.org/principalfellows/

Tennessee Charter Coalition Advocacy Expands Charter Authorization Pathways

ExcelinEd, State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), Tennesseans for Student Success, Tennessee Charter School Center, TennesseeCAN

Network Policy Pillar: Innovative Options

SUMMARY

This policy helps the state of Tennessee streamline charter authorizations, so the state can offer timely access to additional public school options to Tennessee students and families.

Our policy and advocacy impacts nearly 1 million Tennessee students who attend public K-12 schools and are therefore eligible to attend a public charter school.

WHY THIS WIN MATTERS

Providing direct authorizer pathways to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission incentivizes local districts to review charter applicants in good faith and provides charter operators with a streamlined application process, ensuring that more students have access to high-quality public charter schools.

In Tennessee, charter operators opening a new school or campus are required to apply locally first and receive authorization to open from the local school board. If denied at the local level after considering a second amended application, charter operators can then appeal to the statewide Tennessee Public Charter School Commission (TPCSC). Operators follow a rigorous application process to open a school at both the local and state level. Since 2021, the TPCSC has approved the opening of approximately one-third of new charter school applicants on appeal.

While the appeals process is successful at ensuring high-quality charter operators have a pathway to receive authorization to open, the appeal process on average delays the start of a new school or campus by one academic year. In local school districts that consistently deny charter applicants who must then appeal to the TPCSC, it creates unnecessary delays that hinder other important tasks such as securing a facility and hiring teachers. In Tennessee, public charter schools serve a greater proportion of students in historically underserved groups, and since 2021, Tennessee’s public charters show larger student growth across subjects compared to district peers. Timely access and choice for high-quality charter seats is important for students.

To solve for authorization delays, this legislation creates direct authorizer pathways to TPCSC in several circumstances: when a district has had three appeals successfully overturned by TPCSC in three consecutive years, for charter operators who are seeking to replicate an existing model, and for public higher education institutions seeking to open a charter school.

WORKING ACROSS LINES OF DIFFERENCE & COALITIONS

The legislation originated following collaborative policy conversations among the coalition and with Gov. Lee’s administration. Charter advocacy partners were aligned on the challenge that needed to be solved and spent the summer and fall of 2024 examining research and conducting national policy scans for best practices. After aligning on proposed bill language, coalition partners met regularly with members of Gov. Lee’s staff to discuss including the proposed bill language as part of the administration’s annual legislative agenda.

Advancement of this policy during the 2025 legislative session was the result of years of strategic collaboration from charter advocacy partners. Collectively, our organizations worked to educate the public and policymakers about the charter sector through a variety of strategies, including school tours, op-eds, blogs, memos, and legislative advocacy. The charter advocacy coalition supported several state investments and legislative initiatives benefitting charter funding and facilities over the past few legislative sessions, ensuring that state policymakers are familiar with the challenges that charter operators encounter. Our coalition was able to successfully build upon those efforts, educating and addressing misconceptions about Tennessee public charter schools in order to communicate the importance of streamlining authorizer pathways. These efforts were supported by electoral engagement from several coalition partners, which resulted in two successful incumbent challenges (producing a net +2 gain in charter supporters), two successful open-seat engagements (producing a net +1 gain in charter supporters), and successful defense of nine incumbent charter supporters.

This collaboration was strengthened by the support of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, whose administration included this bill in their annual legislative package. Ensuring this was an administrative priority required significant advocacy from coalition partners in advance of the 2025 legislative session.

As part of the administration’s legislative package, the bill was filed by the majority leaders in the Tennessee House and Senate and progressed through the committee process with support from legislative leadership. Additionally, the charter coalition’s support for the administration’s legislation throughout the legislative session also ensured that policymakers were consistently hearing from a diverse, yet aligned, set of education advocacy stakeholders.

ADVOCACY STRATEGIES AND TACTICS USED TO BUILD AND EXECUTE A WINNING CAMPAIGN

Consistent collaboration: Members of the charter advocacy coalition met monthly throughout the summer and fall of 2024 to discuss shared legislative priorities and outreach. This helped build rapport among members and strengthened the culture of collaboration and communication across our organizations. During the 2025 legislative session, members of the charter coalition increased the meeting frequency to weekly meetings in collaboration with the governor’s office. During these meetings, partners discussed the bill’s progress and messaging strategy, and elevated concerns and updates to the governor’s team. These consistent touchpoints allowed us to remain nimble in our approach and maintain open lines of communication.

Providing actionable data: To build bipartisan support, our coalition organizations elevated data and information that highlighted student achievement, charter school quality, TPCSC appeal outcomes, as well as information that addressed the most common myths about Tennessee public charter schools. As charter schools are primarily concentrated in Tennessee’s metropolitan areas, many legislators in the Tennessee General Assembly are less familiar with the impact that Tennessee charter schools have for student outcomes. By grounding our conversations in the data, legislators were able to overcome prior biases and understand the importance of timely access to additional charter school options for students and families.

RESOURCES

The AiEP Project: AI for IEPs – Breaking Language Barriers, Building Parent Power

Innovate Public Schools

Network Policy Pillar: Responsive Systems

SUMMARY

This policy helps parents who are English learners and have a child with an IEP to access timely, high-quality translation and interpretation services so they can understand their child’s education plan, participate meaningfully in IEP meetings, and advocate for the services their children need to thrive.

Our policy and advocacy impacts over 4,000 English Learner students in San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and has the potential to reach thousands more across California and Massachusetts through the AiEP tool. By addressing language access and comprehension barriers, this work empowers families to advocate for the educational rights of students with disabilities, ensuring more equitable support and outcomes.

WHY THIS WIN MATTERS

Innovate parent leaders sparked a movement for language access in special education, beginning with grassroots organizing in San Francisco and culminating in the passage of both local and state policy. This win addresses a long-standing systemic barrier: thousands of families were unable to fully participate in their children’s IEP process due to delays or lack of translation and interpretation services.

After two years of persistent advocacy, parents successfully pushed for SFUSD Policy 5023, passed in 2022, requiring timely, high-quality language access for English Learner families navigating special education. This local momentum helped lay the groundwork for statewide legislation. In 2023, Innovate partnered with Senator Portantino to pass Senate Bill 445, signed into law in 2024, which requires the California Department of Education to translate the state’s new IEP template into the 10 most commonly spoken languages. This policy now benefits more than 837,000 students with IEPs across California and holds potential to inspire national change.

However, policy alone isn’t enough—implementation is essential. That’s why we also launched the AiEP tool: a free, AI-powered platform built in partnership with Northeastern University and co-designed with over 1,000 parents. The tool translates, simplifies, and summarizes complex IEPs, while offering personalized checklists and voice/text interaction. Currently piloting in SFUSD, AiEP is helping parents finally understand their child’s IEP and walk into school meetings prepared to advocate for their needs.

This win is about more than translation. It’s about equity, dignity, and ensuring no family is left behind.

WORKING ACROSS LINES OF DIFFERENCE AND COALITIONS

In 2021, Innovate Parent Leaders worked in coalition to introduce an equity resolution to SFUSD to require live interpretation services and adequately translated documents within 30 days of IEP meetings. SFUSD had no set, required timeline for translation services, and some families waited up to six months for translations of their child’s IEP. As a result of parents’ listening campaigns, research meetings, and advocacy with district officials, the resolution was unanimously passed in 2022, significantly enhancing the accessibility of full participation in the IEP process for 12,000 SFUSD families whose first language is one other than English, including Arabic, Chinese, Filipino, Samoan, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Subsequently, our bilingual (English/Spanish), multiracial statewide parent leader group co-wrote Senate Bill 445, which required LEAs to provide parents/guardians with a translated copy of an IEP including revisions within 30 days of the IEP meeting, if requested, or within 30 days of a later request, if the translation requested is in one of the district’s top eight non-English languages. Although the bill was signed into law in 2024, ultimately its focus shifted to require the CA Department of Education to translate the statewide IEP template developed by the CA Collaborative for Educational Excellence into the top 10 languages spoken statewide and make those translated templates available to all LEAs. This bill is a critical first step in ensuring that families can access timely, quality translation of IEPs and accompanying materials so they can meaningfully engage in their child’s education.

In tandem, Innovate partnered with Northeastern University and Learning Tapestry to co-design a generative AI tool (AiEP), centering parent leaders from SFUSD in its participatory design. Together, these efforts reflect deep cross-sector collaboration and a shared commitment to dismantling systemic barriers in special education through both policy and innovation

ADVOCACY STRATEGIES AND TACTICS USED TO BUILD AND EXECUTE A WINNING CAMPAIGN

The AiEP tool and our policy win illustrate Innovate’s integrated model in action, one that Network members can replicate when tackling systemic challenges identified by families. This work began with a group of Spanish-speaking parents in San Francisco’s Mission District who raised the alarm about inaccessible IEPs and inadequate translation timelines. Innovate responded by bringing together those most affected—parents of English Learners with IEPs—alongside educators, researchers, and policymakers to co-create solutions responsive to real-life barriers.

Network members can learn from our approach of fusing grassroots organizing with rigorous research, policy expertise, and user-centered design. Our work is grounded in the lived experience of families, the practical knowledge of educators, and the discipline of systems-change advocacy. This campaign reflects what’s possible when families are not only at the table, but shaping the agenda.

We train and support Parent Leader Teams—locally led groups that build power and hold public institutions accountable. Our organizing model is built around four core practices: one-on-one relationship building, research meetings, community action, and structured reflection. These practices enabled parents to craft a local resolution (SFUSD Policy 5023), co-author statewide legislation (SB 445), and co-design the AiEP tool with university partners.

We also empowered parents with data and legislative knowledge to speak directly with school board members and lawmakers. The result was policy change and an implementation tool—rooted in community priorities, scalable across districts, and designed to sustain long-term impact. This work demonstrates that when families lead and are trusted as co-creators, the outcomes are more equitable, sustainable, and transformative.

RESOURCES

SFUSD Policy 5023 Summary: https://www.innovateschools.org/news/policy-5023-language-access
AiEP Project Blog: https://www.innovateschools.org/news/aiep-designing-ai-with-communities
Senate Bill 445 (2023): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB445
Learning Differences Impact Sheet

Please note: AiEP prototype and internal training materials are available upon request for PIE Network members only.

Best Kept Secret Winner

Best Kept Secret Finalists

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