2021 Eddies!

One of our greatest strengths as a Network is working together to spread impact and know-how. 

In that spirit, the Eddies!—advocate-nominated and voted awards—provide an annual opportunity to feature outstanding policy and advocacy wins from the past year, telling the story of how advocates improved policy and advanced opportunity, equity, and excellence for students, one community and campaign at a time.

2021 Categories, Finalists & Winners

Game Changer Campaign of the Year

Game Changer Campaign of the Year recognizes local, state, or national advocacy campaigns that tackled a big problem and achieved a new, game-changing policy or protected an existing critical policy. Sometimes  a policy window opens quickly, and advocates move fast; sometimes, the window opens after years of sustained advocacy efforts. Either way, nominees in this category pushed the envelope to make a significant impact for students and families—paving the way for others to replicate or adapt this strategy in their communities.

Winner

Tennessee SCORE: Statewide Early Literacy Law

Finalists

  • A for Arizona: School transportation modernization package
  • Colorado Succeeds, DFER Colorado, Ready Colorado, Stand for Children Colorado:Scholarships for Students to Participate in Postsecondary Pathways and Work-based Learning
  • Democrats For Education Reform Colorado & Education Reform Now Colorado:Banned Legacy Preference in State Public College Admissions
  • Tennessee SCORE: Statewide Early Literacy Law
  • The Education Trust-West: All in for Financial Aid

Learn more about the 2021 Game Changer Campaign of the Year finalists and see a complete list of nominees.

Best Collaboration

Best Collaboration features coalitions of leaders and organizations who worked together to achieve a significant impact for students and families. Working in coalition can be incredibly powerful—and incredibly challenging.  This category honors the hard work of coalitions that organized artfully to respond to unique opportunities or challenges in their states and communities, contributed to a policy win, and inspired others to take up similar efforts. Leaders and organizations in this category not only advanced or protected critical policy to impact students—they did it in partnership and across lines of difference. This category was previously called the Best Ensemble Cast.

Winner

Center for American Progress, United Negro College Fund, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Education Reform Now (ERN), The Education Trust, Educators for Excellence, and other education policy organizations: Investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to Increase Diversity in Teaching Workforce

Finalists

  • Center for American Progress, United Negro College Fund, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Education Reform Now (ERN), The Education Trust, Educators for Excellence, and other education policy organizations: Investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to Increase Diversity in Teaching Workforce
  • ConnCAN, Connecticut Charter Schools Association, Educators for Excellence-Connecticut, FaithActs for Education, and School and State Finance Project: Ending Connecticut’s Racist and Classist Education Funding System
  • NewMexicoKidsCAN (Action Fund), Public Charter Schools of New Mexico, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: Charter Authorizing in New Mexico
  • Ohio Excels, Thomas B. Fordham Institute-Ohio, School Choice Ohio, ExcelinEd Action: Overhauling Ohio’s Funding Formula
  • Tennessee SCORE, TennesseeCAN, Tennesseans for Student Success, The Education Trust in TN, Tennessee Charter School Center, and ExcelinEd: Special Legislative Session on Mitigating the Pandemic’s Impact on Students

Learn more about the 2021 Best Collaboration finalists and see a complete list of nominees.

Best Defense

Best Defense highlights campaigns that strategically defended important policy; sometimes, the most significant wins are actually holding the line. Nominees in this category provide models for how to deploy sharp strategies to defend policies or efforts that benefit students.

Winner

Advance Illinois, America Succeeds, Center for American Progress, Collaborative for Student Success, Data Quality Campaign, EdAllies, Education Reform Now, Foundation for Excellence in Education, FutureEd, National Center for Learning Disabilities, NewMexicoKidsCAN, TN SCORE, The Education Trust, Thomas B. Fordham Institute: Defending Assessments

Finalists

  • Advance Illinois, America Succeeds, Center for American Progress, Collaborative for Student Success, Data Quality Campaign, EdAllies, Education Reform Now, Foundation for Excellence in Education, FutureEd, National Center for Learning Disabilities, NewMexicoKidsCAN, TN SCORE, The Education Trust, Thomas B. Fordham Institute: Defending Assessments
  • Center for Learner Equity & National Center for Learning Disabilities: Defending IDEA during COVID-19
  • EdAllies & Educators for Excellence-Minnesota: Defending Tiered Licensure
  • EdVoice & Teach Plus California: Defending licensure requirements for Reading instruction
  • National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: Defending Charter Schools
  • Thomas B. Fordham Institute-Ohio & Ohio Excels: Defending school report cards and Assessments

Learn more about the 2021 Best Defense finalists and see a complete list of nominees.

Most Actionable Research

Most Actionable Research spotlights resources or tools that shed new light on pressing and widespread problems or solutions and that state and local advocates across the Network leveraged to make a compelling case for policy change and achieve breakthroughs. 

Winner

Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE): The Evidence Project

Finalists

  • Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE): The Evidence Project
  • Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University: NERD$
  • ExcelinEd: Pathways Matter
  • National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ): Transparency of Institutional Teacher Licensure Test Pass Rates
  • National Parents Union (NPU): Parent Polls Designed by Parents

Learn more about the 2021 Most Actionable Research finalists and see a complete list of nominees.

Power to the People Campaign

Power to the People Campaign features grassroots policy and advocacy campaigns at the local level that responded to community needs, grew from community power, and transformed opportunities for students and families in their community. This is the first time work has been recognized in this category.

Winner

The Oakland REACH: Virtual Family Hub

Finalists

  • DC PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education): #DCSchoolRecovery
  • GO Public Schools Oakland: #SchoolAfterCOVID Family Survey
  • HawaiiKidsCan: WiFi on Wheels
  • Powerful Parent Network: 2020 Campaign to Engage Democratic Primary Candidates
  • The Oakland REACH: Virtual Family Hub

Learn more about the 2021 Power to the People finalists and see a complete list of nominees.

Breakthrough Advocate of the Year

Breakthrough Advocate of the Year features state or local leaders who took bold actions–and succeeded–in advancing innovative policies and solutions that support their states’ and communities’ needs. Breakthroughs don’t happen overnight–being an advocacy leader is about being prepared for opportunity, and this category honors leaders who drew from deep experience and hard fought wisdom to act fast and nimbly seize a window of opportunity to advance longstanding priorities. These leaders continue to bring fresh perspectives to complex challenges.

Winner

Lakisha Young, The Oakland REACH

Finalists

  • Daniel Anello, Kids First Chicago
  • Emily Anne Gullickson, A for Arizona
  • Joshua Kaufmann, Teach Plus Illinois
  • Keri Rodrigues, National Parents Union
  • Lakisha Young, The Oakland REACH
  • Rachel Canter, Mississippi First
  • Sarah Carpenter, The Memphis Lift

Learn more about the 2021 Breakthrough Advocate of the Year finalists and see a complete list of nominees.

Suzanne Kubach PIE Network Weaver of the Year


Suzanne Kubach PIE Network Weaver of the Year honors local, state, or national leaders who consistently go above and beyond their job description to connect and support peers advancing state and local advocacy policy. This category recognizes advocates who thoughtfully and intentionally support the leadership and work of others, strengthening the Network and the sector. This category was previously called Network MVP.

Winner

Robin Lake, Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE)

Finalists

  • David Mansouri, Tennessee SCORE 
  • Jen Walmer, Democrats for Education Reform Colorado
  • Maya Martin Cadogan, DC PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education)
  • Robin Lake, Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE)
  • Scott Laband, Colorado Succeeds

Learn more about the 2021 Suzanne Kubach PIE Network Weaver of the Year finalists and see a complete list of nominees.

2021 Timeline

  • Summer: Determine Award Categories – categories are generally consistent each year, however, we do adapt, add, and remove areas each year to stay in line with the field. More info on this year’s categories can be found in the next section. 
  • August 20: Nomination Deadline – all-call for nominations from PIE Network members for their own work or to recognize the work of other Network members. 
  • September 16: Finalists Announced – we will announce the finalists in each category as selected by the nominations committee. The committee is comprised of 11 state advocates and national partners.
  • September 16-October 8: Network Voting – Network members and partners can cast their votes for the winnersVoting is now closed.
  • October 20: Winners Announced – Winners were announced at the 2021 PIE Network Annual Summit in Denver, CO.