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.
2022 Categories & Finalists
Anyone that works at a PIE Network member or partner organization can vote for a winner in each category. Check your inbox for a link to vote. For the first time, Summit participants will be invited to vote on-site for Game Changer Campaign of the Year, following the plenary session with the finalists.
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
TennesseeCAN, Tennessee SCORE, Tennesseans for Student Success, The Education Trust in Tennessee, ExcelinEd, Tennessee Charter School Center: Tennessee Education Funding Reform (TISA)
Finalists
- A+ Education Partnership: Solving the Math Crisis in Alabama: The Alabama Numeracy Act
- American Federation for Children: Arizona School Choice Expansion: Largest School Choice Victory in US History
- ExcelinEd: 15 States Advance Literacy Through Science of Reading
- Illinois Network of Charter Schools: Illinois Charters Secure First Ever $35 Million State Appropriation For Facilities Equity in a Deep Blue State
- National Parents Union: Everyday Parents Impacting Change – EPIC
- TennesseeCAN, Tennessee SCORE, Tennesseans for Student Success, The Education Trust in Tennessee, ExcelinEd, Tennessee Charter School Center: Tennessee Education Funding Reform (TISA)
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
TennesseeCAN, Tennessee SCORE, Tennesseans for Student Success, The Education Trust in Tennessee, ExcelinEd, Tennessee Charter School Center: Tennessee Education Funding Reform (TISA)
Finalists
- Advance Illinois, Teach Plus Illinois, Educators for Excellence-Chicago, Stand for Children Illinois, Illinois Network of Charter Schools, & Kids First Chicago: Strengthening and Diversifying Illinois Educator Pipeline
- Colorado Succeeds, ExcelinEd, DFER CO: $100 Million Investment in Colorado’s Future Workforce Leveraged Through Federal Stimulus Dollars
- Mississippi First & Teach Plus Mississippi: Teacher Pay Raise
- PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education), DC Charter Alliance, DFER DC: DC Students Succeed
- TennesseeCAN, Tennessee SCORE, Tennesseans for Student Success, The Education Trust in Tennessee, ExcelinEd, Tennessee Charter School Center: Coalition For Tennessee Education Funding Reform (TISA)
- Teach Plus & Center for Black Educator Development: Increasing Teacher Diversity in PA
Learn more about the 2022 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
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and many others: #BackOff Charters
Finalists
- Advance Illinois: Keeping Illinois’ Historic Funding Reform, EBF Formula on Course
- National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and many others: #BackOff Charters
- Our Turn: Truth(ed)—A fight for equity-centered education that prepares students for a future they will be leading
- Prichard Committee: Defeating anti-CRT Legislation
- Stand for Children Tennessee & The Education Trust in Tennessee: Censorship is Not the Answer – TN HB1944: School Library Bill
- Teach Plus Indiana, Stand for Children Indiana, & TNTP: Learning From History and Defending Truth in Indiana
Learn more about the 2022 Best Defense finalists and see a complete list of nominees.
Best Implementation
Best Implementation is a new award this year that highlights the necessary implementation work to ensure that breakthrough policies or laws lead to sustained impact for students. Advocates know that passing policy is only the beginning of the work to change outcomes and opportunities for students. This is the first time work has been recognized in this category.
Winner
EdAllies, Great MN Schools, TNTP: Launching Minnesota’s First Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs
Finalists
- A for Arizona: Arizona’s Way: How to remove red tape and create a more robust teacher talent pool
- BEST NC: Transforming Principal Pay for Student Success
- Colorado Succeeds and ExcelinEd: Career Development Incentive Program (CDIP)
- EdAllies, Great MN Schools, TNTP: Launching Minnesota’s First Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs
- Empower Illinois: Invest in Kids Act Implementation
- Mississippi First: Mississippi Early Learning Collaboratives: State-Funded Pre-K
Learn more about the 2022 Best Implementation 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
Education Resource Strategies (ERS): Reimagining the Teaching Job
AND
Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University: Edunomics Lab’s Learning Loss Calculator
Finalists
- America Succeeds: Durable Skills
- Collaborative for Student Success, Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), and Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University with support from DQC, EdAllies, EdTrust, George W Bush Institute, National Parents Union and TNTP: The Edu Recovery Hub
- Education Resource Strategies (ERS): Reimagining the Teaching Job
- Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University: Edunomics Lab’s Learning Loss Calculator
- ExcelinEd: Pathways Matter State Case Studies
- National Parents Union: National Parents Union Poll Project
Learn more about the 2022 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.
Winner
GO Public Schools Oakland: Expanding School Board Voting Rights to Immigrant Families
Finalists
- GO Public Schools Oakland: Expanding School Board Voting Rights to Immigrant Families
- HawaiiKidsCAN: Lanai Ohana Pods and parent network
- Innovate Public Schools: Power to the Parents: California Families Advocate for Tutoring Supports
- Kids First Chicago: Radically Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement to Reimagine a District’s Accountability Policy
- NewMexicoKidsCAN: A Wave of Progress for the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education
- PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education): #ParentPriorities #OSTWorks
Learn more about the 2022 Power to the People 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
Amanda Aragon, NewMexicoKidsCAN
Finalists
- Amanda Aragon, NewMexicoKidsCAN
- Emily Anne Gullickson, A for Arizona
- Eric Lerum, America Succeeds
- Gini Pupo-Walker, The Education Trust in Tennessee
- Jim O’Connor, Advance Illinois
- Kymyona Burk, ExcelinEd
- Lindsay Sobel, Teach Plus
- Mary Cypress Metz, Tennessee SCORE
2022 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. In 2022, a “Best Implementation” award was added.
- August 9: Nomination Deadline – all-call for nominations from PIE Network members for their own work or to recognize the work of other Network members.
- August 25: Finalists Announced – the finalists in each category were announced as selected by the nomination committee. The committee is comprised of 15 state advocates and national partners.
- August 25 – September 16: Network Voting – Network members cast their votes for winners in all categories except for Game Changer Campaign of the Year. Voting for the Game Changer Campaign of the Year happened during the 2022 PIE Network Annual Summit.
- October 20: Winners Announced – Winners were announced at the 2022 PIE Network Annual Summit in New York, NY.