Participatory Policy Development: Community-Informed Policies in the Era of COVID-19 and Ongoing Racial Injustice

Abstract

The Education Trust is a national nonprofit working to close opportunity gaps in education that disproportionately affect students of color and students from low-income families. Since 2020, The Education Trust has co-led a coalition of 12 organizations that work to shape federal education policy. Specifically, the coalition’s goal is to advance equity and whole child supports in the policy response to the pandemic with a focus on dismantling systemic racism. Historically, the coalition did not partner with state advocates and leaders. This capstone examines my 10-month residency at The Education Trust where I worked with the coalition to develop a state engagement initiative and to strategize for the group’s next phase of work. I drew from research on organizing and teaming, systems change, and policy development. In my role, I worked across teams and organizations to engage state partners in federal advocacy efforts, to catalyze conversations about the coalition’s future strategy and work, and to improve coalition operations and management. As a result, The Education Trust and their co-lead plan to invest in deeper state partnerships as a core part of their future strategy. The findings from this capstone indicate that The Education Trust and the coalition will benefit from establishing strategic partnerships with state groups and co-creating federal-state feedback loops. At the sector level, the results of this capstone suggest that system leaders ought to place greater emphasis on building the capacity – in themselves and others – to cultivate partnerships and organize communities. These skills have the potential to result in more equitable policies and deeper collaboration across sectors that impact the entire ecosystem surrounding children and youth (e.g., health, housing)—thereby ultimately advancing true equity and whole child supports.