Collaborative for Student Success is an educational advocacy organization that focuses its efforts on advancing policies that support the development of the controversial Common Core State Standards (CCSS). [1] Collaborative for Student Success is a project of the New Venture Fund, a funding and fiscal sponsorship nonprofit managed by the left-leaning consulting firm Arabella Advisors. [2]
Collaborative for Student Success is a strong supporter of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) [3] and runs a number of campaigns to support the national education legislation, including Check State Plans, Assessment HQ, and Understanding ESSA. [4]
Collaborative for Student Success is one of a dozen organizations that signed a “Call to Action” in response to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)’s October 2019 testing results. The Call to Action demands raising academic standards and standardizing curriculum. [5]
Activities
Collaborative for Student Success focuses its efforts on advancing policies that support the development of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). CCSS would institute a standardized curriculum across the United States. [6] The organization claims that it works to prepare equally all students for college or a caree, by pushing for higher standards and more rigorous assessments. [7]
Collaborative for Student Success has also been a strong force behind the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), [8] which replaced the No Child Left Behind Act in 2015. [9] The organization currently has a number of campaigns that support ESSA, namely Check State Plans, Assessment HQ, and Understanding ESSA. [10]
Collaborative for Student Success has several other current campaigns, which include Educators for High Standards, Honesty Gap, Math Resources, and Military Families for High Standards. [11]
In response to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)’s October 2019 testing results, Collaborative for Student Success was one of a dozen organizations that signed a “Call to Action” in support of standardized curriculum and raising academic standards. The other organizations involved are: [12]
- Achieve
- Alliance for Excellent Education
- Education Trust
- Fordham Institute
- Learning Heroes
- Literacy How
- Military Child Education Coalition
- Nation Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)
- National Council on Teacher Quality
- National Urban Alliance
- National Urban League
Funding
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest funder of Collaborative for Student Success, as Bill Gates is a noted advocate for Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the U.S. education system. [13] In 2020 alone, the Foundation granted $4 million to the organization. [14]
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation granted Collaborative for Student Success $1.8 million between 2014 and 2018. [15] Carnegie Corporation of New York granted the organization $1.725 million between 2014 and 2019. [16]
Other notable funders include the Bloomberg Family Foundation (Bloomberg Philanthropies), the ExxonMobil Foundation, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. [17]
People
Jim Cowen is the executive director and formerly worked as deputy director and director for military outreach. [18]
Adam Ezring is the deputy director and former director of policy. Ezring formerly worked as a senior advocacy associate for the Council of Chief State School Officers and as a legislative analyst for the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor. [19]
Joshua Parrish is a communications specialist who formerly worked in the public policy and government affairs department of the National LGBTQ Task Force and as a fellow at the ACLU of Idaho and Washington Bus. [20]