Partnership for Educational Justice (EdJustice) is a right-of-center nonprofit organization that pursues litigation to remove teacher tenure laws at the state level. It argues that such laws have resulted in poor academic performance due to prioritizing the staffing of tenured teachers instead of evaluating teachers based on their effectiveness. ¹

EdJustice’s work has been described by left-of-center critics as antagonistic to the work of teachers’ unions. Unions such as the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and AFL-CIO have Intervened to oppose EdJustice’s lawsuits to attempt to stop EdJustice’s lawsuits from striking down teacher tenure laws. ^{2 3}

Background

Founded in 2013, Partnership for Educational Justice is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that files lawsuits to challenge education policies that prioritize the employment of teachers based on tenure instead of other factors. EdJustice specifically criticizes the prioritization of hiring or retaining tenured teachers instead of evaluating teachers based on their effectiveness. Additionally, the group advocates  school choice. ⁴

EdJustice’s litigation criticizes teachers’ unions’ support for teacher tenure and seniority rights, arguing their policies are sacrificing the quality of education and potentially favors bad teachers. Left-wing outlets The Progressive and Center for Media and Democracy report that the Walton Family Foundation, Broad Foundation, and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation provided the initial funding for EdJustice. ^{5 6}

In 2017, EdJustice became an affiliate of 50CAN. ⁷

Litigation

In June 2014, Partnership for Educational Justice (EdJustice) announced that it would be filing a lawsuit against the state of New York for its teacher tenure laws, which grant them tenure after three years, requiring “stringent disciplinary hearings” to fire tenured teachers. In September 2014, it joined with the New York City Parents’ Union to file the lawsuit, claiming that the tenure laws deny students their right to an education under the state constitution. ⁸

In April 2016, EdJustice filed a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota challenging the constitutionality of Minnesota’s “Continuing Contract Law” and “Tenure Act.” It argued the tenure laws have resulted in poor academic performances for low-income students and ethnic minorities. ⁹

In November 2016, EdJustice filed a lawsuit against Kimberly Harrington, then-acting commissioner of the New Jersey Board of Education, for the state’s teacher tenure laws and what it argues to be poor academic outcomes. In the case, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFL-CIO, AFT New Jersey, New Jersey Education Association, and Newark Teachers Union were granted a petition to intervene and become codefendants in the case. ¹⁰

In a Brief of Partnership with DelawareCAN, HawaiiKidsCAN, NewMexicoKidsCAN, and Virginia Excels, EdJustice filed an Amicus Brief in State of New York et al. v. Donald Trump, et al. in March 2018. The brief made arguments claiming that ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) amnesty program for certain illegal immigrants would be detrimental to current recipients and future students academically. ¹¹

People

Campbell Brown is a former CNN anchor, worked as NBC News’ White House correspondent during President George W. Bush’s first term, and is the founder of Partnership for Educational Justice. Since 2017, she has worked as Meta’s vice president of news partnerships and in May 2022 was promoted to oversee global media partnerships. ^{12 13}

1. Will, Madeline. “Advocacy Group Seeking to End Teacher Tenure Has Lost Its Last Staff Member.” Education Week. Education Week, November 19, 2020. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/advocacy-group-seeking-to-end-teacher-tenure-has-lost-its-last-staff-member/2019/03.
2. Lahm, Sarah. “Billionaire-Backed Lawsuit against Teacher Tenure Fails in Minnesota.” Progressive.org, March 14, 2019. https://progressive.org/public-schools-advocate/billionaire-lawsuit-against-teacher-tenure-fails-lahm-190314/.
3. HG V. Harrington (http://edjustice.org/resources/hg-v-harrington-legal-filings/ December 22, 2016).
4. “Partnership for Educational Justice.” Ballotpedia. Accessed January 9, 2023. https://ballotpedia.org/Partnership_for_Educational_Justice.
5. Bottari, Mary. “Bradley Foundation Bankrolls Attacks on Unions.” PR Watch, August 13, 2017. https://www.prwatch.org/news/2017/05/13239/bradley-foundation-bankrolls-attacks-unions.
6. Lahm, Sarah. “Billionaire-Backed Lawsuit against Teacher Tenure Fails in Minnesota.” Progressive.org, March 14, 2019. https://progressive.org/public-schools-advocate/billionaire-lawsuit-against-teacher-tenure-fails-lahm-190314/.
7. Will, Madeline. “Advocacy Group Seeking to End Teacher Tenure Has Lost Its Last Staff Member.” Education Week. Education Week, November 19, 2020. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/advocacy-group-seeking-to-end-teacher-tenure-has-lost-its-last-staff-member/2019/03
8. “Partnership for Educational Justice.” Ballotpedia. Accessed January 9, 2023. https://ballotpedia.org/Partnership_for_Educational_Justice.
9. Forslund V. Minnesota (http://edjustice.org/resources/forslund-v-minnesota-legal-documents/ April 14, 2016).
10. HG V. Harrington (http://edjustice.org/resources/hg-v-harrington-legal-filings/ December 22, 2016).
11. State of New York et al. v. Donald Trump, et al (http://edjustice.org/resources/daca/ March 20, 2018).
12. “Campbell Brown.” CNN. Cable News Network. Accessed January 9, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/brown.campbell.html.
13. Fischer, Sara. “Scoop: Campbell Brown to Oversee New Media Partnerships Team at Meta.” Axios, May 19, 2022. https://www.axios.com/2022/05/19/campbell-brown-meta-new-media-partnerships-team.