Partnerships: COSF Reflection
The current culture war around schools is not a passing argument on any specific topic or practice. It is a coordinated attack designed to politicize the classroom and create doubt about the effectiveness of public education including every single actor or function within the public school system. To that end, every education organization should consider itself at the center of the political debate—whether it’s obvious or not. Likewise, every school, every educator, and every administrator has been forced to view their work through the political lens. And political organizations, which used to largely ignore education policy because it didn’t usually have a direct impact on elections, had to learn quickly about the nuance and context of a whole new environment.
COSF set out to bring together like-minded organizations to work toward a great education for every child. One of our organizational objectives was to “educate and organize partners from across industries, sectors, and communities to support high-quality, inclusive K-12 education.”
Recognizing that education is above politics, we intended to create a network of partners that span an ideologically diverse range of stakeholders across the country who seek to build common ground.
Acting as a bridge between education and politics, COSF made it clear that our goal was to fill in gaps for partners. Those gaps could be resources, knowledge, and sometimes funding. In some situations, COSF signed a formal memorandum of understanding with a partner, and in others, it maintained a loose relationship. Oftentimes, COSF acted as a convener that either brought people to the table who don’t frequently interact with each other or helped existing tables facilitate a focused conversation on the ongoing threats.
Partners received immediate access to all of COSF’s resources and services. Commonly partnership offerings were framed around key segments of COSF’s work:
We told stories through traditional and digital media about real families caught in the middle of bad policy and political games.
We tracked proposed legislation, suggested replacement language and school board resolutions, and provided analysis of legislative impact and sponsors.
We mobilized individuals and train them to be advocates.
We educated voters about the issues and candidates in key elections.
Resources & Collateral
We monitored legislation moving through states and listened to the hearings and testimony from the public.
Increased public awareness by forging early and robust partnerships with organizations such as PEN America, Red, Wine & Blue, and Our Turn
Prepared leadership of 550 school districts across 30 states in strategic communications and crisis management to avoid or de-escalate crisis
Provided proactive common-ground messaging training to more than 1,000 grassroots and national education advocates through in-person and virtual sessions
Trained local leaders to organize for sustained power in 30 districts across 9 states and hosted 8 national workshops for allied organizations
Organized local stakeholders to defeat anti-LGBTQ+ school board proposals in key districts
Supported a nascent parents’ organization to pass a COSF model school board policy in support of LGBTQ+ youth
Organized parents, librarians, students, and community members to block proposed book bans
Blocked or modified destructive legislative and executive-branch actions in 8 states
Rallied community leaders to get out the vote for school board elections in 18 districts across 8 states
Held 9 national trainings with attendees from 14 states, sharing GOTV resources and best practices and voter education practices materials
Developed the field-leading school board election information program for local stakeholders
Increased voter awareness and engagement in local school board elections through phone and text banks in key districts
Mobilized voters in two of one key state’s most conservative districts to support public education funding in a state ballot initiative fight
Resources & Collateral
Our foundational school leaders toolkit for superintendents, designed to help them avoid and de-escalate crises
The Movement Playbook, an election guide for organizers that outlines all the essential information needed to elect pro-equity school board representatives
Our bank of model school board resolutions that defend and center equity in schools
Messaging trainings with up-to-date research and talking points, and Train The Trainer sessions that introduce the basics of organizing for change in your community
Tested lists of supporters and leaders in our key states and organizational partners aligned to our mission