For three decades, The Education Trust (EdTrust) has been the nation’s leading voice for education equity, sounding the alarm on injustice, challenging federal and state systems to do better, and advocating tirelessly to ensure that students of color and students from low-income backgrounds can access the educational opportunities they deserve.
EdTrust was founded by education equity visionary Kati Haycock with a bold idea and an even bolder commitment: that every student, without exception, can learn to high levels when given access to strong teaching, rigorous learning, and equitable resources. At a time when low expectations and limited data obscured systemic inequities, EdTrust emerged to tell the truth, demand accountability, and push schools and institutions of higher education to deliver on their promise to students. Since then, EdTrust has reshaped the national conversation on education, shifting narratives, influencing landmark laws, building powerful coalitions, and elevating student voice to redefine what’s possible for our nation’s students.
This year, we celebrate 30 years of impact and recommit to the fierce, unapologetic advocacy that has always defined EdTrust.
Our Legacy of Impact
Sounding the Alarm (1996–2000)
EdTrust emerged as a force for truth-telling, exposing widening opportunity and achievement gaps and insisting that students of color were not underperforming, they were underserved. Early reports reframed the public narrative, demanded data transparency, and established EdTrust as the nation’s watchdog on education equity, pushing schools, districts, and policymakers to confront uncomfortable truths and act.
Reframing What’s Possible (2001–2010)
From shaping the implementation of No Child Left Behind to expanding EdTrust’s footprint with state offices in California and Michigan, EdTrust transformed research into action.
Visiting Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Ohio, Jan. 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signs into law the “No Child Left Behind Act.” Photo credit: Paul Morse, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The organization uplifted “Dispelling the Myth” schools, championed rigorous coursework, and pushed for teacher quality and accountability, reinforcing the belief that excellence and equity are inseparable and that every student deserves access to high-quality teaching and learning.
During this time, EdTrust launched College Results, the first free, online tool providing graduation-rate data for every four-year college and university in the country.
Driving Change Through Policy & People (2011–2020)
During this period, EdTrust mobilized hundreds of thousands of advocates to protect Pell Grants, launched digital tools that transformed how the public understands school and college outcomes, and advanced reforms that strengthened accountability and access across the education continuum.
Under the new leadership of John B. King Jr., former U.S. Secretary of Education and a lifelong champion for educational equity, EdTrust deepened its national influence while expanding its state and local footprint.
Under King’s leadership, EdTrust helped shape historic policy changes, including FAFSA simplification and the reinstatement of Pell Grants for learners who are incarcerated. Through an integrated national and state strategy, EdTrust built and supported state-level coalitions that demanded equitable funding, stronger accountability, and improved outcomes for students in states including California, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.
Former U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr., EdTrust’s second president and CEO.
A Movement Rooted in Equity (2021–Present)
During the pandemic and in its aftermath, EdTrust stood firm, securing academic recovery investments, preventing harmful budget cuts, and elevating student leaders and justice-impacted learners as powerful agents of change. As attacks on public education, civil rights, and the federal role in education intensified, EdTrust continued the momentum built under John B. King Jr.’s leadership while navigating a pivotal transition.
Under the leadership of its current President & CEO Denise Forte, EdTrust has further solidified its presence as a national leader in the fight for educational equity and justice. With Forte at the helm, EdTrust continues to champion student-centered policies, protect the federal government’s responsibility to uphold civil rights and opportunity, and work alongside states and communities to ensure public education delivers excellence for every student.
A Future Worth Fighting For
As EdTrust enters its next decade, the mission remains clear:
Reimagine education. Reclaim opportunity. Redefine what student excellence looks like.
The next 30 years will demand even bolder action, deeper coalitions, stronger student leadership, and advocacy that meets this moment of political, cultural, and educational upheaval head-on. EdTrust remains committed to pushing systems to deliver on the promise of public education, ensuring that every student, no matter their race, identity, background, or ZIP code, has what they need to thrive.
Because excellence isn’t accidental.
Opportunity isn’t optional.
And equity isn’t a trend. It’s a mandate.
Join Us
For 30 years, EdTrust has stood with students, families, and communities to ensure that opportunity and excellence are not reserved for a few, but available to all.
As we celebrate this milestone, we invite you to be part of what comes next. Your support helps fuel the research, advocacy, and partnerships that make real change possible for students across the country.
Celebrate our history. Honor our partners. Invest in a future where every student can thrive.
Thirty years behind us. A more just, more equitable future ahead.
Fierce Advocacy. Bold Change. Always.