Tonight has been a celebration of a big number: THREE ZERO.

30 years of changing minds.

30 years of transformation.

30 years of following the truth.

And 30 years of pursuing justice for students.

That’s what it’s all about, right? Following the truth to justice.

I think that’s why so many people have joined us over the years. Because our North Star is simple: every single child is brilliant. That’s the truth. And the question is: why don’t all schools let their brilliance shine through?

Let’s do a little exercise. I want you to raise your hand if you believe these two things: every child is brilliant and we have to make sure every child’s brilliance shines.

Look around.

Now, keep your hand up if you think every child, every student has been told they are brilliant.

Look around again.

That gap you see is why we are here. We are celebrating the work we have done to shrink that gap — but we need to do so much more.

Many of us in this room have had the experience of dropping a kid off for the first day of kindergarten, listening about their tough day in middle school, trying to help them with homework and remember geometric proofs, and giving that last, big hug after dropping our kiddos off at college or in a new city as they start their career.

We want to make sure that every family and kiddo has the supports they need to have these experiences. That’s equity and that’s the movement we are building together.

The Alarm That Built a Movement

Unfortunately, we all know the power of myths, and this country has suffered from two persistent myths about students. One was that some students were not up to the task and the other was that they were all doing just fine.

Politicians needed a wake-up call, and our founder, Kati Haycock, sounded that alarm. It was time to state that simple equality — where we had access to something that looked the same — well that was not enough; students needed the promise of equity. Where every student got what they uniquely needed to succeed. Equity is what would propel students successfully through school, college, and career.

Let me tell you about Maya. Bright. Curious. Eager to learn. Yet year after year, she sat in classrooms without the attention and support she needed from adults. Struggling with reading, she was labeled “behind,” given only the work teachers thought she could manage — they saved all the engaging and challenging work for others…she was quietly written off. The schoolhouse door may have been open — but the pathway to success was not.

When Kati pulled the alarm…when adults were shown Maya’s potential and were then held accountable by parents and students and communities, Maya received the support she needed. She received targeted reading instruction, access to an amazing teacher, and adults who believed in her potential. Everything changed. Maya went from just enduring to thriving every single day.

Maya’s story makes one thing perfectly clear: the difference between struggle and success is not talent — it is opportunity.

We demanded opportunity when we saved Pell and kept higher education in reach of millions of students,

When we opened a path to higher education for more than 750,000 incarcerated individuals,

When we secured tens of billions of dollars for student learning during the pandemic, and

When we transformed funding structures for schools from ones baked with inequity to ones that ensured money — over 1 trillion dollars’ worth — matched what students needed, instead of how we counted seats in classrooms.

No More Excuses, Spotlight on the Fight

We sat at the table with countless school administrators and campus leaders. We’ve testified before senators and representatives and advocated throughout the halls of Congress and in state capitals across the country.

We’ve worked side-by-side with those here tonight and so many more who couldn’t make it.

We are advocates and researchers. We are storytellers, defenders, fighters, megaphones, and reimaginers. We are MOVEMENT builders. And I call on you to build and reimagine with us.

Justice Glimmers on the Horizon

30 years in and we remain fierce advocates for students of color and students from low-income communities. We remain bold changemakers for equity and excellence. And because of decades of hard-won advocacy, students like Maya inherit the progress that students who came before her could only dream of.

And so — I implore you — continue to stand with us.

Join US because too many students still face uninspired teaching, courses that don’t advance their learning, and colleges that don’t deliver on jobs.

Join US because learning to read and being able to do math well are civil rights unfulfilled for too many students.

Join US because safe passage to and safety in school are still not assured for many students.

Join US because underinvestment continues to signal whose learning is prioritized — and whose is deferred.

Join US because we are dream makers.

Dream for Justice

We are dream makers who help every child and young adult see themselves not just as students, but as writers, scientists, historians, and mathematicians. And we create environments where every background, culture, and history has meaning, value, and worth.

We are dream makers setting the path toward a higher education system where college is affordable — and debt is not an acceptable form of payment. And where career pathways are not predetermined by neighborhood or income, but by passion and talent.

When our dreams are fully realized, we will have moved from building equity to having achieved justice.

Conclusion

Thirty years ago, EdTrust made a bet — that every student, regardless of background, income, or race, could achieve excellence.

Every person in this room believed in the bet, believed in students, and believed in us.

You have been with us as the White House has changed, as Congress has changed, and as governors have changed.

When news headlines did not mention education, you kept advocating to transform the lives of students.

When some proposed to make diversity, equity, and inclusion against the law, you refused. In fact, you demanded diverse teacher pipelines and libraries, you centered equity in every call for student justice, and you made sure students, families, and communities were included at the table — not just as onlookers but as decisionmakers.

The bet has not changed. And we aren’t backing down.

Thank you for 30 years of courage.

Thank you for 30 years of advocacy.

And thank you for 30 years of giving brilliance and opportunity — to every single student.

Series: CEO Perspectives