Every student deserves an education that opens doors to their future. Ensuring that future means listening to the students and families who experience barriers firsthand and helping them leverage their power to shape the decisions that affect their schools and communities.

EdTrust’s 2026 Local Advocacy Cohort brings together 11 advocates from eight organizations to advance that work. Organized as part of the Alliance for Resource Equity (ARE), a partnership between EdTrust and Education Resource Strategies, this year’s cohort centers on education and the right to remedy: the idea that fulfilling the human right to education demands meaningful, lasting commitment. Participants will explore what it takes to address the harm inflicted by inequitable systems and build educational opportunities that reflect their communities’ needs and aspirations.

The 2026 cohort includes educators, school counselors, nonprofit leaders, and community advocates whose work spans literacy, family engagement, youth leadership, and college and career access. Each participant has extensive expertise working alongside students and families, with a shared commitment to ensuring that communities help define both the challenges and the solutions.

Turning Community Knowledge into Action

Across four convenings, participants will use the Alliance for Resource Equity toolkit to examine the current educational conditions in their communities and develop strategies for change. They will pair quantitative data with lived experience, explore the root causes of resource inequities, and strengthen their ability to tell stories that convey a clear need for action. Their work will be guided by a rights-based lens that ties together human rights and civil rights principles to help advocates consider not only where inequities exist, but also who is experiencing harm, what rights and opportunities are at stake, who is responsible for addressing those conditions, and what meaningful remedy can look like. In doing so, cohort members will strengthen their ability to move from understanding educational conditions to communicating why they matter and building strategies for change alongside their communities.

One central focus will be the pathways connecting students from P-12 to higher education, careers, and lifelong learning. Participants will examine where those pathways support students, where barriers persist, and what changes could help more young people move forward with the resources and support they need.

Throughout the experience, community members will be recognized as rights holders with a central role in shaping remedies. By connecting local expertise with practical advocacy tools and opportunities to learn from one another, the cohort will support leaders in building power alongside the communities they serve.

Meet the 2026 Cohort

The following organizations and advocates bring a range of perspectives to this year’s work.

Worcester Education Collaborative
Worcester, MA

Dr. Jennifer Herring, executive director, brings extensive experience in school and district leadership to her work supporting equitable learning environments. Her background spans curriculum design, school climate, and student experience, with a focus on inclusion, belonging, and trauma-informed practices. She has expertise in using quantitative and qualitative data to help educational leaders build more responsive systems for students.

Nurturing Roots
New Orleans, LA

Nurturing Roots works alongside families, educators, and community leaders to strengthen family-school partnerships, expand literacy opportunities, and address the conditions that contribute to student disengagement. The organization centers listening to communities and understanding the root causes of inequity.

Founder and executive director Natasha Pittman brings over 15 years of public education experience. Co-founder and director of community engagement Dorrian Roberson has more than seven years of experience in education, advocacy, and community leadership. Together, their work emphasizes families as essential partners in keeping young people connected to learning.

Bianca Jones, School Counselor at Baker Helix High School
Baker, Louisiana

Bianca Jones supports ninth and 10th grade students’ academic achievement, social-emotional well-being, and college and career readiness. With experience as both a classroom teacher and counselor, she provides a holistic perspective on what students need to succeed. Her community advocacy and service also connect her work in schools to broader efforts to advance equity and opportunity.

Los Angeles Urban Foundation and Kid City Hope Place
Los Angeles, CA

Anne Hawthorne, executive director of the Los Angeles Urban Foundation and founding director of Kid City Hope Place, is experienced in youth development, leadership, and coalitions advancing college access and educational equity. Her work includes participation in networks supporting undocumented students and access to financial aid.

Laura Cuellar-Morrish is the executive director at Kid City Hope Place and is experienced in community organizing, coalition building, and leadership development. She focuses on creating educational opportunities for immigrants, families with low incomes, and first-generation youth.

Operation Jump Start
Long Beach, CA

Operation Jump Start supports first-generation college-bound students. Community outreach manager Rebecca Ridge builds partnerships, recruits volunteers, and supports fundraising to expand opportunities for the students the organization serves. A first-generation college graduate herself, she has a personal commitment to ensuring students have access to mentorship, resources, and support throughout their educational journeys.

Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project
California

The Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project addresses educational and civic disparities affecting Latino and Chicano youth. Executive director Dr. Luisa Ortega has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, program development, and community advocacy. An Indigenous, first-generation Chicana and daughter of immigrants, she has championed access to education and mental health resources for marginalized communities. Her work connects youth leadership, educational equity, and civic engagement.

United for College and Career Success
Houston, TX

United for College and Career Success (UFCS) works to strengthen education-to-career pathways through cross-sector partnerships, systems change, and policy advocacy. Yvonne Eype, chief executive director, has more than 20 years of experience in education, workforce development, and nonprofit leadership, including service as a teacher and school administrator. Her work focuses on aligning systems and removing barriers to postsecondary and career success.

Jay Sobhani, chief technology officer, oversees technology, innovation, and data initiatives that support the organization’s growth and impact. Together, they provide perspectives on how partnerships and data can strengthen the pathways learners navigate.

Boldly Moving Education Ahead
Detroit, MI

Boldly Moving Education Ahead (BMEA) supports students, educators, school leaders, and families through educator wellness, leadership development, youth programming, and educational innovation. Anton Horton, executive director, is a former principal, Army National Guard veteran, and Detroit native whose experiences in public schools helped shape his commitment to educational equity. His work centers the strengths of Black communities and the conditions that allow young people to learn, lead, and succeed.

Building Toward Lasting Change

This year’s cohort begins with the knowledge and leadership already present in our communities. As participants examine local conditions and develop advocacy strategies, the goal is to turn that expertise into action that addresses harm and expands opportunity. We look forward to sharing their learning and work as the cohort progresses.

Learn more about the Alliance for Resource Equity here!