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Defending Public Schools and Students Nationwide: ELC’s 2025 Wrapped

As 2025 comes to a close, Education Law Center is reflecting on a year of increasing challenges, but also meaningful progress, for public education. In New Jersey, across the nation, and at the federal level, we have continued to advocate for strong and well-resourced public schools, safeguards for students’ rights, and safe and integrated learning environments that allow students to reach their highest potential.

The highlights below offer just a snapshot of what we’ve been able to accomplish this year and why this work matters now more than ever. We thank you for your partnership and support, which makes our advocacy possible.

Please make a tax-deductible contribution today to help us sustain and expand our critical work on behalf of students, families, and public schools in 2026 and beyond. 

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Advocacy Highlights

  • ELC provided advice, information, referrals, and other legal assistance to 197 New Jersey parents and caregivers through our intake system. In addition, hundreds of calls were fielded from social service agencies, school district employees, advocates, and other education stakeholders seeking information on school law and related matters.  
  • New Jersey’s school aid formula was fully funded in the FY26 State Budget, and thanks to ELC’s ongoing advocacy, the Budget included several important changes to school funding.
  • ELC provided technical assistance to dozens of partners across the country, participated in several national coalitions, and collaborated with a growing network of national and regional law firms that offered pro bono legal representation in education rights litigation.
  • ELC submitted public comments to the U.S. Department of Energy about the gutting of key civil rights protections under Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504, as well as public comments to the U.S. Department of Education strongly opposing proposed priorities that would expand private school vouchers and undermine the Education Department’s role in ensuring equal access to educational opportunity for all students.
  • In advance of New Jersey’s gubernatorial election, ELC released education policy recommendations for the new administration.
  • ELC’s Executive Director Bob Kim was named a member of Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill’s education transition team.
  • ELC Executive Director Bob Kim and ELC Litigation Director Jessica Levin testified before Congress on the harms of vouchers and the dismantling of federal education protections. 

Read more about ELC’s advocacy in 2025.

Fighting for Public Education and the Nation’s Students Through Litigation

In 2025, ELC served as co-counsel or amicus curiae (friend of the court) in more than a dozen groundbreaking legal challenges in state and federal courts, including several in the U.S. Supreme Court, to protect equitable educational opportunities for public school students. New cases this year in which ELC is co-counsel representing plaintiffs include:

  • Young v. Lee, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Tennessee’s universal voucher program. The same co-counsel team also continued to litigate Bichell v. Lee, a challenge to Tennessee’s earlier voucher law targeted at specific counties.

Additionally, ELC continued its work as co-counsel in cases including:

  • Rand v. State of New Hampshire, a school funding case in which the trial court ruled that the state’s funding system was inadequate under the state constitution.

ELC also led or participated in the filing of numerous amicus curiae briefs in cases including:

  • St. Dominic Academy v. Makin, urging the federal court to rule that Maine’s antidiscrimination requirements apply to all schools receiving public funds.

In addition to providing advice, information, referrals, and other legal assistance to nearly 200 parents, ELC’s legal work on behalf of students with disabilities revolved around 3 major cases, a state court appeal as well as settlement implementation and enforcement in two class action lawsuits: 

  • In the Matter of NJDOE Complaint Investigation C2024-6877, a case challenging the New Jersey Department of Education’s systemic failure to prevent the unlawful removal of students with disabilities from school.
  • D.R. v. Michigan Department of Education, a federal class action lawsuit to address the systemic failure to provide adequate special education in the wake of the Flint water crisis, in which ELC continues to monitor implementation of a special education fund. 
  • C.P. v. New Jersey Department of Education, in which ELC serves on the class counsel team monitoring New Jersey’s unsuccessful efforts to fix its broken special education dispute resolution system and working to enforce the State’s compliance with a settlement agreement requiring timely hearings

Protecting Immigrant Students’ Rights in New Jersey 

ELC released 2 resources addressing the rights of immigrant students:

ELC, in collaboration with the ACLU of New Jersey and New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC), also released a letter addressed to all New Jersey superintendents with detailed information and resources for protecting their immigrant students.

Additionally, ELC co-sponsored a webinar with the New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/New Jersey Bilingual Educators (NJTESOL/NJBE), NJCIC, and AAPI New Jersey, on the legal rights of immigrant students in New Jersey public schools.

Communications

ELC and staff members were mentioned or quoted in 230+ news stories in both state and national outlets.  

We released 70+ e-blasts on various topics and posted information about and links to those blasts on social media.  

Dr. Josh Cowen, a leading national expert on private school vouchers who was a Visiting Senior Fellow at ELC for the first half of 2025, released 8 newsletters in his The Private Eye series.

Read ELC 2025 e-blasts here.

Research and Data Tools

  • Universal Voucher Price Tag Calculator allows users to estimate the potential price tag of a universal voucher program in any state, including how much of that would fund vouchers for students already attending private school.
  • Abbott Preschool Data allows users to explore access, enrollment, funding, and quality indicators for districts that are part of New Jersey’s Abbott Preschool Program.

In addition, ELC launched a new research project, Research Evidence Against Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, to advocate for policies and practices that will improve students’ lives and address threats to the U.S Department of Education under the Trump administration.

ELC released 2 significant research publications to assist advocates working in New Jersey and across the country. This year, our major reports focused on school funding and preschool enrollment:

Making the Grade 2025: How Fair is School Funding in Your State?
Abbott Preschool at 25: Declining Enrollment Puts a Landmark Program at Risk

Policy Publications

In response to the federal voucher program enacted through the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, ELC released a two-page Advocacy Tool and a Frequently Asked Questions guide explaining the program and reasons why states must opt out to protect public education.

ELC updated the two-page fact sheet, The Myths of Cost Savings From Private School Vouchers, with new research detailing the harmful impacts of voucher programs.

ELC and Advancement Project co-authored a policy brief explaining how private education vouchers contribute to the closure of neighborhood public schools.

View additional ELC publications here.

Webinars

ELC hosted 10 webinars in 2025:  

ELC Welcomed Four New Trustees

(From left to right: Alejandra Ceja, Laura Jiménez, Aaron Merkin, Shital C. Shah)

Four new members joined ELC’s Board of Trustees: Alejandra Ceja, Corporate Social Impact Executive; Laura Jiménez, former Director of Grantee Relations at the U.S. Department of Education; Aaron Merkin, Senior Advisor at the National Education Association; and Shital C. Shah, Senior Advisor to the United Way Worldwide CEO. 

2025 Education Justice Lecture

On June 30, ELC hosted our 16th annual Education Justice Lecture: Protecting Public Education During the Trump Administration. This virtual event featured former U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel A. Cardona in conversation with ELC trustees Laura Jiménez and Shital C. Shah, who formerly served at the U.S. Department of Education. 

Shop New ELC Merchandise

This year, we launched our first-ever online merchandise store! The proceeds from all sales directly support our legal, advocacy, and research efforts to ensure all students have access to a high-quality public education. Help us expand awareness of ELC’s mission while showing your support for public schools and students!

Together, We Can Protect Public Education!

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to ELC to support our work. As a non-profit organization, we rely on the generous contributions of corporations, foundations, and individuals like you. You can also make a lasting impact by including ELC in your estate plans using FreeWill, a free and easy-to-use online tool. Learn more here. 

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Many thanks to our 2025-26 funders and pro bono partners for supporting our work in 2025! And thank you to all the public school students, families, advocates, educators, community members, and policymakers who helped us defend public education in 2025. We look forward to continuing to work with you in 2026!

Stay Connected! Follow Us on Social Media

Be sure to follow ELC and our Public Funds Public Schools campaign on our social media platforms to stay up to date on our advocacy work and future programming! 

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Press Contact:
Sharon Krengel
Director of Policy, Strategic Partnerships and Communications
skrengel@edlawcenter.org
973-624-1815, x240