ELC partners with key allies in New Jersey and nationally in all aspects of our work, including litigation, policy advocacy, research and communications. Sharing expertise, building capacity and increasing impact are among the many benefits of partnering with individuals and organizations with shared values and goals. ELC is also home to several advocacy organizations that we helped establish and/or that benefit from our institutional support.

In addition, ELC serves as a key information source and central facilitator of communications, research, policy analysis, and strategy development among numerous education equity advocacy organizations. We review, analyze and communicate about key developments in regulations, statutes, proposed policies and litigation to gauge the impact on public school children and education equity. ELC also conducts technical assistance workshops on a range of topics, including school funding, private education vouchers, and students’ rights.

Our longstanding national partnerships include:

  • Partnership for Equity & Education Rights (PEER), a national network of state and local organizers, advocates, lawyers and community leaders focused on reinvestment in public education, has been housed at ELC since 2019. ELC collaborates with PEER partners and serves as the network’s fiscal home. For more information about PEER, contact Jennifer Doeren at jdoeren@edlawcenter.org.
  • Education Civil Rights Alliance (ECRA), convened by the National Center for Youth Law, includes over 90 members committed to protecting the civil rights of marginalized students. ELC participates in ECRA meetings and actions and presents on topics such as resource equity and education privatization.

Our longstanding New Jersey partnerships include:

  • Our Children/Our Schools (OC/OS), a New Jersey network of education, children’s rights and civil rights advocates and organizations. OC/OS members work together to support a vision of public education that is child-centered and provides all students with excellent and equitable opportunities to learn. ELC serves as an information source for participant groups and as a facilitator of communications, capacity building and advocacy campaigns. OC/OS is also a member of several NJ coalitions, including the statewide budget coalition For the Many and the NPE Grassroots Education Network. Individuals or organizations interested in joining OC/OS should contact Nicole Ciullo at nciullo@edlawcenter.org.
  • Great Schools New Jersey (GSNJ), a non-profit, voluntary association of high need school district superintendents facilitated by ELC and the NJ Association of School Administrators. ELC supports GSNJ through information sharing, trainings, data and policy analysis, and other professional services. ELC organizes and participates in regular meetings of GSNJ member district superintendents and facilitates interaction between the organization and education advocates, policymakers and consultants. For more information about GSNJ, contact Sharon Krengel at skrengel@edlawcenter.org.
  • Healthy Schools Now, a coalition of well over 100 organizations working together to ensure public school facilities are safe, healthy and academically up to date and that the constitutional mandate to provide adequate facilities for students in the state’s poor urban districts is met. ELC, a founding member, provides extensive support for the coalition, regularly sharing information about ongoing litigation and advocacy and engaging in coalition actions. For more information about HSN and ELC’s work on school facilities, contact Theresa Luhm at tluhm@edlawcenter.org.
  • New Jersey Special Education Practitioners (NJSEP), an association of over 100 attorneys and other advocates in private law firms and public interest advocacy organizations who represent students with disabilities in special education matters. ELC is the founder and leading member of the group. NJSEP hosts a listserv, run by ELC, and meets regularly to discuss issues of importance to the practice of special education law and frequently hosts speakers and training sessions of interest to members. For more information about NJSEP, contact Elizabeth Athos at eathos@edlawcenter.org.

If you would like to partner with ELC, or if we can lend our expertise, please contact Sharon Krengel, Director of Policy, Strategic Partnerships and Communications, at skrengel@edlawcenter.org.