Mission | Policy Goals | Three Core Strategies | EPLC Commitments
Mission
The mission of The Education Policy and Leadership Center is to support the development of effective state-level education/public policy leadership and to encourage and support the development and implementation of effective state-level education policies to improve student learning in grades PreK through 12, increase effective operation of schools, and enhance educational opportunities for citizens of all ages.
Policy Goals
Embedded in all of the activities of The Education Policy and Leadership Center is attention to EPLC’s key education policy goals. All of the Center’s work is focused on developing public policies and leaders that will advance the following six education policy goals:
- Improve the academic success of all students by strengthening standards-based reforms, including assessments and accountability measures.
- Establish and maintain in Pennsylvania a statewide education finance system based upon principles of adequacy, equity, accountability, efficiency, and predictability.
- Build effective education capacity to support learning by all students, with special emphasis on the need to ensure a diverse, inclusive, culturally competent school workforce with an effective teacher in every classroom at all times.
- Ensure that all Pennsylvania school districts and every school shall have school leaders who will promote and support high achievement for all students through effective instructional leadership, school management, community engagement, and governance.
- Ensure that every young child in Pennsylvania shall have access to high-quality early education programs including pre-school and full-day kindergarten.
- Ensure that all citizens of all ages shall have practical financial and physical access to a rich range of post-secondary educational opportunities.
Three Core Strategies
The Education Policy and Leadership Center has developed and implements three discrete but complementary core strategies to support its mission. These strategies are:
- Strategy #1: Information – Link relevant and reliable research and other information to state-level education policymakers and others and to provide assistance with policy analysis and policy development.
- Strategy #2: Leadership Development – Develop awareness and capacity among policymakers, educators, and community leaders to serve as advocates and champions for significant education policy issues.
- Strategy #3: Public Advocacy – Promote a public climate that expects and holds policy makers accountable to advocate, adopt, and implement effective policies that advance significant education goals.
EPLC Commitments
- Inform: For policymakers and the public, the Center is a source of objective, comprehensive and reliable information concerning current and emerging policy issues. The Center is both proactive with materials and programs that provide information from a wide-range of resources as well as reactive to specific requests from education policymakers and lay leaders for information and various forms of technical assistance.
- Promote Leadership: The Center sponsors and supports programs and activities designed to build awareness and capacity among policymakers and community leaders to champion significant issues concerning education and young children.
- Be a Catalyst: The Center initiates and supports public and policymaker discussions concerning significant education policy issues.