National education organization celebrates 20th anniversary with new name, new look and new board chair
For Release: Nov. 1, 2021
Contact: Dorie Turner Nolt, (404) 861-1127, dturnernolt@all4ed.org
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Alliance for Excellent Education announced today a new brand that better reflects its national policy, practice and advocacy work. The Washington, DC-based organization is changing its name officially to All4Ed and launching a new look for its website, all4ed.org.
“We have the same equity-focused mission as we did when we were founded in 2001, but as we reflect on our impact, it is time for us to deepen and renew our commitment to students as we prepare for another 20 years of success,” said All4Ed President and CEO Deborah Delisle. “At our start, we focused on improving high school graduation rates through federal policy, but over the years, our work has expanded to include ensuring every student is ready for what comes after high school. In addition, by building our grassroots network of collaborative educators as part of All4Ed’s Future Ready Schools®, we now influence change from the classroom to Congress. Looking forward, we will continue to fight for policies and programs that overcome historical inequity in education and ensure a high-quality education for all students, particularly those who are underserved.”
In addition to the new name, All4Ed also has a new board chair — Juan Sepúlveda, the Visiting Radford Professor of Practice in Urban Education at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Dan Leeds, the longtime chair of the All4Ed board, founded the organization with his family in 2001. He will continue to serve on the board of directors.
“For the last 18 years, I have been honored to chair the All4Ed board and to support the organization’s work of ensuring all students get what they need to thrive throughout their lives,” Leeds said. “In today’s economy, a high school diploma is a critical milestone for building the necessary foundation for a successful life. However, 80% of good-paying jobs require more than a high school education. I am excited All4Ed will continue to be a national leader in the fight for all students to access an equitable, excellent education necessary for the next generation.”
“I am thrilled to serve as the new board chair of this nationally renowned education advocacy organization that has spent two decades fighting on behalf of students and educators. We have accomplished so much, and we know there is much more work to do to ensure all students — no matter their zip code — have an opportunity to be successful,” Sepúlveda said. “We are grateful for the leadership of the Leeds family in guiding the organization’s work since our inception. I know I have big shoes to fill following Dan, which is why I am grateful that he remains on the board to continue offering his wisdom.”
All4Ed was founded in 2001 by the Leeds family to work alongside other education organizations to improve high school graduation rates, which were lingering around 72% nationally. Today, that rate has leapt to 86%. In 2014, All4Ed expanded its programming by creating Future Ready Schools®, a grassroots network of innovative and passionate educators and education leaders in more than 3,500 school districts across the country.
Today, the organization continues its work to improve education through policy analysis and advocacy expertise, including:
- Providing nonpartisan research, data and guidance to assist in developing and implementing policies at every level of government to support effective education strategies and increase student success;
- Supporting school districts directly through All4Ed’s Future Ready Schools® initiative;
- Serving as a strong partner and convener, with a proven ability to mobilize and bring together like-minded groups, to move education forward with a shared vision of equity and students at the heart of our work.
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All4Ed (formerly the Alliance for Excellent Education) is a Washington, DC–based national organization dedicated to advancing policies and practices so all students, especially those from underserved communities and particularly students of color and those from low-income families, graduate from high school prepared to complete postsecondary education and achieve success in a rapidly changing world. all4ed.org
