As 2025 draws to a close, we reflect on another of progress, resilience, and impact at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL). Together, we’ve continued to champion better education systems and uplift youth, families, and communities across the nation. Your support has been integral to advancing our mission, and I am excited to share some of this year’s highlights and our aspirations for 2026. Together, we change systems through people.
Top 10: 2025 Accomplishments
- CSxFE 2025 in Minneapolis: Hosting the National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference for over 3,400 attendees showcased innovative solutions for strengthening family-school-community partnerships! We are proud to continue this annual convening to increase understanding of educational disparities, and provide practical tools, strategies, and skills that attendees will implement in their own schools and communities.
- Growing our Networks: IEL continued to accelerate the development of adaptive, collaborative, and distributive leadership through our eleven peer networks (having launched our newest Superintendents network this year) to scale promising practices. We do this through the shared experiences of over 58,000 education and community leaders from across the country.
- Expanding our policy work to play a key role in shaping education discussions and systemic change: One of the ways we have risen to the occasion this year is by advancing and expanding our policy focus, led by our Policy team: building policy capacity, knowledge sharing, and advocating for the issues that matter to our networks and communities. This year, we have kept our networks informed in this rapidly changing political landscape through policy check-ins, sign-on letters to Congress, new resources, policy updates, and Hill meetings
- Expanding our Education Policy Fellowship ProgramTM: We convened our inaugural EPFP: Community Schools Cohort, designed specifically for our Community School network. Over the course of the Fellowship, participants built their advocacy skills to support the Community School strategy. The in-depth seven-week online program concluded with the Fellows’ Washington Policy Seminar (WPS) in Washington, D.C.
- Leadership Development Milestones: n addition to the Education Policy Fellowship Program, we also offered micro-credentials in Collaborative Leadership, cultivating new cohorts of equity-driven leaders. At our 61st Washington Policy Seminar, we also helped over 160 leaders build their skills and capacity around federal education policy-making and advocacy.
- Advancing Racial Equity: Partnerships in the South brought critical resources to Black learners and families, addressing historic inequities in education systems.
- Youth Leadership in Action: Initiatives like the Birmingham Youth Advisory Council exemplified our commitment to youth voice in community decision-making. IEL also released its Youth Voice Protocols to accompany the 2022 Youth Voice in Community Schools guide to help build capacity of education and community leaders to authentically engage young people to drive local change.
- Celebrating ‘Love in Action’: We continued to focus on “love in action” to advance transformative leadership for equity. From honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, to our advocacy of solutions that work for children, youth, and families, this is how we change systems through people.
- Regional and National Convenings: From policy seminars to community workshops, IEL amplified local solutions with nationwide impact.
- Supporting Educational Justice: Through our advocacy and partnerships, IEL continued to support equitable access to education and is currently putting together our Policy Agenda for the 119th Congress, informed by leaders in our networks.
Looking Ahead to 2025
In 2025, we’ll continue this momentum by:
- Strengthening local coalitions and grassroots leadership through technical support and capacity-building initiatives
- Hosting groundbreaking convenings, such as our 61st Washington Policy Seminar and the National Community Schools & Family Engagement Conference in Minneapolis, to spark ideas and connections that inspire systemic change
- Deepening our commitment to creating opportunities for all communities, particularly in historically under-resourced regions and neighborhoods of color, by elevating Black learners, supporting immigrant and refugee youth, and fostering safety and belonging for youth and families
- Scaling our impact through expanded career-focused mentoring programs like RAMP and Right Turn.
- Expanding collaboration across public, private, and community sectors to ensure sustainable solutions for educational justice.
This year has proven that change is possible when we lead with love, persistence, and a shared vision for a better tomorrow. I am deeply grateful to all our partners, staff, and supporters who have worked tirelessly to make 2024 such a success.
During this season of giving, we invite you to join our movement! Your participation and support make all of the above possible. Please consider a one-time gift or recurring donation to support the movement! Your contribution will help us continue to engage a diverse and collaborative community of strategic leaders.
Here’s to building an even brighter future together in 2025!
With gratitude,
Eddie Koen
President, Institute for Educational Leadership