Nonprofit Partner Spotlight: Education Law Center

Education Law Center (ELC) works to increase access to a quality public education for all children in Pennsylvania, especially children of color, children living in poverty or experiencing homelessness, children who have had contact with the juvenile justice or foster care system, children whose second language is English, and LGBTQ+ children. 

The three main objectives of the Education Law Center are: fighting for fair school funding, ensuring equal access to education, and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. Pennsylvania has the highest funding gap between high and low-wealth school districts in the country, which often serves as a determinant for educational achievement, civic engagement, and economic attainment. Some of the ways the ELC fights for equal access to education is by advocating for special educational services to be implemented in schools, removing of language barriers, and increasing the availability of services to support children experiencing homelessness.

ELC is a national advocate in the fight against exclusionary discipline. Practices such as zero-tolerance policies, extreme policing, and other forms of academic discipline are often disproportionately aimed at students of color and those with disabilities, which increases the likelihood of their eventual involvement with the criminal justice system.