The ACLU shapes and informs policy areas that impact teaching, learning, and the ability to provide students with opportunities to succeed in the classroom, working to ensure that hard-won Bradford and Thornton funds are well spent. 

The ACLU has successfully advocated for pre-kindergarten programs in public schools, supported the Community Schools strategy and other resources designed to address academic barriers, opposed high stakes graduation tests, examined teacher quality in Baltimore City, and urged meaningful stakeholder involvement in the State’s implementation of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Recognizing that adequate funding levels are crucial to services for the whole child, we fight for full funding to provide 21st Century learning. Our efforts prioritize partnerships with parents, teachers, and school systems to further policies that benefit the diverse population of traditionally students with low wealth.