ADVANCE ILLINOIS
Advance Illinois is a statewide, independent education advocacy organization in Illinois dedicated exclusively to improving academic achievement through public policy. Focused around the goals of raising academic standards, adopting college- and career-ready graduation requirements, strengthening and aligning statewide assessments, giving teachers the tools they need to succeed, providing parents with early, relevant information about student development and progress, as well as improving innovation and accountability in the state, Advance Illinois offers case-making and strategies for addressing each of these priority areas. The organization also plans to collect student-level data and monitor the state's progress towards a set of measurable goals.

EXPECT MORE, ACHIEVE MORE
Expect More, Achieve More is a campaign to build support for Tennessee’s new, higher academic standards (and be prepared for potentially lower achievement scores as a result of the new standards). The campaign is led by a coalition of more than 30 statewide business and education organizations from across Tennessee. The campaign includes a parent-focused website, PSAs from notable celebrities, and a "standards awareness" brochure, and was launched through stakeholder summits and press conferences across the state.

SMART ARKANSAS
The Smart Arkansas Initiative, launched by the Arkansas Department of Education, seeks to build statewide support for raising education expectations, achievement and attainment, through four aligned initiatives: Smart Start (focusing on grades K-4) Smart Step (focusing on grades 5-8), Smart Future (focusing on high school redesign) and Smart Leadership (focusing on related professional development). Each of these initiatives provides key information on why each piece of Arkansas’ education pipeline needs to be strengthened to improve student opportunities. Smart Future offers targeted information for stakeholders, such as an overview of the Smart Core graduation requirements and tips for college planning for students.

LEARN MORE INDIANA
Learn More Indiana is the state’s Pre-K to college connection — Indiana’s strategic communication effort to improve student achievement and increase the educational attainment of all. While Learn More Indiana includes a host of information on college and career access, the site also features a variety of advocacy materials, ranging from PSAs and brochures to a PowerPoint Presentation targeted to Indiana’s 8th graders to help them understand Core 40 and what they can do to prepare for high school and beyond. 

CHALKBOARD PROJECT'S CITIZENS' CORPS
Chalkboard Project is a non-partisan nonprofit working to unite Oregonians to make their K-12 public schools among the nation’s best. Chalkboard aims to help create a more informed and engaged public that understands and addresses the tough choices and trade-offs required to build strong schools, utilizing and providing independent research, pilot programs, and a neutral, independent voice to citizens, stakeholders and decision makers.  Chalkboard’s Citizens’ Corps consists of a growing number of community members from throughout Oregon who support Chalkboard’s long-term K-12 education reform efforts. These volunteers serve as ambassadors for Chalkboard in their communities, and help promote Chalkboard’s broad set of school improvement proposals. The Chalkboard Project is now launching a Teachers’ Corps to help foster a better dialogue between teachers and other education stakeholders.

MICHIGAN MERIT HIGH SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS PAGE
In 2006, Michigan raised its graduation requirements to the college and career-ready level – to first impact the graduating class of 2011. The state Department of Education created a webpage that provides critical information on the new requirements for key stakeholders, including students, parents, educators and counselors. Included on this webpage is a FAQ about the new requirements, research on college and career readiness, links to each major subject areas’ curriculum pages and guidelines, a brochure for parents, as well as a customizable parent brochure for schools, and information on related policies, such as Early and Middle College credit opportunities in the state. 

TENNESSEE DIPLOMA PROJECT
In 2007, Tennessee launched the Tennessee Diploma Project (TDP) to build public and stakeholder support for raising education standards. Early on, the TDP held a series of regional roundtables – hosted by the Governor and supported by the Tennessee Business Roundtable and Hyde Family Foundation – where state CEO’s and business leaders identified gaps in students’ math and science skills, communications skills, and ability to work in teams and think critically, giving the agenda a sense of urgency. In 2008, TDP proved to be successful as the State Board of Education adopted standards and graduation requirements aligned with the expectations of the postsecondary and business communities. The TDP continues to have the support of the Tennessee Business Roundtable, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) and the philanthropic community.