Education Law Center of Pennsylvania

The Education Law Center's mission is to ensure access to a quality public education for all children in Pennsylvania.  For 40 years, we have advocated for the most vulnerable students -- children living in poverty, children of color, those in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, children with disabilities, English Language Learners, and those experiencing homelessness.  We focus on three key program areas: (1) Ensuring Equal Access, which includes advocating for access to school and needed services on behalf of vulnerable children; (2) Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline, which includes promoting evidence-based prevention practices to improve school climate while advocating against exclusionary discipline policies that push at-risk children out of school and often into the school-to-prison pipeline; and (3) Fighting for Fair Funding, which includes advocating for adequate and equitable state funding for under-resourced schools in Pennsylvania.  ELC employs a broad range of strategies to accomplish this mission including direct legal representation, impact litigation, educating parents and students about their legal rights, supporting community-based groups, and policy advocacy on the local, state, and federal levels.