College Spark Invests in Statewide Collaboration to Strengthen Equity Leadership Across Washington
When equity leaders from Washington’s nine Educational Service Districts work together, the impact reaches far beyond any single region. That’s the vision behind the new Cross-ESD Equity Coalition, a first-of-its-kind statewide collaboration launching with a three-year, $180,000 Education Equity Fund grant from College Spark Washington to Northeast Washington Educational Service District 101 (ESD 101). The coalition will bring together equity leaders from across the state to strengthen their collective ability to advance educational equity, improve systems that support students and educators, and build sustainable infrastructure for long-term change.
Educational Service Districts play a critical role in supporting Washington’s school districts, providing professional learning, technical assistance, and regional leadership. Yet equity leadership roles within ESDs often vary significantly in scope, authority, resources, and organizational support. The Cross-ESD Equity Coalition seeks to address those challenges by creating a shared vision, common tools, and stronger statewide coordination.
Over the next three years, coalition members will collaborate to strengthen youth and community engagement practices, define and elevate equity leadership roles, develop a statewide anti-racist leadership capacity-building model, and improve equity-centered data systems that help organizations track progress and identify barriers to success.
“Systems change requires leaders who are connected, supported, and equipped to learn from one another,” said Warren Brown, CEO of College Spark Washington. “This coalition recognizes that educational equity is not the responsibility of a single person or department. It requires coordinated leadership, shared accountability, and a commitment to learning across institutions. We believe this initiative has the potential to strengthen educational equity efforts in every region of Washington.”
One of the coalition’s primary goals is to ensure that community voice and student perspectives are more consistently incorporated into decision-making processes. Participating ESDs will work to establish or strengthen youth and community advisory structures while developing approaches that help districts make decisions informed by those closest to the issues they seek to address.
The coalition will also focus on reducing isolation among equity leaders and creating opportunities for collaboration around common challenges. Through regular convenings, shared learning, and joint problem-solving, members aim to build the collective capacity needed to influence policies, practices, and organizational culture across Washington’s educational system.
The Cross-ESD Equity Coalition represents a significant step toward a more connected and coordinated statewide approach to educational equity.
Rachel Clements, Program Officer for the Education Equity Fund, said the proposal demonstrated exceptional potential for statewide impact.
“What excited us about this project is its focus on building the conditions for equity work to thrive,” said Clements. “The coalition is addressing challenges that no single district or region can solve alone. By bringing together leaders from across Washington to develop shared tools, language, and strategies, this effort has the potential to strengthen equity leadership and improve outcomes for students statewide.”
Because Educational Service Districts serve school districts in every region of Washington, the coalition’s work could ultimately influence educational experiences for hundreds of thousands of students. The project’s emphasis on stronger data systems, community partnership, leadership development, and organizational alignment is designed to create lasting improvements that continue well beyond the grant period.
The Cross-ESD Equity Coalition represents a significant step toward a more connected and coordinated statewide approach to educational equity—one that leverages collective expertise and shared responsibility to ensure every student has the opportunity to thrive.
Through this investment, College Spark is supporting a vision of educational leadership that is collaborative, community-centered, and focused on creating lasting systems change for Washington’s students.
