Advocacy

Through CAAP, ETS advocates for solutions to issues in education equity and access. Particular focus is given to organizations whose missions focus on the African-American, Asian-Pacific Islander, Hispanic-American and Native-American communities — the four major groups for whom achievement and opportunity gaps are the greatest.

Examples of ETS's advocacy work includes collaborations with:

• National Commission on Asian-American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE): ETS collaborated on the study iCount: A Data Quality Movement for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education (PDF) which highlighted the need for and benefits of collecting and reporting disaggregated data for the highly diverse Asian-American and Pacific Islander student population.
• Rutgers University–Camden: ETS and Rutgers hosted a two-day conference — Bright Futures: Improving Education and Transforming Outcomes for Girls of Color —  for educators, public policy officials, philanthropists and community advocates to discuss challenges and barriers impacting girls of color.
• The Office of Higher Education Strategic Information and Governance (HESIG): ETS and HESIG (an affiliate of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University) collaborated on the reexamination of critical policy issues affecting college opportunity in New Jersey. The CAAP-funded report, Finding Solutions, Building Public Trust in an Era of Change, offered recommendations to make college more affordable and easier to complete, and to give students the skills they need to succeed in the workforce.

CAAP leads ETS in the commemoration of Black History Month, Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and American Indian Heritage Month by hosting renowned speakers to discuss aspects of these cultures as they pertain to educational equity.

Over the years, ETS has welcomed a number of nationally recognized speakers, including:

• Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The 1619 Project (2022)
• Gary Locke, Former Governor; Ambassador to China; U.S. Secretary of Interior (2022)
• Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, President Emeritus, Miami Dade College (2022)
• Joy Harjo, U.S. Poet Laureate (2022)