Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes joins education advocacy group Chiefs for Change

Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes has joined Chiefs for Change, a group of state- and district-level school chiefs advocating for reforms they believe will boost achievement for all students, the group announced Wednesday.

“I’m excited to continue working with fellow state and district Chiefs from around the country,” Anthes said in a statement. “Chiefs for Change members are courageous, effective, and laser-focused on students. It is a privilege to join their ranks and come together as a community to advocate for excellence and equity for all of our students.”

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush launched the organization in 2008 to promote his education agenda nationally, and it broke away from Bush’s Foundation for Educational Excellence in 2015 to become an independent nonprofit.

It has championed charter schools, the Common Core State Standards and other reforms. Over the last two years, Chiefs for Change has produced position papers on building a more diverse teacher workforce, expanding instructional choices, and school improvement strategies in the era of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal education law.

The group began as a coalition of state education leaders, then expanded its scope to include heads of school districts. Among its two-dozen members are Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg and Antwan Wilson, a former DPS hand who now leads the Washington, D.C., school district. Both men sit on the board of directors.

According to its most recent tax forms, Chiefs for Changes’ largest funders are Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Walton Family Foundation. The Walton Family Foundation also provides funding to Chalkbeat.