The Walton Family Foundation announced Tuesday that it is “significantly increasing its support” in the Sacramento-based national lobbying and policy organization StudentsFirst, with an $8 million investment.
The Walton Family Foundation has invested $3 million in StudentsFirst since Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public schools, founded the organization in 2010. The $8 million investment will be made over two years and was given to the StudentsFirst Institute, a related nonprofit with a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt status, meaning that contributions are tax-deductible. StudentsFirst, a 501(c)(4) organization to which contributions are typically not tax deductible, is active in mobilizing members to lobby state legislators and other activities.
In a statement, the Walton Family Foundation said that it “invests in programs and organizations that expand parental choice and equal opportunity in education.” StudentsFirst has targeted 18 states, including California, for a range of education reforms, including promoting policy changes in how teachers are evaluated.
“Across the country, millions of parents are now empowered with the opportunity to choose strong publicly funded schools of all types – public charter schools, district and private schools serving students on public scholarships – for their children,” said Ed Kirby, deputy director of the foundation’s K-12 education reform efforts, in a statement. “However, too many parents still do not have access to great educational options. StudentsFirst is well positioned to help empower parents with the information and policies they need to choose from more high-quality schools of all types.”
In an ongoing controversy, Rhee has come under increasing pressure over accusations she didn’t pursue allegations of cheating on tests that led to big jumps on test scores at a number of schools in Washington, D.C. However, Rhee, pointing to investigations by the inspectors general of the District of Columbia and the U.S.Department of Education, said she has been cleared of any wrongdoing.