Chapter 1: The Education Illuminati

An introduction to a secretive, national coalition of radical activists called the Partnership for the Future of Learning

There is a secret society operating across the country that has been very successful at transforming and remodeling public education over the past 10 years. These self-appointed saviors of society have taken it upon themselves to determine what is right and what is wrong with our country, and they are at the root of nearly every education-related controversy including:

• Critical Race Theory and its journey from “it’s only in law schools” to “we need it to teach real history”

• COVID-19 lockdowns, funding, and “stop saying learning loss!”

• School Choice and voucher programs are racist

• Parental Rights is anti-LGBTQ+

• Speaking out at school board meetings = domestic terrorism

• Identity, belonging, mental health, Social Emotional Learning, Restorative Justice, student voice, data collection & surveys, anti-racism, anti-bias, and that whole equity thing

I think we need to give them credit though. First off, they are extremely well funded, focused, organized, and connected. They’ve also been operating since 2015 and this is very likely the first time you’ve heard about them: the Partnership for the Future of Learning, or as I prefer to call them, the EdIlluminati.¹ I’m not suggesting these radical activists in the Partnership for the Future of Learning are actually in the Illuminati. However, as the EdIlluminati are revealed, I think you will understand and appreciate the analogy.

Who are the EdIlluminati?

While their membership in this secretive coalition may be new to you, I’m sure you already know many of the people and organizations in the EdIlluminati. They include but are definitely not limited to:

• Billionaire backed non-profit foundations (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and Hewlett Foundation to name a few)

• Teachers unions (NEA, AFT, and their state & local affiliates)

• College professors and administrators (NYU, Teachers College at Columbia University, Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, and many more)

• Public officials (U.S. Department of Education, White House, state departments of education, public school districts, and legislators)

Taken from their main presentation for the November 2023 annual assembly held in Baltimore, MD

If you’re chomping at the bit to see all the 800+ EdIlluminati members, I’ve got you covered! I have already published that information and so much more at EdIlluminati.com. More details about this are at the bottom of this post.

What do the EdIlluminati want?

This is where things get a bit tricky. They are adept at using affirmative language and redefining common terms to avoid saying the quiet part out loud. They use terms like “deeper learning”, “student-centered approaches”, “equitable and inclusive education”, and “democracy” that sound appealing. As you can imagine, their messaging wouldn’t be so well received if they were upfront and said, “We know socialism hasn’t really worked before, but we think we’ve got it figured out this time. So can we have your schools and your kids so we can give it another shot? Just trust us!”

Taken from their main presentation for the November 2023 annual assembly held in Baltimore, MD

One thing they have been open about is their #1 priority: Community Schools. Many EdIlluminati members have lots of resources on this topic, including this one from the National Education Association: NEA - What are Community Schools?

Community Schools are a topic deserving of an entire post, which is forthcoming. In short, Community Schools aren’t really schools. They are community hubs, providing services like healthcare, housing, learning opportunities, and other social programs for students, families, and other community members. This may sound appealing, but as always, the devil’s in the details.

How are they able to drive so many radical changes?

This is really where the EdIlluminati flex their collective muscles (pun intended). They have a core team of staff and consultants, led by a Saul Alinsky (author of Rules for Radicals) trained organizer named Cyrus Driver. This team operates as a project within their “fiscal home”, a 501c3 non-profit (originally the National Public Education Support Fund but they moved to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2022). This gives them access to plenty of tax exempt funding without having to disclose anything specific about their "project”, how it uses the money, etc.

Cyrus and his team leverage this well-funded, well-connected network of people to execute a laser-focused strategy laid out by their Steering Committee of about 15 people (see 2020 roster and 2023 roster). Their strategy involves specific goals and tactics including:

• Communications, public relations, and “narrative framing”

• Public policy and model legislation

• Defining the problems and the solutions

• Land and expand (how to grow the network’s reach through regional/statewide partnerships)

• (Ab)using student voice

• And most recently, how to “Power a breakthrough for public education” by crushing school choice, parental rights, and any person or group who challenges their plans

Long story short, they’ve established an incredible system to drive change across the country while making us all think these were just honest, grassroots efforts.

From the Partnership for the Future of Learning “Progress and Lessons from the First Five Years” Evaluation Findings - September 2020

Why are they doing this?

It’s pretty simple. They believe our society is broken and it’s their duty to fix it, whether we like it or not. As you begin to recognize who they are and their work, you’ll notice some consistent themes like:

• Capitalism bad → Socialism good

• Individualism bad → Collectivism good

• Patriotism bad → Globalism good

Here’s just one example taken from their June 2020 Community Schools Framing and Messaging presentation delivered by Jennifer Kotting, another of the core EdIlluminati team members:

From June 2020 Community Schools Framing and Messaging presentation

Choose your own adventure

I realize this likely generates more questions than provides answers, but I believe it speaks to the size and scope of the EdIlluminati. This is just the first chapter in a long story everyone has the right to know.

As you can imagine, this massive underground network of radicals has accomplished a lot since they formed the Partnership of the Future of Learning in 2015. So with that in mind, I’ll do my best to guide you on the path to understanding the who, what, why, when, where, and how. I’ll also provide specific examples of their work and how these so-called protectors of democracy are actually the ones consistenly circumventing our democratic processes.

For those who are skeptical or want to dive into the data for themselves, I’ve already made available most of the information I’ve collected on them at EdIlluminati.com. Here’s what you will find on that website:

• EdIlluminati People Database: View, search, sort, print, and even download their entire of people and organizations along with other useful info (current & past roles, location, when they joined the partnership, relevant links, etc.)

• EdIlluminati Document Library: Hundreds of their internal documents, presentations, emails, and message board posts

• EdIlluminati Videos: Recordings of their internal virtual meetings and webinars

I will continue to add more content to the website and publish more chapters of this important story to help connect the dots. Now it’s your turn to decide which path you want to take.

Click here for Chapter 2: The Oligarchy of the EdIlluminati

1. I must also give credit to my wife, Lora, who came up with the name Education Illuminati, or EdIlluminati for short.