Our History
In 1995, against a backdrop of academic decline and public dissatisfaction with Seattle Public Schools, three education-related organizations with similar goals reorganized and merged to create the Alliance for Education.
The objective of the newly formed Alliance was to serve as a catalyst for change, a convener of community leadership, and a conduit for directing private resources—both dollars and expertise—toward critical needs in Seattle Public Schools. With Chief Executive Officer Robin Pasquarella at the helm of the Alliance, and with John Stanford serving as schools superintendent, the Alliance developed a unique and lasting partnership with Seattle Public Schools.
From our beginning the Alliance’s volunteer board has played an important role in addressing the difficult issues related to school accountability, expectations, and performance. The board maintains an independent, yet supportive relationship with Seattle Public Schools, providing a positive influence needed to sustain continued school improvement.
The Alliance’s board and staff found early success making private giving to public education a “habit of the heart" in Seattle. The Alliance developed a unique model of private philanthropy for public schools. Donated funds provide the venture capital for school improvement, while supplementing, but not replacing, public funding for our schools. In the first ten years of its existence, Alliance investments in literacy, science, and school transformation contributed to substantial improvements in Seattle Public Schools.
In January of 2007, Pasquarella retired after a decade of service and Patrick D’Amelio—former CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound—became the Alliance’s president and CEO. After conducting a thorough review of the Alliance’s role in the community, D’Amelio and the Alliance’s board set forth a strategic refocusing of the organization that included, among other things, a renewed commitment to accountability and to collaboration. To help guide the organization’s work, D’Amelio and the Alliance’s board created two new task forces: the Community Engagement Task Force and the Educational Investments Task Force.
At the center of our work is a strong belief in the value of public education, the opportunity it brings to every child, and the importance of public education to the health of our whole community.
