The Skillman Foundation

Improving education systems requires more than good ideas. It takes people working together across roles, organizations, and perspectives for a shared purpose. 

The 2025 Education Changemakers Summit brought together leaders who share a commitment to improving education for Detroit youth. The theme, “Bridging to Accelerate Education Policy Change,” examined how to build connections and support to shift policy and practice.  

Throughout the day, participants explored where bridging is already happening and what it takes to deepen collaboration. 

A Day Focused on Connection and Practice

The Summit opened with remarks from our president & CEO, Angelique Power, and a performance by Detroit educator and spoken word artist, Mr. E in the D. A panel featuring Bethany Little from EducationCounsel, Dr. Curtis Lewis from Boldly Moving Education Ahead, and Nolan Finley from The Detroit News discussed the realities of advancing education change across organizational and political differences.  

Participants then practiced two types of bridging: 

• Short Bridges: Connecting people or groups who already have connections or shared interests. During the morning session, participants who work on similar education issues exchanged ideas, built relationships, and explored small steps toward coordinated action. 

• Long Bridges: Connecting people or groups across deeper lines of difference. The afternoon sessions focused on skills that help bridge across political, regional and other differences, including using data and storytelling to build shared understanding, forming coalitions, and organizational practices that foster collaboration. 

Both forms of bridging are essential. Policy change often begins with alignment among those working toward similar outcomes. Over time, broader coalitions help turn that alignment into durable change. 

What We Learned

Many priorities are shared. 
Across sessions, participants raised similar challenges. These included funding, supporting students, retaining teachers, engaging families, and sharing data in useful ways.  

Participants work in different parts of the education system, yet they are navigating many of the same issues. Recognizing these shared priorities is a starting point for collective action. 

Detroit’s education community holds deep expertise. 
The Summit highlighted the depth of knowledge across Detroit’s education community. Participants brought perspectives from teaching, research, youth engagement, policy advocacy, philanthropy, community organizing, and program design.  

Conversations quickly turned into connections and plans for follow-up. The knowledge needed to improve the education system already exists within the community. Bridging helps to connect and harness expertise toward shared goals. 

Collaboration requires space and structure. 
Participants called for regular opportunities to connect across sectors. Many emphasized the importance of staying in conversation, setting shared goals, and following through on ideas that emerge. 

These conversations also reinforced an important lesson: Collaboration takes effort. It requires intentional spaces where people can build relationships, share information, and explore ideas together. 

Student and family input is essential.  
Participants stressed the importance of involving youth and families directly in decision-making. They encouraged future gatherings to include even more student and parent voices.  

Policy solutions are strongest when they reflect the lived experience of those most affected by the education system.

Key Lessons for Education Policy Change

Two insights stood out across the day’s conversations. 

• Bridging creates conditions for policy change. 
  Policy shifts rarely happen because of a single organization or idea. They happen when people align around shared priorities, build common ground, and move solutions forward together. Bridging helps create the relationships and shared understanding and priorities that make this possible. 

• Collaboration is a capacity that must be built. 
  Effective collaboration requires time, resources, and trust. It also requires specific skills such as communicating across differences, building coalitions, and translating research and data into stories that resonate and invite partnership. Supporting these skills across the education ecosystem helps the field move from conversation to action. 

What Happens Next? 

The Summit showed that when people come together with shared purpose, momentum grows. 

Survey responses reflected this energy: 

• 83% said the Summit helped them think differently about how bridging can advance policy 

• 85% gained a deeper understanding of where bridging is already happening 

• 97% left inspired to explore collaborations with other education changemakers 

Participants also shared ideas for future gatherings. Several suggested creating space for participants to work together on real challenges and report back on progress. Others encouraged expanding the network to include new and nontraditional partners. 

We also heard a clear message: Bridging is the work for education policy change. Bridging requires investment. It takes time, resources, collaboration skills, and trust. 

In response, the Foundation launched an Accelerator Grant pilot program to continue the Summit’s momentum. Eight grants will be awarded to organizations to catalyze collaboration that accelerates education change. We look forward to highlighting what these partners learn at this year’s Summit. 

Coming Soon 

The 2026 Education Changemakers Summit will take place in Detroit on Thursday, November 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

Participation is by invitation. We are also looking to grow the network of partners committed to advancing equitable education policy change. Organizations that would like to attend the Summit can complete the following interest form: www.surveymonkey.com/r/7YFZ2R3