What Parents Across America does

Parents Across America (PAA) is a U.S. nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization, founded circa 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, that connects public school parents across the country to coordinate opposition to corporate-style education reform. Its core activities center on publishing formal position papers on federal and state education policy — including mass school closings, charter school legislation (notably H.R. 2218), the Parent Trigger law, standardized testing, ESEA/NCLB reauthorization, class size, and the impact of poverty on educational outcomes — and on building a chapter network spanning Charlotte (Mecklenburg-ACTS), Chicago (Parents United for Responsible Education), Philadelphia (Parents United for Public Education), and Roanoke, with coalition ties to the Network for Public Education founded by Diane Ravitch. In 2020 PAA extended its advocacy into the ed-tech vertical through the Screens in Schools Action Kit, co-developed with the Children's Screen Time Action Network, and was featured in Ravitch and Nancy Bailey's reference book 'EdSpeak and Doubletalk.'

PAA does not operate a technology platform: there are no APIs, SDKs, native apps, or proprietary AI/data systems, and the organization's offerings are informational rather than software-based. Its products are content artifacts — position papers, the Screens in Schools Action Kit (February 2020), advocacy tools, and the EdSpeak and Doubletalk glossary — distributed as free downloads from its website under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license.

The business model is donation-funded nonprofit advocacy. Membership and participation are free; there are no paid products, services, or subscription tiers. Revenue mechanics consist of voluntary contributions supporting position-paper production, chapter organizing, and outreach to state and federal policymakers. GTM motion is community-led and coalition-driven: PAA amplifies parent voices through website content, formal policy papers distributed to legislators and members, email outreach, and grassroots organizing via its chapter and affiliate network. The organization is led by co-founder Julie Woestehoff and founding members Helen Gym and Pamela Grundy, with Laura Bowman serving on the board.

Name

Parents Across America

Legal name

Parents Across America, Inc.

Website

https://parentsacrossamerica.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Parents Across America is a Chicago-based nonprofit grassroots organization founded around 2011 that connects U.S. public school parents through chapters in Charlotte, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Roanoke to advocate against mass school closings, high-stakes testing, charter expansion, and ed-tech overuse.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Advocacy Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Education advocacy
• Parent organizing
• Public school policy
• Education reform
• Grassroots community organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Non-profit organization revenue: As a non-profit organization, Parents Across America generates revenue through donations and member support to fund advocacy activities, position papers, and community organizing efforts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Parents Across America is a grassroots nonprofit advocacy organization that connects public school parents and activists across the United States to share ideas and collectively advocate for improved public education policy. It publishes position papers on education reform issues (mass school closings, charter schools, standardized testing, ESEA/NCLB), distributes advocacy toolkits such as the Screens in Schools Action Kit, and operates a national network of chapters and affiliates that organize at the local, state, and federal levels.

Product overview

Parents Across America is a grassroots advocacy organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of advocacy resources and educational materials including position papers on education policy issues (school closings, charter schools, standardized testing, parent trigger laws, ESEA reform), the Screens in Schools Action Kit for digital device advocacy, and reference publications like EdSpeak and Doubletalk. These are informational resources for parents and activists rather than software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Position Papers on Education Reform Written policy documents addressing key education issues including school closings, charter schools, standardized testing, and parent empowerment, distributed to policymakers, members, and the public.
• Screens in Schools Action Kit An action kit developed in partnership with the Children's Screen Time Action Network to help parents advocate for best practices regarding digital device use in schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Position papers have influenced federal education policy debates including ESEA/NCLB reauthorization discussions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Children's Screen Time Action Network (Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAA collaborated with the Children's Screen Time Action Network to distribute the Screens in Schools Action Kit, released in February 2020. This partnership supports PAA's advocacy against over-use and misuse of digital devices in schools.
• Network for Public EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Diane Ravitch, the Network for Public Education is a key coalition partner. PAA is featured in the book 'EdSpeak and Doubletalk' co-authored by Diane Ravitch, in the chapter 'Groups Fighting Education Reform'.
• Parents United for Responsible Education (Chicago)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerChicago affiliate of PAA, led by co-founder Julie Woestehoff. Active in fighting mass school closings and advocating for responsible education reform in Chicago Public Schools.
• Parents United for Public Education (Philadelphia)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPhiladelphia affiliate led by founding member Helen Gym. Active in opposing mass school closings and advocating for public school investment in Philadelphia.
• Mecklenburg-ACTS (Charlotte, NC)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCharlotte affiliate led by founding member Pamela Grundy. Reports on impacts of mass school closings including overcrowding and increased student suspensions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Education Association: The largest U.S. teachers' union and a broad incumbent in K-12 education policy; overlaps with PAA's pro-public-school advocacy and often participates in the same coalitions on testing and privatization.
• American Federation of Teachers: Major national teachers' union with public education policy and parent-engagement programs; shares many policy positions with PAA and represents a potential coalition partner or resource for parents.

Direct peers

• Journey for Justice Alliance: Youth- and parent-led organizing network opposing school closings and disinvestment in urban public schools, directly aligned with PAA's anti-mass-closings position paper work.
• Save Our Schools March: Grassroots parent- and educator-led coalition opposing high-stakes testing, privatization, and corporate education reform; overlaps directly with PAA's advocacy positions and member base.
• Parents United for Public Education (Philadelphia): PAA's Philadelphia affiliate led by co-founder Helen Gym, itself a parent-advocacy organization operating at the local level with national-network affiliation.
• Parents United for Responsible Education (Chicago): PAA's Chicago affiliate led by co-founder Julie Woestehoff, actively organizing around mass school closings and parent voice in school governance.
• Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood: Parent partner of PAA through the Children's Screen Time Action Network, co-publishing the Screens in Schools Action Kit and aligning on edtech/screen-time concerns in schools.
• Network for Public Education: Founded by Diane Ravitch, the NPE is the most closely aligned national coalition partner of PAA, sharing the anti-privatization, pro-public-school mission and co-featured in 'EdSpeak and Doubletalk'.
• Public Funds Public Schools: National campaign opposing the diversion of public education funds to private and charter schools; shares PAA's policy goals on school privatization and uses grassroots organizing tactics.

Emerging players

• Parents Defending Education: Newer, well-funded national parent-advocacy organization active in school board and curriculum fights; competes for the same engaged-parent donor base but from a different ideological position.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/parentsacrossam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Parents Across America