The Education Promise – by working from the outside-in; by bringing together stakeholders with expertise across key issues from inside and outside education; by amplifying existing examples of what’s possible; and by supporting strategies for change that go beyond relying on local heroes – provides a pathway to real systemic change. 

We believe that change happens when the right people connect at the right time to make a difference. The Education Promise is both about building a process to develop policy recommendations and about building the connections across the country that will help to make change possible. 

We are translating complex education systems into clear, actionable knowledge to drive evidence-based policy change. Key activities of The Education Promise include:

• PFE’s Canadian Education Blueprints: To address a critical gap in policy knowledge and advocacy, we have developed a first-of-its-kind digital policy tool that describes 9 levers of policy change and how each lever operates in every province and territory. Explore the Education Blueprints here.

• Policy briefs: We are developing four evidence-based policy briefs—one for each focus area—that connect public education to Canada’s most urgent challenges, identify barriers and enablers, and compile policy recommendations aimed at multiple decision-makers.  
• Pan-Canadian Education Action Plan: To be released in early 2027, the Pan-Canadian Education Action Plan will advance concrete policy recommendations for change, and will be the basis for continued pan-Canadian engagement with civil society groups, educators, governments, faculties of education, and school system leaders.
• Canadian School Survey: People for Education is a founding partner of the Canadian School Survey, led by Wilfrid Laurier University’s Centre for Leading Research in Education (CLRiE). The pilot survey and report identifed key challenges faced by principals and schools systems across Canada.

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Policy change requires consensus and collective action. We are actively building a diverse, cross-sector coalition to advocate for change. 

• The Advisory Board: Our pan-Canadian, cross-sector Advisory Board provides strategic advice and acts as a sounding board, connecting the work of The Education Promise to leaders in health, labour, environment, and business. Meet the Advisory Board. 
• Regional Summits: Following the winter 2027 release of the Pan-Canadian Education Action Plan, People for Education will host policy and engagement summits in 4 regions of Canada: West, Prairies, Central, and Atlantic. These summits follow cross-Canada engagement across 6 provinces with dozens of regional and national organizations.
• The Promise of Public Education Event Series: We hosted a free and open-to-the-public events in 7 cities in 2026. The Promise of Public Education: the role of public schools in nation-building series engaged over 375 people from coast to coast in conversations about the value of public education to Canada’s future.