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Advocacy Day is an annual flagship event in its X year, led by the Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium (PEDC), often co-hosted with partner organizations like PaCASE and PAC-TE, to amplify our collective voice. This initiative provides a platform to connect with legislators and urge them to prioritize the funding needed for the recruitment, preparation, and retention of high-quality, diverse educators in Pennsylvania.
On April 15th, 2026, over 130 educators, students, and advocates gathered at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg for our annual Advocacy Day. Over half of the attendees were first-time participants, showing our momentum is only continuing to grow. Together, they called on lawmakers to fully fund the Student Teacher Support Program and invest in Talent Recruitment initiatives to strengthen Pennsylvania's educator pipeline.
This day does not happen without the vision and tireless effort of the PEDC Policy & Advocacy Working Group, whose Co-Leads and planning team members spent months preparing materials, coordinating logistics, and building the relationships that made this advocacy possible. We are endlessly grateful for their leadership.
And to every person who registered, showed up, and used their voice in those Capitol hallways: thank you. Whether this was your first Advocacy Day or you were returning, you reminded Pennsylvania's lawmakers that this movement is not slowing down.
During Advocacy Day, attendees made a direct impact by sharing their voices, experiences, and priorities with Pennsylvania's General Assembly. As part of a collective effort, this advocacy helps ensure that policies and critical financial resources are allocated through the state budget to support our educators and strengthen the future of education in Pennsylvania.
Whether you’re an educator, student, parent, policymaker, or advocate—you have a role to play in advancing equity in education. Together, we can create an education system that serves and uplifts every learner.
