Baton Rouge Alliance for Students Celebrates 5 Years of Improving Public Education For All

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BATON ROUGE, LA – The Baton Rouge Alliance for Students celebrates its 5th anniversary this month. Founded on the core belief that “An excellent education is every child’s birthright,” the Alliance works hard to make that a reality for all students in East Baton Rouge Parish. The organization’s diverse initiatives all seek to improve outcomes for Baton Rouge students by empowering families, engaging communities, and elevating leaders.

Since its inception in 2021, the Alliance has:
● Gifted over $550,000 in Community Building Grants to direct service non-profits
● Graduated over 100 community advocates through its CHANGEMAKERS program
● Engaged with over 600 middle and high school students about what they want to see improved in education
● Supported student-centered policies to improve the resources our students need

“Five years ago, we knew that better was possible for Baton Rouge students, and we set out to work in partnership with the community to help advocate for a set of public schools that prepare the next generation for lives of possibility and purpose. I’m proud to celebrate the Alliance’s birthday and all we have accomplished together.” Adonica Pelichet Duggan, Founding CEO, Baton Rouge Alliance for Students.

We are committed to continuing to do what is needed to ensure that every child in our community has access to a high-quality education. We look forward to what the future holds, not only for our organization but for the children of this city.

Baton Rouge Alliance for Students 2025 Annual Report

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BATON ROUGE, LA – The Alliance is pleased to announce the release of our 2025 annual report. This report highlights many of the events, programs, and initiatives we created and supported over the last year. We thank you all for your support of our work and for your belief in our mission: An Excellent Education is Every Child’s Birthright.

 

2025 Annual Report

Baton Rouge Alliance for Students Announces 2025-26 CHANGEMAKERS

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The Baton Rouge Alliance for Students today announced the selection of 28 participants for its new class of CHANGEMAKERS, a program dedicated to educating community members to address the diverse obstacles surrounding education improvement within the Baton Rouge community.

The 10-month program will provide this seventh cohort of CHANGEMAKERS with an understanding of the education ecosystem through monthly discussions, city visits, school tours, and other community activities. The cohort’s work will heighten awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing the public education system in the city’s K-12 education landscape.

The following participants have been selected for the 2025-26 CHANGEMAKERS class:

  • Jude August
  • Daniel Bosch
  • Hunter Brown
  • Tani Budde
  • Hannah Cobb
  • Katelyn Cockerham
  • Jamie Courtright
  • Kendle Davis
  • Mary Beth Derrickson
  • Jamila Dupree
  • Darlene Fields
  • Hannah Fontenot
  • Megan Garretson
  • Tristan George
  • Arquavious Gordon
  • Donna Johnson
  • Carlton Jones
  • Morgan Lamandre
  • Jorge Lavastida
  • Tale Lockett
  • Jian Masacco-Richard
  • Isaiah Mayfield
  • Brandy McIntire
  • Pashion Norman
  • Candace Oliver
  • Ann Tillage
  • Courtney Turner
  • David Whidden

The CHANGEMAKERS program reflects the Alliance’s mission to engage leaders in the community about the education system and create a pathway toward every child in Baton Rouge receiving their birthright of an excellent education. The Alliance remains dedicated to unlocking every child’s potential and enhancing Baton Rouge’s education system by empowering families, uplifting the community, and engaging leaders.

For more information about the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students or the CHANGEMAKERS program, please visit BRAlliance.org.

School Realignment Vote

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Today marks an important milestone for the future of education in Baton Rouge. After months of community meetings and collaboration, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board has passed a school realignment plan that lays the groundwork for a stronger, more effective use of resources and a commitment to optimizing community assets. 

Developing and passing this plan required tough decisions on the part of the Board and Superintendent Cole. It took vision, courage, and a deep commitment to ensuring that every child in Baton Rouge has access to a high-quality education and the opportunities they deserve. 

We are grateful for all the stakeholders, particularly parents, who engaged in this collaborative and student-centered effort. It’s a testament to what can be accomplished when we come together, operate transparently, and put students first. 

This plan sets our district off on a pathway leading to better-resourced, better-maintained schools, and that is certainly worth celebrating. But we know that the work does not end here. As we move forward, we must ensure that school transitions for students, families, and staff are smooth and supported and that there is thoughtful planning around the reutilization of buildings so that they continue to serve our neighborhoods in meaningful ways. 

Let’s build on this momentum and continue delivering the promise of a brighter future for every student in Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge Community is Dreaming Big for its Students

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It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 days since Education as a Civil Right 2025, which brought students, parents, and community members together around a shared mission of providing an excellent education for every student. 

One of the most powerful moments of the evening was watching our community’s vision for excellent schools come to life through art. As people shared what their “dream school” would look like, an illustrator captured those hopes in real time, highlighting everything from safe, clean buildings and reliable transportation to more resources and programs to meet student needs. 

Now, as the East Baton Rouge School Board works to iron out its facilities realignment plan, those shared dreams can remind us of what is possible.

Realignment is about more than buildings. It’s about using our resources in ways that reflect our values and aspirations for the future. It’s about making the dreams shared at Education as a Civil Right a reality. 

The conversations sparked in February shouldn’t stay in the past. They can guide us forward.

We have to keep asking ourselves – What do our students deserve? What does it take to make a “dream school” a reality for all students?  How are we prioritizing the student experience? 

These are the questions Superintendent Cole and the EBR School Board are currently asking not only themselves but also the entire community. 

We’re grateful to everyone who made Education as a Civil Right such a meaningful night, and we’re committed to continuing the conversation, together.

 

       

 

School Realignment Priorities

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The Baton Rouge Alliance for Students commends Superintendent Cole and the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board for taking an important step forward in advancing the district’s school realignment plan. The facility changes will allow district leaders to ensure resources are being consolidated and allocated in ways that will better serve the needs of all Baton Rouge students. While these decisions are undoubtedly challenging, they provide us with an opportunity to give every student access to first-rate learning spaces, quality educators and the support they need to thrive.  Realigning facilities will create more efficient and effective educational environments that will benefit not only students, but also our entire community. For too long, district leaders have failed to adapt to the changing landscape in our city. But in less than a year under Superintendent Cole’s leadership, the administration has acted urgently and deliberately to prioritize student experience. The impact of this work will be felt for years to come, as we work together to ensure that every student has a learning space that fosters growth and the resources needed to achieve the lives of their dreams.

Faces of the Alliance: Community of Impact

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The strength of any community lies in its people—the stories, the diverse perspectives, and our shared triumphs. Faces of the Alliance from the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students, is a new initiative dedicated to shining a light on the individuals and organizations who make up what we call our Alliance family. Through personal narratives and video interviews, highlighting their contributions and experiences, we aim to celebrate the passion and resilience of those working toward a common goal –  unlocking each child’s potential through education.

Why Faces of the Alliance? Because every person has a story, and every story has the power to inspire change. Whether it’s a parent advocating for their child, an elected official or CHANGEMAKER guiding the way forward, or a local volunteer doing the hard work on the ground with students and families, these stories deserve to be told. Our goal is to amplify the voices who make the Alliance what it is; they are essential to the progress we strive for in our city.

Each feature will offer a glimpse into the motivations, challenges, and successes of the people who define our movement. We hope these stories will not only inform and uplift but also encourage others to get involved and make an impact.

This is just the beginning. Join us as we introduce you to the Faces of the Alliance—because change starts with people, and people are at the heart of everything we do.

Stay tuned for our first profile as we celebrate the role we all play in ensuring every child in our community is well-educated.

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”- Mother Teresa

 

Faces of the Alliance

Baton Rouge Alliance for Students 2024 Annual Report

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BATON ROUGE, LA – The Alliance is excited to announce the release of our 2024 annual report. This report highlights so many of the events, programs, and initiatives we were able to create and support over the last year. We thank you all for the support of our work and belief in our mission that An Excellent Education is Every Child’s Birthright.

 

2024 Alliance Annual Report

Baton Rouge Alliance for Students Awards Community Building Grants

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BATON ROUGE, LA – The Baton Rouge Alliance for Students announced Wednesday the awarding of its annual Community Building investments. Grant awards support the work of non-profit organizations in building positive community change and advancing the quality of life for Baton Rouge students and their families. The grants are designed to provide organizations with the resources to expand their reach and impact ahead of their work for next year. The selected recipients are: 

 

  • Fathers On A Mission
  • Line4Line
  • National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc.
  • Redstick C.A.R.E.S.
  • Save the Children
  • Sexual Trauma Awareness & Response
  • The Langston Galloway Foundation
  • Thrive Foundation
  • Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge

 

This year’s grant recipients were selected based on their work in the Alliance’s community priority areas of equity, student growth and development, leadership development, family and community voice, youth empowerment, and out-of-school time. Grantees were also chosen for their ability to encourage the development of community advocacy and offer enriching learning experiences. 

 

“The Alliance is committed to building a coalition of community partners who will serve Baton Rouge students and families well,” said Adonica Pelichet Duggan, CEO of the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students. “We hope that with these investments, grantees can advance their initiatives to continue building the robust and vibrant Baton Rouge our community’s children deserve.”

Baton Rouge Alliance for Students Announces 2024-25 CHANGEMAKERS

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The Baton Rouge Alliance for Students announced the selection of the 28 participants for the new class of CHANGEMAKERS who will emerge as education advocates and leaders in Baton Rouge.

The 10-month program will provide this seventh cohort of CHANGEMAKERS with an understanding of the education ecosystem through monthly discussions, city visits, school tours, and other community activities. The cohort’s work will heighten awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing the public education system in the city’s K-12 education landscape.  

The following participants have been selected for the 2024-25 CHANGEMAKERS class:

Logan Anderson
Caleb Etheridge
Nenette Gray  
Tessa Holloway 
Griffin Landry
Brent Mangum 
Erika Musgrove
Desiree Reese
Raven Veal
Audrey Wascome   		 Jamee Blink 
Dr. Michelle Dennis
Mehdi Farasat
Tanya Hamilton
Tebbe Jackson 
Derrick Lathan
Sandy Michelet  
Russell Nolan
Megan Reilly Shannon		 Nesha Brown
Ebony Dorizan-Martin
Tia Fields
Harmony Hobbs 
Charles James, III
Regina Leingang
Ericka Poole 
Darren Smith, Jr

“This group of civic leaders join the 150 alumni of the program in being ready to make a difference for the future of our city’s students,” said Adonica Pelichet Duggan, Chief Executive Officer of the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students. “CHANGEMAKERS leave our program with a comprehensive grasp of our complex public education system and geared with the tools to go into the community and be both truth-tellers and advocates.”  

The CHANGEMAKERS program reflects the Alliance’s mission to engage leaders in the community about the education system and create a pathway toward every child in Baton Rouge receiving their birthright of an excellent education. The Alliance remains dedicated to unlocking every child’s potential and enhancing Baton Rouge’s education system by empowering families, uplifting the community, and engaging leaders.

For more information about the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students or the CHANGEMAKERS program, please visit BRAlliance.org/change.