Even the best ideas and intentions fall short without the framework and talent to execute and sustain them.
In this conversation, we speak with Josh Archambault, Founder and President of Reformers Academy. We discuss the work his Education Reformers Academy is doing to assemble and equip a network of policy leaders committed to ensuring that every child in America has access to great education.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What is your mission?
Archambault: Reformers Academy recruits, trains and deploys policy-minded professionals into positions of influence that shape human flourishing. Across education, healthcare and human services, these leaders work to expand opportunity for the next generation.
Founded in 2022 as Health Reformers Academy (HRA), the organization has since expanded to include Human Flourishing Academy (HFA) and Education Reformers Academy (ERA). Through practical, three‑month fellowships and ongoing alumni support, Reformers Academy develops and places talent in key policy roles.
As the most popular program, ERA is building a national network of skilled, values-aligned professionals equipped to drive education reform and sustain progress. By building a national network of leaders inside and outside government, ERA works to implement and strengthen K–12 education policy.
Q: Where do you see the most promising philanthropic opportunities in 2026?
Archambault: With 36 gubernatorial races on the ballot, demand for strong state-level education leadership is high. While candidates are prioritizing education, delivering on that agenda requires greater human capital. Legislative staff and state agencies alike report that lawmakers are eager to advance education policy, even as staff feel less prepared to support them. State education agencies likewise need a new generation of skilled leaders who embrace innovation, challenge outdated practices, empower educators and expand choice for families. ERA is addressing this need by building talent systems that redeploy experienced leaders and rapidly upskill teams as political windows open.
At the same time, the expansion of school choice is creating new implementation challenges. As more families gain access to options, success will depend on execution. Philanthropy can help by supporting both the “supply side” of choice—microschools, charters, private schools, virtual learning and homeschool—and families navigating these options, while also strengthening agencies adapting to new roles.
ERA’s network is already accelerating implementation. In Texas, multiple alumni have played key roles in launching the state’s Education Savings Account (ESA) program, contributing to more than 275,000 applications. Two ERA alumni, who met through the ERA network, jointly bid on the implementation contract and are now facilitating the Texas ESA implementation. This reflects a broader model: identifying talent, building capacity and placing leaders in positions of influence.
States are also making progress in areas like literacy and career pathways. Scaling these gains will require cross-state learning and the talent to carry proven reforms into new contexts.
Q: What key challenges and opportunities should donors keep in mind when considering their support for education reform?
Archambault: Funding bold reform ideas matters, but a shortage of ideas is rarely what stifles education reform. The real constraint is human capacity—skilled leaders who can build support, enact reforms and implement them well. Strong teams and broad coalitions turn good ideas into durable change.
After significant investments in political and legislative efforts, many underestimate how much success depends on agencies, districts and individuals who may not be reform-minded—or may even oppose the policy they are tasked with implementing. Implementation is messy and complex, and often where good reforms fail. Even strong laws can be hollowed out by poorly written rules, misaligned incentives or a lack of execution talent. ERA’s training focuses on the art and science of bringing people along, managing complex projects and measuring results over time.
Breakthroughs like Mississippi’s literacy gains do not spread on their own. States rarely adopt proven practices simply because the evidence is compelling. Scaling what works requires intentional effort, showcasing success, translating lessons across contexts and identifying leaders who can carry reform forward. ERA’s growing national network of state-level reformers is already accelerating this exchange of ideas and best practices.
Q: What risks or constraints should donors be paying closer attention to?
Archambault: Investing in “blue” and “purple” states can be slower and more uncertain, but it is essential. Strategic philanthropy in these environments can lay the groundwork for long-term change, building coalitions, expanding high-quality options and preparing leaders for future opportunities.
If the goal is universal access to quality education, progress cannot be limited to favorable political environments. Some of the most meaningful gains will come from sustained investment where the need is high, but the path is more complex.
Q: What feels underfunded but high-leverage?
Archambault: Networks of values-aligned reformers are a key driver of durable change. Policy progress often depends on trusted relationships across sectors and states.
ERA efficiently provides what most policy professionals don’t get until 10 to 20 years into their careers: foundational policy knowledge, changemaker skills and access to a broad network of peers, mentors and experts. We also match the right talent to the right opportunity, which dramatically increases the odds of success and impact.
While collaboration across organizations and states can be difficult, networks like ERA break down silos and enable more effective partnerships. They also endure beyond individual roles or administrations.
Q: If you were directing grant dollars today, where would you focus?
Archambault: I would focus on talent: building and sustaining a pipeline of values-aligned policy leaders who translate good ideas into real results for students and families. The education reform movement has no shortage of promising policies or parent demand. Whether we like this fact or not, what it lacks is enough skilled people who can navigate government, craft sound regulations, build coalitions and protect reforms from being undermined.
Three areas offer especially high leverage: talent inside government, talent outside government and networks that accelerate learning and trust.
Inside government, governors, state chiefs and agencies require leaders who understand both policy and execution. Without the right people in the right roles, even strong reforms stall or get hollowed out through weak rulemaking.
Outside government, advocacy groups, think tanks and parent-serving organizations need professionals who can analyze policy, communicate effectively and coordinate across sectors, often with limited capacity.
Finally, networks matter. Durable reform happens when leaders share playbooks, avoid repeating mistakes and build the relationships needed to move complex work forward. Investing in networks of reformers multiplies the impact of every grant.
If philanthropists want lasting gains in educational opportunity, the most catalytic investment is the people who make reform work.
Q: What are the latest developments or strategic priorities for your organization that you would like to share with our community?
Archambault: In 2026, and every four years, 36 gubernatorial races take place. Yet, there has never been a coordinated effort to staff reform-minded administrations with education-focused talent. Former governors consistently report struggling to find qualified agency leaders and fully staff their administrations in the first year, effectively losing the period when they have the most political capital. Former Govs. Scott Walker and Susanna Martinez have raised awareness among current governors that we can train their key leaders and that they can hire our alumni. ERA also has a dozen current and former state education chiefs teaching our alumni directly from their experience. This is how ERA is working to address this gap.
But the need extends beyond political appointments. Reform-minded talent is essential across the ecosystem, from education choice implementation groups to think tanks, state-based organizations expanding educational options and advocacy groups.
Ensuring these organizations are led by capable, values‑aligned professionals is critical to sustaining reform, not just today, but over the long term.
Q: Why does your organization focus its work on the areas it does?
Archambault: The furtherance of the American Dream depends on access to high-quality education, the ability to live a healthy and productive life and the opportunity to work, live independently and move up the economic ladder.
Government spending on education, healthcare and human services accounts for the majority of state budgets—and roughly half of federal spending—yet outcomes have seen limited improvement. At the same time, competing agendas distract from addressing core challenges. Bold reform ideas have been circulated for years, but the talent pipeline has not kept pace.
What’s needed are leaders who can:
- Shape the intellectual case for reform
- Communicate effectively
- Build coalitions and advocate for new approaches
- Pass, implement and evaluate policy
Reformers Academy is tackling this challenge head-on.
If you would like to learn more about Education Reformers Academy or how Philanthropy Roundtable supports K-12 education, please contact Pathways to Opportunity Program Director Stephen Allison.
