The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is an interstate compact created in 1965 to improve public education by facilitating the exchange of information, ideas and experiences among state policymakers and education leaders. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization involving key leaders from all levels of the education system, ECS creates unique opportunities to build partnerships, share information and promote the development of policy based on available research and strategies.

Forty-nine states, three territories and the District of Columbia constitute the commission's current membership. Each member state or territory is represented by seven commissioners -- the governor and six other individuals, typically legislators, chief state school officers, state and local school board members, superintendents, higher education officials and business leaders.

The chairmanship and vice chairmanship of ECS are held by a governor and a state legislator, respectively, alternating between the two major political parties. Each chairman selects a particular issue that serves as a focal point for the organization's work during his or her term.

Various committees and work groups, made up of ECS commissioners, govern investment decisions, oversee the budget and guide the work of ECS. The ECS staff, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, includes educators, policy analysts, communications and technology experts, researchers and support staff. Three operating divisions work together to provide state leaders with the services and products they need to make informed education policy decisions. These divisions are Information Management and ECS Clearinghouse, Policy Studies, and Programs and State Services.

ECS is supported financially by a combination of state fees and contracts, sponsorships, and grants from foundations, corporations and the federal government. Among the funders of current ECS projects and initiatives are the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, Joyce Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, MetLife Foundation, Ford Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the GE Fund.