MSAN’s mission is to build the capacity of students and educators to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of students of color by learning and leading together.
MSAN is a national, multi-state coalition of small to mid-sized school districts that learn, grow, and work together to realize the vision that all students experience an inclusive and excellent education.
What We Do
MSAN expands leadership capacity and is dedicated to elevating youth voices through partnership and research.
Our History
Since 1999, MSAN has worked to build the capacity of school leaders and students through its communities of practice, youth development and leadership focus, and research activities, all aimed at ensuring all students have what they need to thrive and succeed.
2025-2027 Strategic Plan
The strategic plan (PDF) describes the history and purpose of MSAN’s strategic work, including highlights from an environmental scan and an analysis of strengths, challenges, threats, and opportunities that was completed. Four drivers of success were identified, and these drivers anchor the goals that frame a three-year plan.
MSAN’s core values are rooted in the beliefs that:
Our Home
MSAN lives at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the School of Education and is a project of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research.
Our Communities of Practice
MSAN’s two Communities of Practice are the MSAN Governing Board of Superintendents and the MSAN Research Practitioner Council (RPC), which is composed of directors, managers, and other senior district leaders. MSAN’s communities of practice provide virtual and in-person convenings for learning, discussion of emerging issues and solutions, job-specific groupings for tailored inquiry and dialogue, and dissemination of promising and research-based practices. Members also have opportunities for participation in site visits, asynchronous networking and communication, and can access supportive and knowledgeable colleagues, experts, and researchers to learn and grow in ways that develop both their leadership capacity and practice.
Learn more about our communities of practice.
Our Youth Leadership and Research Focus
MSAN’s core values include beliefs that students’ voices must be centered, and research and collaboration drive innovation. MSAN member districts have access to a variety of opportunities to elevate student voices, build student leadership capacity, and partner with students for impactful change including a three-day in-person high school student conference.
At the MSAN Student Conference, students learn, network, and work within school and district teams to develop an action plan for change. The Intersectional Social Justice Collaborative (ISJC) is a web series offering for middle schoolers that develops and strengthens their capacity for leadership and positive action. MSAN’s new youth voice research practice partnership aims to enhance policy and practice in schools while preparing youth leaders for education research and scholarship. This partnership seeks to transform both the policy-making structure in school districts and challenge the traditional structures and processes of education research.
Our Impact
For over 25 years, MSAN has facilitated learning, collaboration, dialogue, and inquiry for hundreds of students and educators each year.
Throughout its history, MSAN has engaged more than 6,000 school district leaders and educators through its communities of practice, professional learning and annual institute.
Additionally, nearly 4,000 high school students have had the opportunity to attend MSAN’s student conference and participate in leadership capacity building yielding the production of more than 350 student action plans developed and implemented by students to create change in their schools across the country.
Each year, MSAN’s work reaches school district leaders, school educators, and students in multiple school districts across many states. Together MSAN school districts serve nearly 190,000 students across the US.