Public Education Partners

Celebrating our 40th Anniversary in 2025, Public Education Partners (PEP) was founded in 1985 by Greenville’s business and civic leaders to serve as a connector between the private sector and our public schools. PEP's mission is to support, strengthen, and advance public education in Greenville County, and over the last four decades we have served as an award-winning innovation partner to Greenville County Schools and a champion for public education. PEP provides both on-the-ground services to teachers, students, and families while also working at a systems-level through research and recommendations for policy and programmatic innovations. Our vision is a Greenville County that champions public education, respects and supports teachers, and engages all families and communities in the success of our schools and students.

Our Work

PEP's new five-year strategic plan (2025-2030) focuses our work into three strategic areas:

1.     We will CHAMPION TEACHERS by uplifting the profession, fostering leadership and civic engagement opportunities, and providing resources for classroom practices and professional development. This work will include:

• Classroom and school grants, to increase resources for students and teachers who need them most
• EdTalks4Teachers professional development, to provide learning opportunities for educators
• Teacher Fellows policy fellowship, to help teacher understand the policy landscape and advocate effectively
• Future Teachers Academy Leadership Board partnership, to support the next generation of teacher leaders
• TeachGCS Night & Teacher Celebrations, to lift up positive stories from classrooms and say thank you

2.     We will EQUIP FAMILIES by providing equitable, inclusive tools and trainings to help increase positive engagement with schools and support for students. Signature programs include:

• Parent Leadership Partners, a leadership development program for parents living in poverty, to empower them to support their child's success
• EdTalks4Families community conversations, to explore critical topics in public education of importance to families
• InformEdsc.org data center, our award-winning website that simplifies complex PK-12 data at the school, local, and state level and provides helpful issue papers and articles on trending topics
• Family Resource Center, our online hub for information and materials
• Make Summer Count, our award-winning family literacy program for elementary school students
• PTA/SIC coaching and support, for schools that face barriers to family engagement

3. We will ADVANCE COLLABORATION by working collectively with partners to coordinate research, support innovation, pilot new initiatives, and build organizational sustainability.  This strategy calls for PEP to:

• Identify GCS Graduation Plus (G+) priorities to support
• Convene community partners
• Share critical data from InformEdsc.org and other sources to shape collective action
• Develop common priorities and identify gaps and needs
• Lead joint fundraising efforts to resource new initiatives to build capacity and ensure sustainability

PEP's legacy of impact on Greenville County Schools is extensive, and continues today. As one first-year teacher wrote to us recently: “Organizations like PEP are what keep me going in this field. I am inspired, motivated, and love that there are people out there who work to empower educators and shed light on public education. Just know the work you do never goes unnoticed.”

Become one of the partners that give us our name! We encourage you to VISIT OUR WEBSITE to learn more about our work, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER, and FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @pepgreenville!