Their advocacy goal is to advocate for all children to have better and equal opportunities to an education. They work on levels of the family, policy and electoral work through engaging family, starting national and state campaigns hoping to create better school environment for students, and educate voters about candidates who are committed to improving the public education system. Some specific education issues they focus on are literacy and successful high school career and transition to higher education. The social justice issue that they are working on is inequality in access to state and local funding.
2. What educational or social policy or issue inspire their advocacy?
It started with the movement of advocacy for children issues following the Stand for Children rally in 1996, but they shifted their focus to working specifically on funding for public schools due to more budget cuts and from the rising concerns of parents and community about the quality of the public education.
3. How do school teachers, social workers, counselors, or advocates partner with the community?
Stand for Children do this through working with engaged parents who are interested in learning about how to support their children success in school and be more involved in increasing their children's achievements. Furthermore, they partner with states and districts and local experts to find what needs should be met and create movements and campaigns to fill in those needs.
4. How does this advocacy initiative empower students, teachers, or community members? Explain in the context of human and social capital.

This empowers the community and the children through empowering parents (who are also voters) to make better decisions regarding their child's education and educating them on how to give momentum to the educational policy that they would like to see in their states. In the context of human capital, their advocacy is focusing on educating and increasing human capital in terms of educating them about current issues and providing them skills to advocate for their own children through family organizing and mobilizing . In the social capital sense, it is connecting the family level to the policy level by improving bridges and linkages among people from different communities, occupations, and fields together through advocating for the same goal: better educational system and more funding. 
5. What aspects of advocacy initiatives can be improved or pursued?

I would like to see the students are also being involved in the conversations about how they could be best supported in school. Although these students are only in elementary school, I think it is important to teach them early on (maybe in simple ways, through art and storytelling) about children issues and social justice issues, and encourage them to have a voice in how adults can best support them. Furthermore, they only have reading as their main skill focus. I would like to see a further expansion to other subjects such as STEM, with the focus on female students, to address the lack of STEM support in school for girls. 

The Alliance works to ensure that all youth have access to affordable, quality after school programs. Their goal is to engage public will to increase public and private investment in quality after school program initiatives at the national, state, and local levels. Their goal is to be an effective voice in efforts to expand quality after school programs and they strive to serve as an information source on after school programs and resources.
2. What educational or social policy or issue inspire their advocacy?
The Afterschool Alliance was established in 2000. It grew from public awareness efforts through a public-private partnership with the US Department of Education to expand after school programs. 

3. How do school teachers, social workers, counselors, or advocates partner with the community?
One of their main goals is to communicate the impact of after school programs with children, families, and the community. While being established, the departments efforts caught the attention of several outsiders with shared interest in achieving after school programs for all students. The alliance works with a range of organizations and supporters, including policymakers and policymaker associations, advocacy groups, after school associations, business and philanthropic leaders, technical assistance organizations, and leaders representing many different interests. 

4. How does this advocacy initiative empower students, teachers, or community members? Explain in the context of human and social capital.
After school programs are critical to children and families. In communities today, 11.3 million children take care of themselves after the school day ends. Afterschool Alliance empowers the community, families, and the students because Afterschool Alliance's Ambassador program identifies providers and advocates that work every day to keep the kids safe, and inspire children to learn and help working families. They know firsthand the barriers and benefits that communities face in making after school available to all children. Their advocacy is increasing human capital by informing the schools and community of the student success and necessity for after school programs. In the context of social capital, their advocacy is building bridges with families, school districts, teachers, and students using these programs to connect them all. Also working with other students and adults during these programs creates social capital.
5. What aspects of advocacy initiatives can be improved or pursued?
10.2 million children are in after school programs but the parents of another 19.4 million say their children would participate in after school if a program were available. To improve this program, I would like to see every school offer an after school program. This is a long term goal that will take time and support, but overall is I think it is achievable. It is important that all students are safe, protected, and secure after the daily school hours.