In December 2014, the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren (CFDS) was formed to make sweeping educational reform recommendations regarding the provision and governance of public education in Detroit. Spearheaded by community organizations, labor unions, and business interests representing an array of stakeholders in the Detroit area, the Coalition provided a unique opportunity for collective action to transform a very troubled education system. For this study, we interviewed the five chairs of the CFDS and we draw from the framework of Institutional Analysis and Development and the Advocacy Coalition Framework to guide our analysis of the processes through which the coalition was formed, how recommendations were determined, and whether efforts made to influence State and local policy are likely to produce intended outcomes.