The "Wall Street Journal" declared 2011 the "year of school choice" after 13 states enacted new choice policies or expanded existing ones. This brief discusses coalitions as the secret ingredient of the choice movement's success and shares lessons learned from the most effective coalitions. Key points include: (1) parental frustration over school closures, distance learning, and politics in the classroom created an opening for the educational choice movement, but those factors alone are insufficient for legislative success; (2) states that succeeded in passing robust educational choice policies this year all had a key ingredient: an effective coalition; and (3) effective coalitions have a unity of purpose, communicate regularly, and are well prepared to carry out their missions.