Indian Wells, California (CNN) The powerful conservative network aligned with billionaire Charles Koch is launching a new organization focused on overhauling K-12 education and will make a renewed push this year to obtain permanent legal status for young undocumented immigrants, Koch officials announced Monday.

The still-unnamed education initiative will operate in five states and affect 15 million students, Brian Hooks, a top Koch lieutenant, told donors on the final day of a three-day retreat at a luxury resort in the California desert.

Koch officials would not identify the states they will target nor the specific objectives of the new initiative, but it comes as the country has been roiled by teacher strikes -- most recently a six-day walkout by educators in Los Angeles over pay, class sizes and support services.

Many Koch donors have supported school-choice efforts in their communities, but Hooks cast the new push as avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach. Koch officials described the effort as including a focus on curriculum and technology.

"The teachers who have expressed frustration in the last few months are good people," Hooks said of striking educators. "They are expressing legitimate concerns, but the current approach means nobody wins."

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