League of Education Voters Foundation (LEV Foundation) is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that provides strategic, accurate, and timely information about research-driven education policies and practices to citizens, educators, policymakers, and the media. We partner with community-based organizations to support students, families, and community members in improving public education systems in their communities and across the state.

Our programs include coalition building, grassroots organizing, training, policy research, and analysis. We work to improve opportunities for every public school student in the state, and especially, students and families who are systemically and historically underserved, and disproportionately affected by failing systems.

 

We advocate at the state level for community-driven, student-focused education solutions.

We build capacity for partners and coalitions by providing Policy, Field, and Communications expertise.

We share trusted information with students, families, communities, educators, partner organizations, policymakers, and the media.

We convene education stakeholders such as students, educators, community-based organizations, and policymakers.

And we do this through an equity lens.

 

Our Vision

Every student in Washington state has access to an excellent public education that provides equitable opportunities for success.

Our Mission

LEV Foundation acts to serve the interests of students and families across the state of Washington to improve education access and quality, particularly those who have been harmed by historical and systemic inequities, by:

  • Developing community-informed, targeted policy solutions to benefit students impacted by racism, poverty, disability discrimination, and other forms of oppression.
  • Advocating for ample, equitable, and stable resources to meet the needs of every student.
  • Mobilizing families, businesses, youth, educators, communities, and other stakeholders to understand and remove the systemic barriers to each student’s success within the public education system.
  • Partnering with stakeholders to advocate for equitable, high-quality, and fully-funded education.
  • Highlighting research-driven and promising educational practices that prepare students to reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully to our democracy and economy.
  • Providing voters, stakeholders, policymakers, and the media with strategic, accurate, and timely information about public education in Washington state.

Our Values

At LEV Foundation, we base our work on the following values:

  • Put Students First

    Students have an important voice in shaping the education system. Families are critical partners in student success. We commit to working with students, families, and communities – especially Black, Indigenous and students of color, students with disabilities, students gaining English proficiency, students experiencing homelessness, foster youth, and other historically marginalized students – to identify barriers and formulate solutions together, and we support them in organizing to advocate for their future.

  • Honor Community Knowledge and Experience

    LEV recognizes that communities themselves offer the best definition of the challenges they face and often the best pathways for addressing them.

  • Embrace Anti-Racism

    We are committed to understanding and dismantling historic and systemic racism which creates stark inequities in education and being held accountable for our own action or inaction. We are also committed to looking inward at LEV’s history, committing to changes, and being accountable for them.

  • Operationalize Equity

    We believe equity should lie at the heart of our decision-making. We must employ approaches and build structures and policies externally and internally that will be designed to embed equity at every decision point.

  • Advocate for Educators Who Better Reflect the Students They Serve

    We believe students need teachers and school leaders who reflect them, understand their lived experiences, and are equipped to help them succeed.

  • Pursue Collaboration

    We believe we are most effective when we work across the lines of difference toward common solutions. We will learn from the community and acknowledge the power of lived experience.

  • Act with Courage

    We will have the courage to act, to learn from our actions, and to strive to improve our practice with innovation and humility.

  • Remain Nonpartisan

    We believe education is not a partisan issue. We are deeply engaged in the political process but do not align ourselves with any political party.

 

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