Podcast – NPR’s Anya Kamenetz on How COVID Changed Children’s Lives

by Arik Korman

In our Putting Students First podcast, we interview policymakers, partners, and thought leaders to spotlight education policies, research, and practices so that together we can create a brighter future for every Washington student.

In this episode, League of Education Voters Communications Director Arik Korman interviews former NPR Education Correspondent Anya Kamenetz about the impacts of keeping students out of school as long as we did during the COVID pandemic, why this past school year was so challenging for students and educators, and why it’s so important for schools to prioritize relationships and social-emotional well-being moving forward.

Anya’s new book is The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children’s Lives, and Where We Go Now.

 

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Puget Sound Educational Service District 2023 Regional Teacher of the Year Shane Monroe on Elevating Student Voice Within Classroom Communities

by Arik Korman
Shane Monroe

As the Puget Sound Educational Service District 121 Regional Teacher of the Year, serving as a spokesperson and representative for teachers and students, my message is a call to action to elevate student voice. Stuvoice.org, the by-students, for-students nonprofit advocating for student-driven solutions to educational inequity, defines student voice as: “recognizing and acting upon the fact that students are the primary stakeholders of our education and should be partners in shaping it.” Student Voice’s work is guided by the belief that “equity and justice within our schools will only be achieved when power is meaningfully shifted towards young people, particularly toward students with identities who are most marginalized by our nation’s education system.”

When reflecting on stuvoice.org’s mission statement as an elementary educator, the initial thought of giving our youngest students the power to make decisions within our classroom communities is… startling at best. However, it is important to pause and recognize the word power should not directly translate to full and total control, in any capacity of its context. Within the classroom, power should be thought of as emphasizing continued elevation of ideas and feedback from our students. Read More

Podcast – Washington state Teacher of the Year Nate Bowling on Civics and Student Engagement

by Arik Korman

In our Putting Students First podcast, we interview policymakers, partners, and thought leaders to spotlight education policies, research, and practices so that together we can create a brighter future for every Washington student.

In this episode, League of Education Voters Communications Director Arik Korman interviews Nate Bowling, the 2016 Washington state Teacher of the Year and National Teacher of the Year Finalist, about how to engage students during this time of political upheaval, how to help educators and administrators better engage families, and why it’s so important to participate in state and local elections.

 

Listen to Nate Bowling’s Nerd Farmer podcast

Read Nate Bowling’s Bowlings Abroad blog

 

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Washington Game Changers Podcast – Olgy Diaz of the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington

by Arik Korman

Washington Game Changers with Lauri Hennessey features leaders who give back to our community, drive innovative solutions, and inspire others in making our state more equitable and just. This podcast is a one-on-one conversation with these powerful leaders in a time when we need to hear about more good in the world.

In this episode, League of Education Voters CEO Lauri Hennessey interviews Olgy Diaz, a longtime lobbyist and advocate who is President of the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington. Olgy talks about getting women of color trained and elected, working as a lobbyist during the pandemic, and how to still have hope in a challenging time.

 

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Podcast – Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America

by Arik Korman

In our Putting Students First podcast, we interview policymakers, partners, and thought leaders to spotlight education policies, research, and practices so that together we can create a brighter future for every Washington student.

In this episode, League of Education Voters Communications Director Arik Korman interviews Mark Follman, National Affairs Editor for Mother Jones, who discusses which supports and warning signs could prevent mass shootings, how to keep bias out of the threat assessment process, and how to know when is the right time to intervene. Mark’s new book is Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America.

 

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Washington Game Changers Podcast – Joe Hunter, Jr. and Tony Allison, founders of RARE (Roosevelt Alumni for Racial Equity)

by Arik Korman
Joe Hunter, Jr. (L) and Tony Allison

Washington Game Changers with Lauri Hennessey features leaders who give back to our community, drive innovative solutions, and inspire others in making our state more equitable and just. This podcast is a one-on-one conversation with these powerful leaders in a time when we need to hear about more good in the world.

In this episode, League of Education Voters CEO Lauri Hennessey talks with Joe Hunter, Jr. and Tony Allison. They were classmates at Roosevelt High School fifty years ago. But looking back all of these years later, they and many of their peers realized we have not progressed in truly creating schools that are equitable. They created RARE (Roosevelt Alumni for Racial Equity) to give parents and community members everywhere – not just at Roosevelt – a chance to face these difficult issues together, creating a documentary and participating in discussions such as this one.

 

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Podcast – Luma Mufleh on Her Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children

by Arik Korman

In our Putting Students First podcast, we interview policymakers, partners, and thought leaders to spotlight education policies, research, and practices so that together we can create a brighter future for every Washington student.

In this episode, League of Education Voters Communications Director Arik Korman interviews Luma Mufleh, the founder of Fugees Family whose TED Talk on educational justice for refugee families has been viewed more than 1.7 million times. Luma discusses what it’s like being dropped into a classroom when you don’t know English, what supports we should provide to students who are refugees, and how we can focus on the assets that refugees bring to our schools and our society. Luma’s new book is Learning America: One Woman’s Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children.

 

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Washington Game Changers Podcast – Nicky Wilks and Alex Craighead, founders of Journeymen

by Arik Korman
Nicky Wilks (L) and Alex Craighead

Washington Game Changers with Lauri Hennessey features leaders who give back to our community, drive innovative solutions, and inspire others in making our state more equitable and just. This podcast is a one-on-one conversation with these powerful leaders in a time when we need to hear about more good in the world.

In this episode, League of Education Voters CEO Lauri Hennessey talks with Nicky Wilks and Alex Craighead, founders of Journeymen. Journeymen cultivates transformational experiences for boys and men through nature-based rites of passage, mentorship, training, and community events. They discuss helping kids detox from social media, the challenges facing boys today, and what Journeymen does to give boys a connection through nature.

 

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Letter from the Every Student Counts Alliance to the City of Spokane

by Arik Korman

By Kenji Linane-Booey, Spokane Regional Field Director

 

On March 11th, Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl sent a letter to Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Adam Swinyard stating that he believes teachers across the district are not serving in their roles as mandatory reporters. He then said that this violation can be charged as a gross misdemeanor. League of Education Voters (LEV) and their partner, the Every Student Counts Alliance (ESCA), believe this letter was written to sway the court of public opinion in order to decrease trust in the school district administration and to increase funding for the Spokane Police Department. Because LEV and ESCA believe in the work the school district is doing, we decided to respond to Chief Meidl’s letter directly. Read More

2022 Supplemental Budget Summary

by Arik Korman

By League of Education Voters Policy Team

 

The 2022 supplemental budget makes adjustments to the 2021-23 biennial budget and impacts funding for the remainder of the biennium, which ends in June of 2023. The amounts below are in addition to funds that have already been appropriated in the 2021-23 budget. In the final budget agreement, all amounts are per biennium unless noted.

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