Podcast – Betty Peralta on Why Students Need Social-Emotional Learning

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 adult-child interaction specialist Betty Peralta about what social-emotional learning (SEL) is, how students, teachers, and administrators can benefit from SEL, how the state can support SEL in Washington’s 295 school districts, how parents can advocate for SEL in their student’s classroom, and more.

Betty recently led a training on social-emotional learning for educators and staff at South Shore PreK-8 in South Seattle, a close partner of League of Education Voters. Betty’s website is AltaVenues.com.

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Podcast – The Washington state Legislative Youth Advisory Council

Priyanka Mukhara (L) and Kellen Hoard (R)

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 connects with two students from the Washington state Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) about LYAC’s history, how LYAC operates, LYAC’s impact on education policy, and what they would change if they were in charge of the state’s education system. Priyanka Mukhara is a First-Year Councilmember and Kellen Hoard is a Second-Year Councilmember and the Chair of LYAC.

The Washington state Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) is codified in law as the official youth advisory body to the state legislature, and its activities are wide-ranging. Throughout the year, 14-to-18-year-old student members of the council actively lobby legislators, testify in committee, advise various government agencies, host events around the state, collaborate with nearly 200 community organizations, and much more.  LYAC also spends much time conversing with young people in every corner of Washington about their priorities in order to be a more effective advocate to the legislature.

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Washington Game Changers Podcast – Seattle Leader Tim Burgess

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 Tim Burgess, who has been a policy officer, a nonprofit manager, an advertising executive, a Seattle City Councilmember, and the Mayor of Seattle. Lauri and Tim talk about his own observations about racial equity while he was a police officer in West Seattle, his passion for early learning, and why he fiercely believes in public service.

 

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Podcast – The Educators of Color Leadership Community

From Top Left: Brooke Brown, Stephanie Gallardo, Tamasha Emedi, Denise Daniels, Brad Brown, Eileen Yoshina

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 hosts a panel discussion about the Puget Sound Educational Service District’s successful Educators of Color Leadership Community (ECLC), in which panelists address why educator diversity is so important, what the barriers are to recruitment and retention of teachers of color, how the Educators of Color Leadership Community supports teachers of color, and how we can scale the ECLC’s work to support teachers of color across Washington state.

We were honored to interview:

Brooke Brown, 2021 Washington state Teacher of the Year and Regional Teacher of the Year from Puget Sound Educational Service District 121, who teaches English and Ethnic Studies at Washington High School in the Franklin Pierce School District

Stephanie Gallardo, who teaches social studies at Foster High School in the Tukwila School District

Tamasha Emedi, Assistant Principal at Hazel Valley Elementary School in Highline Public Schools

Denise Daniels, Director of Recruitment, Retention and Workforce Development in the Auburn School District and President of the Kent School District Board of Directors

Brad Brown, Executive Director of Kindergarten through Post-Secondary at the Puget Sound Educational Service District

Eileen Yoshina, Director of Equity in Education at the Puget Sound Educational Service District, who facilitates the Educators of Color Leadership Community

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Washington Game Changers Podcast – Estela Ortega of El Centro de la Raza

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, Lauri talks to Estela Ortega, the longtime Executive Director of El Centro de la Raza, a backbone of the community in Seattle. Estela talks about how she has stayed centered during the pandemic, how her organization has fared during this time and about her late husband Roberto Maestas, and their early work in creating El Centro. She also talks about the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on students of color.

El Centro de la Raza is located in the old Beacon Hill School in Seattle, creating a gathering place for Beloved Community. Read more about El Centro’s historic journey.

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Washington Game Changers Podcast – Sean Goode of Choose 180

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, Lauri speaks with Sean Goode of Choose 180 about how they truly make a difference in the lives of kids and give an alternative to what many call the “school-to-prison pipeline,” particularly for kids of color. Sean’s organization involves the kids in making their own decisions, making commitments, and holding them accountable when they make mistakes. Choose 180 also asks us to examine how our society treats mistakes in youth and how that treatment often is disproportionate. You will be inspired by the work Sean and others do at Choose 180. Sean was inspired by the experience his own brother encountered with the juvenile justice system. Find out more about Choose 180 and Sean Goode at www.choose180.org.

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Washington Game Changers Podcast – Marty Hartman of Mary’s Place

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, Lauri talks to Marty Hartman, Executive Director of Mary’s Place, an organization founded on the principle that no one’s child should sleep outside. Mary’s Place provides safe, inclusive shelter and services that support women, children, and families on their journey out of homelessness.

Marty Hartman talks about homelessness in Seattle, the impact of COVID-19 on families living in homelessness, and what you may not know about families who experience homelessness. Marty also shares inspirational stories about families doing their best with their kids during this tough time of socially-distanced learning and living through the pandemic.

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Washington Game Changers Podcast – Dr. Ben Danielson

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, Dr. Ben Danielson, formerly the Director of the Odessa Brown Clinic at Seattle Children’s and now with UW Medicine, talks about his personal and career journey, and his work to advance racial equity.

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Podcast – 2020 Washington state Classified School Employees of the Year

Melito Ramirez (L) and Katie Lee

In our 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 asks 2020 Washington state Classified School Employees of the Year about their role in the education system, what advice they would give a new classified employee, what motivation they still carry with them from their first day on the job, how the COVID pandemic has impacted their work, and what school districts can do to better support employees in their role.

We were honored to interview:

Melito Ramirez, 2020 Washington state Classified School Employee of the Year and Regional Classified School Employee of the Year from Educational Service District 123, who works as Intervention Specialist at Walla Walla High School in the Walla Walla School District

Katie Lee, 2020 Regional Classified School Employee of the Year from Olympic Region Educational Service District 114, who is a Special Education Paraeducator at Vinland Elementary and Poulsbo Elementary Schools in the North Kitsap School District

 

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Podcast – The 2021 Washington state Teachers of the Year

From Top Left: Brooke Brown, Ben Ballew, Megan Anderson Reilly, Devin Bauer, Chenoa Meagher, David Buitenveld, Erin Lark, Jackie Hentges, David Tracewell

In our 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 asks the 2021 Washington state Teachers of the Year about their teaching philosophy, their greatest accomplishment in the classroom, how they would make teaching better in Washington state, what advice they would give a new teacher, what motivation they still carry with them from their first day in the classroom, how the COVID pandemic has impacted their work, what school districts can do to better support teachers, and what advice they would give to parents and educators during this time. We were honored to interview:

Brooke Brown, 2021 Washington state Teacher of the Year and Regional Teacher of the Year from Puget Sound Educational Service District 121, who teaches English and Ethnic Studies at Washington High School in the Franklin Pierce School District

Ben Ballew, 2021 Regional Teacher of the Year from Northwest Educational Service District 189, who teaches English at Arlington High School in the Arlington School District

Megan Anderson Reilly, 2021 Regional Teacher of the Year from Educational Service District 105, who teaches Spanish at AC Davis High School in the Yakima School District

Devin Bauer, 2021 Regional Teacher of the Year from Northeast Educational Service District 101, who is a Special Education Department Head and Learning Center teacher at Lakeside High School in the Nine Mile Falls School District

Chenoa Meagher, 2021 Regional Teacher of the Year from Educational Service District 123, who teaches kindergarten at Sagecrest Elementary School in the Kennewick School District

David Buitenveld, 2021 Regional Teacher of the Year from Capital Region Educational Service District 113, who teaches mathematics and is a remote learning coach at Nisqually Middle School in the North Thurston School District

Erin Lark, 2021 Regional teacher of the Year from Educational Service District 112, who science and STEM at iTech Preparatory School in the Vancouver School District

Jackie Hentges, 2021 Regional teacher of the Year from North Central Educational Service District 171, who teaches science at Brewster Middle School in the Brewster School District

David Tracewell, 2021 Regional Teacher of the Year from Olympic Region Educational Service District 114, who teaches English and Media Communications at Klahowya Secondary School in the Central Kitsap School District

 

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