Director’s Note
Every year, I focus on a word or phrase to live into. This year that word is community.
Two years ago, I bought my childhood home from my parents and spent time renovating it. It’s been a dream of mine to move back into this home, and I’ve loved being able to make new memories with my family here.
This holiday season, I received a text message from my neighbor Mrs. H, who gave me one of my first babysitting gigs. She said, “Hey Angie, I want to host a holiday party for the neighborhood.” We decided my house was the best fit and hosted nearly 40 of our neighbors in early January. (And no, do not begin calling me Angie!)
The gathering became more than a holiday party. We shared the history of our neighborhood, laughed about the growing pains of our cul-de-sac, and forged bonds with those new to the neighborhood. In a few short hours, we tightened the fabric of our community where waves from the porch are more common and we stop each other in the street to catch up. We’re swapping recipes and pitching in when our neighbors need a little help. All because of one small gathering. All because of community.
To me, this is the ultimate definition of community. And this is the kind of community we all need to create and seek out if we want to create meaningful change for the young people in our state and communities. I hope you all can find big and small ways to focus on community in 2025.
We have so many partners already leaning into this notion of community. This newsletter highlights some of the ways our partners are building community for our students in Washington state.
Angela Jones
Director, Washington State & U.S. Charters
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Hear from Washington school counselors during National School Counseling Week
What do school counselors in Washington state do? As five school counselors share in a new video from the Washington School Counselor Association (WSCA), they are vital to helping students feel welcome, safe, and prepared for the future.
- WSCA is a membership association focused on supporting school counselors in our state so they can be the best for their students.
- “School counselors are equipped to be able to help students—their social-emotional needs, their academic needs, and also their career development needs—and all of those are very important in raising a productive student to go into society,” said Fondra Magee, the 2024 Washington School Counselor of the Year.
- The Gates Foundation provides grant funding to WSCA to help them pursue their mission of ensuring that school counselors have the resources they need to provide adequate support to all students.
February 3-7 was National School Counseling Week. This year’s theme was School Counseling: Helping Students Thrive.
- The American School Counselor Association recommends a 250:1 ratio of students to school counselors—Washington’s ratio is currently 363:1.
- As this WSCA video highlights, investing in school counselors is one of the best things we can do to help our students thrive.
- During National School Counseling Week, you can help honor our state’s school counselors by watching and sharing this video.
Watch the video: School Counselors Are Essential for Washington’s Students
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Four takeaways from launching the Limitless Learning Network
In November 2023, Education First launched the Limitless Learning Network in Washington state, which brings together 26 cross-sector partnerships of educators, school district and higher education leaders, and community organizations.
- We provided funding to help Education First launch Limitless because we believe in the power of creating a statewide network that gives practitioners the flexibility to test ideas and learn from one another.
- We asked Education First to help us incubate Limitless because of their education expertise and experience getting similar learning communities up-and-running.
At the end of 2024, Education First completed the first phase of Limitless and handed the work off to Education Northwest, who we brought on as the permanent Limitless manager.
- To commemorate this transition, Education First published a case study that highlights what they learned over the last 18 months.
What they found: Education First highlights several key lessons from this work—the first being that practitioners are critical to accelerating change, as they can use their expertise and connections to create effective solutions for their communities.
- Education First also found that when students and families help design solutions, the results are more effective and transformative for the community.
- Giving each partnership flexible funding also allows communities to try new ideas and find solutions that work for their specific needs.
Why it matters: To solve complex challenges, our communities must have diverse partnerships that feature a range of experts from different systems and are also committed to a shared vision and goal.
- Education First gave us a roadmap for this work by launching Limitless, and we’re committed to building on and continuing their fantastic work.
Read the case study: Four takeaways on the impact of cross-sector partnerships
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Attend the WERA Spring Symposium
The Washington Educational Research Association (WERA) is hosting its annual Spring Symposium March 20-21—bringing together educators, researchers, and policymakers from across the state to discuss pressing issues and innovations in education.
- Supported by Gates Foundation grant funding, WERA’s Spring Symposium will focus on the topic of postsecondary transitions.
- Our grant is also helping WERA lead a study on postsecondary transitions across six school districts in Washington state.
Why it matters: The WERA Spring Symposium will feature insightful sessions on key topics such as research-practice partnerships, which are long-term collaborations between researchers and practitioners to improve education.
- Come for expert-led sessions on education trends and the opportunity to attend breakout discussions and network with peers.
Register today: WERA Spring Symposium 2025 Registration
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How to leverage ERDC data dashboards for decision-making
The League of Education Voters, a Gates Foundation grantee, recently hosted a webinar with the Washington State Education Research and Data Center (ERDC) that outlined how to use ERDC’s data dashboards to make decisions that support students.
- ERDC tracks several outcomes for students in Washington state, including college and workforce outcomes for high school graduates.
- This webinar focused on how ERDC’s dashboards help districts and schools understand student pathways after high school.
- ERDC focused on how schools, colleges, and other local leaders could use these dashboards to make informed decisions that set students up for success.
What we learned: As ERDC highlighted, anyone can use dashboards to identify gaps in student outcomes, like disparities in college readiness or career placement, and address them with specific interventions.
- For example, Susan Rose shared how the Quincy School District brought their ERDC data to teachers, students, and families for discussion.
- By seeing their school's postsecondary and earnings data, students became more engaged in discussions about their future—leading to increased interest in college preparation and career planning.
Watch the webinar: How to leverage ERDC data dashboards for decision-making
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New website: Guaranteed Admissions Program
The Council of Presidents, a Gates Foundation grantee, recently launched a new Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program (WAGAP) website.
- This site provides clear, accessible information about WAGAP, designed to engage students and families directly.
- The Council of Presidents also developed a WAGAP Practitioner Toolkit to support K-12 partners in their outreach efforts.
- This toolkit includes flyers, social media graphics, and additional materials in Spanish and English.
Why it matters: WAGAP opens the door to college opportunities for thousands of students in Washington state. If a student meets the minimum GPA and coursework requirements, they are guaranteed a spot at six public four-year universities in Washington.
- And as the new website highlights, college grads are 24% more likely to be employed than high school graduates.
- WAGAP may help a student who didn’t think college was an option begin to see a pathway to postsecondary in their future.
- These new resources will help partners reach and support more students and families across Washington.
Explore the website: Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program
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What we’re watching + reading
- Opinion: College is worth it for most students, but its benefits are not equitable, Hechinger Report
- WSAC Statement on Financial Aid Applicant Privacy, Washington Student Achievement Council
- “Financial aid has allowed me more opportunities”, Independent Colleges of Washington
- Your FAFSA Is Filed. Now What?, Get Schooled