Educate Our State

Mission

Educate Our State is a grassroots, parent-led, statewide campaign uniting the voices of Californians in support of high-quality, K-12 public education and to demand real, systemic change. Educate Our State believes parents and community leaders can work together and agree on fundamental changes that put our children's achievement and success first.

Background

Educate Our State was founded by seven moms who had children in the California K-12 public education system and were frustrated by the budget crisis schools were facing.

What started as a simple Town Hall turned into a parent movement that has since expanded to 40,000 supporters. In Los Angeles, the message "Say No to Cuts" was spread through a viral video, "Hot For Teachers" starring actors Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green, and was seen by over a million people in just a few days.

In 2011, Educate Our State launched the "Let Us Vote" campaign to extend expiring taxes to support education, generating 60,000 letters throughout the state. "Camp Educate" followed in the fall, where parent leaders from around the state gathered for training in engagement organizing skills with New Organizing Institute.

Full Circle Fund Role

Full Circle Fund is helping support Educate Our State's transition from an all-volunteer team to a fully funded non-profit with paid staff. This inflection point is an ideal moment for Full Circle to engage Educate Our State to secure stable, multi-year funding, help guide the transition, and increase capacity and influence. Successful completion of this project will greatly enhance the organization's scale, sustainability and outreach potential.

Educate Our State's end goal is to grow membership to 100,000 through cultivating best practices and infrastructure in building chapter development and writing scripts to develop new PSA's.

More About the Organization

NAME: Educate Our State
ORGANIZATION LEADER:
Teri Levy
Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing and Communications
LOCATION: San Francisco
WEB: educateourstate.org
GRANT TERM: 2012-2013
TEAM LEAD: Evan Lurie

"When we all speak up we can actually change the system. We're excited for Full Circle Fund's Education Circle Members to help us unite the voices of Californians in support of high quality education for all kids and be the bridge to parents in order to allow them to be active in their child's education."

Crystal Brown

Board President
Educate Our State