Dear Ambassadors,

Our January board meeting will be special!

Per your requests, Dr. Stephan Blanford will join us for a conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing Seattle Public Schools. Four years ago Dr. Blanford won a seat on the SPS Board with 89 percent of the vote. His discoveries after joining the board led to his decision to push for change externally. Dr. Blanford will touch on Seattle’s 5th largest-in-the-nation opportunity gap, the role that community leaders like you can play in addressing it, and field your questions. Get a head start by listening to Dr. Blanford’s conversation with Ann Dornfeld on KUOW here.

Our next board meeting is Thursday, January 18 at 12 p.m at El Centro de la Raza (2524 16th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144).

GIVING THANKS
Thank YOU for your ambassadorship and advocacy of our students, faculty, school and community partners who collaborate for positive outcomes! Recent successes include:

• $2.4M from the U.S. Department of Education to address the shortage of dual language teachers in the Road Map Region, Shoreline and Bellevue. 
  
• $1.7M from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen research to practice partnerships in the Road Map Region and beyond. 
  
• The launch of Cultivate Learning on November 30!
  
• Join Dean Mia Tuan and Professor Gail Joseph and visit with researchers and staff to discover how partnerships with early learning educators are driving great outcomes for kids! We will honor our fellow Ambassador, Seattle Mayor Tim Burgess, for his commitment to our earliest learners. RSVP HERE.

Thank you for being a champion for the College of Education!

Warmly,
Mia Tuan & Kimberly Mitchell

Sharing stories from the College with your networks helps us show our state-wide impact in and commitment to improving education. Action Item: Read one of the stories below and send it to a friend (and make sure to follow the College of Education on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn!)

• Dream Project Mentorship courses - every Monday: Join UW undergraduates at one of their Dream Project classes, and learn how undergraduate mentors support and engage 11th and 12th graders through the college application process. 3 - 4:30 p.m. every Monday, University of Washington campus. For more information and/or to RSVP email grantt@uw.edu.
• Cultivate Learning Open House- November 30: Dr. Gail Joseph and the Cultivate Learning team will be launching their re-branded center and key Early Learning initiatives. Visit with Early Learning experts over wine and bites as we honor Mayor Tim Burgess for his commitment to Seattle’s earliest learners. 6:00-7:30 PM at Cultivate Learning (5001 25th Ave NE, Suite 201E (East Building) Seattle, Washington 98105) RSVP here or contact sasha9@uw.edu.