2025 Q1 – Partner QuarterLEE Digest

Pleshette has worked closely with YES Prep’s 4th and 5th grade students to launch a Student Council. The group partnered with the school’s Family Committee to host a successful Valentine’s Day Dance and lead a school beautification project by cleaning and planting flowers on campus. 

It was through this meaningful collaboration that Pleshette was inspired to apply for the role of Teacher Advocacy Captain. She was selected as one of the first elementary captains at Yes Prep to partner with LEE, advocating for the teacher voice and student-centered policies.  

Pleshette officially became a LEE member after stepping into the Teacher Advocacy Captain role. “LEE has provided incredible opportunities for leadership development and advocacy training,” she said. “As someone new to advocacy and politics, it has been the perfect starting point to learn what is required to grow in this area. Through LEE, I’ve had the chance to meet with state representatives, gain insight into upcoming education policies, and discover effective ways to get involved in lobbying efforts and educational advocacy.”

“Moving forward, I believe LEE will continue to provide the network, learning opportunities, and confidence I need to grow into a more knowledgeable and outspoken leader,” she added. “I am eager to broaden my experiences and deepen my understanding by leveraging the resources and connections available through my partnership with LEE. With a strong interest in local politics, I’m hopeful that the skills and insights I gain will empower me to take a more active role in that space and contribute meaningfully to my community.”

New Member Portal

At the start of the year, LEE launched our upgraded member portal, a one-stop hub to connect members with all LEE offerings and support. The new portal helps LEE learn more about our members to offer a curated, individualized experience through an easy to use interface.

The portal allows members to easily update their personal information and interests so LEE can customize the user experience with the tools best suited for each member’s needs. The clean interface lets members easily access all of LEE offerings, from in-person training to our online courses and certifications. It includes upcoming event reminders, a personalized calendar, and notifications on resources and new tools to optimize the member experience within the portal.

We are constantly working to keep the portal up-to-date and member-focused, with new features frequently added. Most recent updates include a recommendation engine to show members the best next steps based on their experience, interests, and past participation with LEE and a new job board with customized features including saving and bookmarking roles of interest.

Partners in Action

TFA members and alumni in Cleveland

LEE continues to look for new and meaningful ways to engage with members through our partnerships. Check out just a few examples of our collaboration with partners over the past few months. 

• LEE’s Storytelling and Branding session for Govern for America’s graduating class entering alumni hood demonstrated for participants the power of storytelling to enhance 

• At IDEA’s Family session, members were welcomed to LEE and informed on how joining LEE can provide additional resources to grow their career, accelerate their learning, and take action. 

• More than 40 alumni, staff, and families attended the KIPP SoCal Partnership Launch Reception to celebrate the new KIPP-LEE partnership resources. LEE was also warmly welcomed by the SoCal team in a highly productive and collaborative day of planning. 

• LEE welcomed into membership YES Prep‘s Family Association Representatives Participants learned to harness the power of their personal narratives to drive meaningful change in their communities. The session equipped representatives with essential skills in crafting compelling personal narratives, building stronger relationships through authentic connection, practicing deep listening techniques, and developing intentional storytelling approaches that resonate and inspire action. 

• LEE supported Teach For America members in civic leadership trainings and supports across several region-based gatherings:

• In Baton Rouge, Chattanooga, Houston, Jacksonville, Memphis, Philadelphia, South Dakota, and Tampa TFA corps members considered their values through the lens of civic change and discussed actionale opportunities to support their community

• In Cincinnati and Cleveland, alumni and corps members came together over dinner to hear directly from elected leaders in their community as they considered the opportunity to prepare for and lead in an elected role

• At network-wide alumni gatherings in Atlanta and Denver (One Day Summit and Education Empowerment Summit, corps members and alumni discussed local issues as they considered the opportunity for change through civic leadership

• In Austin, LEE facilitated two sessions at the TFA Texas Symposium to support participants more deeply understand the process for policy making ahead of the legislative session and to offer ways for them to take action depending on what they care most about. 

• In Connecticut, TFA alumni are participating in a coalition to encourage policies that will support students through high dosage tutoring and help modernize the teacher certification process. LEE supported with skill building opportunities and coaching as the coalition planned for a Legislative Roundtable at the state capitol.

If you have any upcoming events or opportunities you’d like highlighted in a future Partnership QuarterLEE, or you just want to get in touch, please feel free to email me at sarah.sandoval-mohapatra@educationalequity.org.

We look forward to continuing this quarterly opportunity to collaborate, connect, and celebrate our work together.