LEE ended the third quarter of 2025 with more than 69,000 members and 25 partners!
New members registered with LEE in Q3
Newly engaged members
LEE members running for office this year.
(Teach For America, New York, ‘18) For more than a decade, she has served as a school leader in underserved communities of color, impacting both academic and cultural outcomes.
Her leadership helped her schools achieve strong results, such as 100% proficiency on state exams and a top ranking in New York State for a school in Queens; reading proficiency improvement from 25% to 72% in just two years at a school in Brooklyn; science proficiency improvement from 5% to 95% on the New York State Science Assessment for a school in the Bronx; and achievement of the highest Earth Science Regents results for a New York City high school.
Additionally, Ornella created an equity training curriculum to deliver DEI professional development to educators across a network of 47 schools and fostered the highest engagement outcomes in the history of a 16-year-old school.
Joining LEE after her time as a Teach for America corps member and teacher in one of New York’s most segregated school districts, Ornella’s education experience made it clear to her how deeply policy, advocacy, and organizing influence equity outcomes in schools. While she knew her instructional and leadership skills were strong, she recognized a gap in her policy and advocacy expertise.
“LEE provided the ideal space to explore and strengthen these vital skills,” she said.
Ornella has taken full advantage of LEE resources to bolster her policy and advocacy skills, as she has participated in the 2022 People of Color Political Leadership Program; the 2023 People of Color Emerging Policy and Advocacy Leader Series; the 2023 National Organizing Workshop; the 2024 Policy Advisor Fellowship; and the 2024 Power Conscious Leader Program.
“While all of these programs have been impactful, the Policy Advisor Fellowship program had the greatest influence on my leadership journey, offering hands-on experience I would not have gained in my day-to-day work,” Ornella said. “It has directly supported my mission of bridging the gap between school leadership and policy.”
“LEE has equipped me with the skills, confidence, and network to evolve into the leader I envision—one committed to creating and sustaining equitable school communities.”
In July, LEE wrapped up its 2025 Policy and Advocacy Summer Fellowship. This year’s cohort included 54 outstanding fellows from across multiple partnership organizations, including CHCI, DREAM, IDEA Public Schools, KIPP, Latinos for Education, New Leaders, New Memphis Institute, the Billie Sutton Leadership Institute, Teach For America, and YES Prep Public Schools. Learn more about the work they did.
Fellows worked on a variety of issues, ranging from food policy development to groundwater and infrastructure legislation research.
Drew Henry (TFA), for instance, was placed with the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus, where he developed tools and research frameworks to support the state’s progressive policy strategy, legislative tracking, and constituent advocacy for the Office of State Representative Ana-Maria Ramos, and the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus.
Through this role, Drew said he gained a deeper understanding of redistricting, gerrymandering, and their long-term effects on voting rights and equity in states like Texas, Georgia, and Ohio.
“I also had the opportunity to reflect on key pieces of legislation, while watching how the process of bills become laws,” he said. “I hope to continue supporting issue-specific advocacy, especially in education and criminal justice, and actively look for roles that reflect my commitment to reform and equity.”
Over the summer, members came together for two powerful opportunities to connect, learn, and lead. First, our LEE Summer Social Series brought members into conversation with partners from CHCI, Teach For America, School Board Partners, Moms Demand Action, and Public Allies. LEE member Barry Tayler shared his journey in elected office, reflecting on how his background as a teacher and parent continues to shape his purpose and leadership.
Members at the Summer Social Series
Then, around 20 senior members joined LEE’s Leadership Team for a Leadership and Community Lunch—a space to build community, reflect on the challenges of growing power and coalitions, and share what support they need most from LEE moving forward. We’re grateful for the energy, insight, and partnership shared in both spaces!
Please meet our newest partners: Alliance College-Ready Public Schools and Bright Star Schools! Read more about these great orgs and how we plan to partner together here.
Alliance College Ready Public Schools was founded in 2004 on the belief that all children can succeed. Their motto is “Where Exceptional is the Rule.” Today, Alliance operates 25 schools, serving over 12,700 students in Los Angeles’s most diverse neighborhoods. Alliance has impressive results with 97% of seniors going to college. And, college graduation rates are 3.5x the rate of peers in the same demographic. Alliance currently has more than 20,000 alumni.
Pablo Cesar Villavicencio, Alliance Chief Executive Officer and LEE member shared,
“Alliance College-Ready Public Schools is proud to partner with LEE to strengthen our shared commitment to educational justice. Through this collaboration, we look forward to bringing LEE’s expertise to support and empower our alumni, staff, and families as they grow into strong advocates and leaders within their communities.”
Bright Star Schools, a charter network of 9 schools serving the communities of Korea Town, South LA and San Fernando Valley, was founded in 2003. Each year, approximately 350 students graduate from a Bright Star high school and 88% of their graduates go on to 2 or 4 year colleges and universities. Today, Bright Star Schools has approximately 3,000 alumni, 400 staff members and 3,600 families.
Angelina Calderon, VP of Public Affairs shared, “Bright Star’ vision that our students will become leaders who act with integrity and champion equity to enrich our communities and the world closely aligns with LEE’s work to increase civic engagement. We are so excited about our partnership with LEE and the opportunities that will garner for our students, families, alumni and staff.”
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.
South Dakota LEE Members at the first ever South Dakota Action Summit
Please visit our Events page to see all the upcoming regional and national opportunities for members. If you have not yet set up your LEE account, you can do so here using a personal email address.
October 22: Think Like a LEEDer: Virtual Roundtable Series
October 23: New Member Welcome Session
October 30: American Round Table
November 17: Leading Together: Families Leading Change
December 5-7: Omari Todd National Organizing Workshop
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.
(202) 734-3716
800 N. King Street,
Suite 304 – 4181,
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
