Equity in Communications
Purpose: Provide Spanish speaking families with information from the Lake Washington and Bellevue School Districts in a linguistically and culturally relevant manner so that families can be engaged with their students’ educational journey. This allows parents to provide the best support and guide their students on their way to success in school, high school graduation, post-secondary education or training, and careers.
Equity in Communications (EIC) grew out of the Eastside Pathways COVID-19 CAN.
EIC was originally named the Remote Living and Learning group. Families, served by the group’s member organizations, shared they were feeling overwhelmed by the communication from the two school districts. After a focus group to gather community input, EIC started a bi-monthly video newsletter published on Facebook, and later weekly videos.
EIC’s success is due to the native Spanish speakers presenting the information in a way parents can understand. This includes transcreating the data from the school districts so that parents understand the context and totality of the information. Over the years, EIC has added content on special topic such as bullying/harassment, special education, and a section on the American school system. The videos are now also available on YouTube.
Read about EIC’s early work
Meetings
EIC meets virtually on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.
Contact
Email partnercomms@eastsidepathways.org for questions or to share school district-related content for the Facebook page or to be published in Noticias (content deadline is the Wednesday prior to the Monday publication).
Partners
- Bellevue School District
- KidsQuest Children’s Museum
- King County Housing Authority
- Lake Washington School District
- Sage Advocacy
- Sistema Escolar USA
Results Statement
All students in LWSD and BSD have equitable access to all educational, social-emotional, and extracurricular resources available to them.
Impact Measures
EIC measures impact via twice-a-year focus groups, Facebook comments and reactions, and data from Facebook and YouTube. EIC continually monitors and adjusts these measures as needed.
Parent Feedback
Parent feedback is a critical part of EIC’s work. Below are a few testimonials from parents.
- “The video newsletter has been a light for me to know important information and understand the school”
- “I compared the news I hear in Noticias with the emails I receive from the district to clarify what they are announcing”
- “It helped me understand the scholarships, the credits, and the ‘word language test’.”
- “I remember a piece of news that you posted that said we must complete the survey about Lake Washington’s schedule change. I already knew it because I had read it. However, I did not remember the deadline until I saw it on your news”