We believe that good policy begins with positive relationships. We listen to the perspectives of families, students, educators, and community advocates, and share those voices in state policy conversations to improve outcomes for students. We also share policy changes with families and communities to make sure that they know what is happening and can give their feedback.
Under our strategic plan, we are focusing on improving statewide policies that affect K-12 students who are:
- Out of school, including students with disabilities receiving partial school days
- People of color, Black, or indigenous
- Experiencing homelessness
- In kinship or foster care
- Involved with the juvenile justice or juvenile rehabilitation systems
- Immigrant, refugee, asylee, or migrant, or students or families whose primary language(s) is not English, or
- Receiving Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe) or Children’s Long Term Inpatient Programs (CLIP) supports
OEO serves as a valued partner in many statewide policy discussions, including:
- A Human Workplace: Seattle (state co-sponsor)
- Becca Task Force
- CEEDAR Team: Washington State
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training Workgroup, Department of Enterprise Services
- Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC)
- Office of Administrative Hearings Suitable Representative Advisory Committee
- OSPI Dispute Resolution Group
- Results WA: Goal 1 Council (World Class Education)
- School Safety and Student Well-Being Advisory Committee
- Social Emotional Learning Advisory Committee
- OSPI Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
- Washington State Coalition for Language Access (WASCLA)
Recent OEO testimony and public comments:
Our policy work is interconnected with our direct work with families and schools, as well as our trainings and outreach. To read more about how we work with individual families, educators and community professionals, check out our Get Our Help page. To learn more about our outreach efforts, and see resources from prior webinars, look at our News & Events page and sign up for our news bulletins. Find recent OEO testimony and public comments below: