Silicon Valley Education Foundation : About Us

The Silicon Valley Education Foundation seeks to inspire tomorrow's innovators. With a clear focus on achieving results and emphasizing creativity and innovation in education, SVEF brings a Silicon Valley business approach to improving education.

We are the only organization dedicated solely to improving pre-kindergarten to 12th grade public education in Silicon Valley, with a goal of bringing resources and expertise to the 34 separate school districts of Santa Clara County to benefit our schools.

Navigating a virtual maze of 34 school districts is a daunting challenge for any Silicon Valley resident or corporation who wants to invest in our public schools. Through SVEF, our investors can target to their assistance across the education spectrum: from a specific classroom at a specific school to a broader investment countywide in programs that assist all of Santa Clara County's school districts.

SVEF seeks to improve public education through establishing effective partnerships with both the private sector and the education community. We focus on the needs of our constituents students, families, teachers, community, and education leaders. We listen to their needs and seek to understand their challenges. We then work to provide them with innovative solutions.

Programs for Teachers: Investing in Quality Teachers and Innovation in the Classroom.

Good schools need good teachers. Whether it's a young pre-schooler learning his or her alphabet, or an aspiring high school student preparing for college, every child depends on talented teachers to help them achieve. SVEF is dedicated to helping our schools build a strong and effective teaching corps.

Teach Here, Live Here

This innovative program works to directly address the primary challenge our schools face in recruiting and retaining top teachers—the high cost of housing in the Valley. Teach Here, Live Here is an innovative rental assistance program for teachers, aimed at helping quality teachers afford to live in the community where they teach.

Teacher Innovation Grants

In Silicon Valley, successful companies innovate. We believe the same principle applies to successful teachers. Our Teacher Innovation Grants provide individual teachers with the extra resources needed to create new and exciting teaching methods and learning experiences for their students.

LessonOPOLY

Silicon Valley is a global leader in using technology to help companies improve productivity and enhance performance. The same should be true in the classroom. SVEF developed Lessonopoly, an open-source software tool, to improve teacher collaboration and implement effective teaching strategies. LessonOPOLY is designed with extensive input from teachers to be an effective classroom tool. The focus of LessonOPOLY is to provide teachers with the tools necessary to plan, manage and share everything that happens in their classrooms.

Every child deserves an opportunity to succeed. The Inclusion Collaborative is a compelling program that was piloted by the Santa Clara County of Education. Intensive support for teachers is provided to help children with disabilities become fully included and integrated into the mainstream classroom. This program allows teachers to attend workshops; receive coaching and intensive training on best practices on including young students with special needs in classroom learning.

This program focuses on supporting classroom teachers and teaching artists by providing the tools and confidence to deliver strong arts education to Silicon Valley students. In addition to the classroom assistance, this program that was developed by the Santa Clara County Office of Education also has a strong focus on community involvement. Similar to our Education Forum Series, SVEF will convene leaders from diverse sectors for the community to develop a shared vision and commitment for delivering arts education to Silicon Valley students.

Programs for Students: Preparing Silicon Valley Students to Lead the Knowledge Economy of Tomorrow
SVEF's mission is to Inspire Tomorrow's Innovators. By ensuring our children get off to a fast and healthy start in their education, and preparing our students for the jobs of tomorrow, SVEF is working diligently to fulfill our ambitious mission.

Our goal is to ensure that students enter Kindergarten ready to learn. It also requires ensuring the health of the child and the strength of the family. SVEF's School Readiness program provides participating children and their families the necessary health, developmental and social underpinnings to assist their success.

The future of Silicon Valley relies on the next wave of innovators, scientists and engineers. SVEF created its Stepping Up to Algebra program to prepare today's students for tomorrow's economy. Stepping Up to Algebra is designed to advance students ahead one grade level in math. Our goal is for 7th grade students to be prepared for Algebra one full year before they would traditionally be eligible to take the course.

Community Engagement Program: Voice for Silicon Valley Schools.
Silicon Valley has a highly engaged community focused around excellence in education. SVEF has developed processes for including the many voices that drive the discussion on education in the Valley and to identify and develop solutions to the education needs of our schools.

Our successful forum series provides the opportunity for business, education and civic leaders to share ideas and expertise. Silicon Valley CEOs, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, private foundation leaders, local elected officials, and other key stakeholders come together to discuss the challenges our education system faces and how outside resources and expertise can help our schools prepare students for jobs in the "Knowledge Economy".

About Us

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