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About Silicon Valley Education Foundation
Who We Are
Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) focuses on raising student performance in the critical areas of math and science across all 33 Santa Clara County school districts. Our goal is to be the leading advocate for public education in our region. We are known for our clear focus on achieving results, partnering, and emphasizing creativity and innovation. Beyond serving students, teachers, and administrators, we provide value to the larger community by making investing in education easy.
Why We Matter
There has never been a more critical time to improve our schools. We must ensure our future workforce is prepared to take on the technological and business challenges that lie ahead. With an increasing gap of qualified workers to take over Silicon Valley jobs, our future as the heart of U.S. innovation is at risk.
What We Do
Everything we do supports our objective of Silicon Valley being the number one geographic area in California in the percentage of high school graduates academically prepared for college and careers. Our vision is to transform Silicon Valley into a model for enhancing public education, and we do this by leveraging partnerships and resources for public education so all students can realize their full potential.
Silicon Valley Education Foundation advocates for public education, organizes stakeholders, distributes resources, and connects assets to help prepare students for college and careers. Click here for a visual overview of how we support educators and school districts in service of the students in our region.
How We Do It
SVEF delivers programs, and partners with organizations that support our mission of improving public education.
- STEM Education – Our $3 million dollar STEM Initiative focuses on the critical need for improvements in K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education. Our "Stepping up to Algebra" program focuses on enhancing middle school math performance, and "Stepping Up to Science" program focuses on improving physics for incoming 9th graders.
- Education Forums – These interactive events bring together top business, education, and civic leaders around vital topics relevant to education.
- Lessonopoly – This free, open source website allows teachers to organize and store their lesson library and plan their school-year curriculum. It also allows teachers the ease and flexibility to create, share and search for lesson plans.
- Teacher Innovation Grants – We award monetary grants of $500-$1,000 for teachers who submit innovative lesson plans to enhance student learning.
- Partnerships – SVEF leverages partnerships and resources for public education so that all students can realize their full potential. Our goal is to pursue and solidify effective partnerships with corporations, foundations, other non-profits, and schools to ensure we can provide the necessary resources for all students.
- Advocacy – We research policy and exemplary programs to promote more equitable outcomes in student performance. Our main objective is to have more students in Silicon Valley academically prepared to complete post secondary education. To learn more about education policies in California and Silicon Valley, read our blog, The Educated Guess.
How You Can Help
Whether it's time, money or an in-kind donation, SVEF's continued success depends upon the generosity of our investors and partners. Let's start a conversation today about how you can join forces with SVEF to improve education in Silicon Valley. Learn more about our investors and partners by clicking here, or contact Carol Flaherty at carol@svefoundation.org for more information. To make a donation click here.
