Saluting Oklahoma's Local Education Foundations
Oklahoma’s Local Education Foundations Play Critical Role in Building Better Schools
By David L. Boren
Founder and Chairman,
Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence
On any given day, in communities scattered across the state, you will find students engaged in learning enrichment activities that could not be funded through existing public school budgets. They might be meeting a famous author, planting seeds in an outdoor laboratory, discovering the mysteries of biology with a high-power microscope or practicing their reading skills with a volunteer mentor.
These and many more learning enrichment activities are made possible every day through support from Oklahoma’s 192 local education foundations (LEFs). Each of these citizen-led, non-profit organizations serves as a bridge between the community and the school district, raising private dollars to complement existing school budgets and encouraging community involvement in the betterment of local public schools. Oklahoma’s LEFs are made up of caring, committed citizens, businesses and community leaders who believe that private investment of time and money is critical to the academic success of our children and to the future of our society.
Gov. Brad Henry has declared the week of October 23 through 29 as Local Education Foundation Week in the state of Oklahoma. It is a time for us to salute the accomplishments of Oklahoma’s public school foundations and to encourage greater public support for the work they do to improve public education. This month, we also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a statewide organization dedicated to recognizing and encouraging academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools.
When the Foundation for Excellence was founded on Oct. 30, 1985, our goal was to build a statewide, grassroots network of support for excellence in public education. A major component of our programming was the development of local education foundations in communities throughout the state. To help make this dream a reality, the foundation established a Local Education Foundation Outreach Program to provide free technical assistance and training to groups seeking to establish or improve local education foundations in their communities. Thanks to the efforts of LEF Outreach Director Charlotte Jones, former director Susan Paddack, Foundation trustees Nancy Grigsby and Frank Robson, and other leaders in this cause, I am proud to report that Oklahoma, with its 192 foundations, is the national leader in the number of LEFs per capita.
The impact of Oklahoma’s public school foundations cannot be overstated. Based on a recent survey of state local education foundations, the 108 responding LEFs have, since inception, awarded more than $26.6 million to support local schools. In the effort to build better schools, Local Education Foundations are on the front lines making a difference in a variety of ways.
Through annual giving campaigns and a variety of creative fund-raising activities, public school foundations solicit funds from individuals and businesses to enrich the educational experiences of students in their districts and provide important resources otherwise not available through traditional school funding sources. Most Oklahoma LEFs operate Grants-to-Teachers programs to help develop and implement innovative teaching projects. Others sponsor scholarships, professional development grants, field trips, artist-in-residence programs and awards programs to recognize outstanding educators. Many other innovative programs are being funded by LEFs to fit the particular needs of their school districts.
LEFs also play an important role in building public awareness and increasing citizen involvement in their local schools. LEF leaders work hand-in-hand with school administrators and teachers to assess the needs of their district and set goals for building better schools. They have their finger on the pulse of the district and can share those insights with the public at large, including the households that have no children attending public school. Through public forums, Principal-for-a-Day programs and other outreach efforts, local education foundations are engaging citizens in the transformation of their community schools. A growing number of Oklahoma LEFs are asking their supporters to make a personal investment of time and energy by serving as a classroom volunteer, a tutor or a mentor. Research shows us again and again that students who have close, nurturing relationships and encouragement are more likely to succeed in the classroom and in life.
If you are not already a supporter of your public school foundation, I urge you to get involved as a donor, a mentor or a volunteer. If your district does not currently benefit from the support of a local education foundation, I encourage you to contact the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence to learn how you can start a foundation in your community or, better yet, attend OFE’s Fall Forum for Local Education Foundations Oct. 25 on the OU Norman campus.
When citizens and businesses work together with schools to encourage academic excellence, our children succeed and our communities flourish!
For more information on the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and its LEF Outreach Program, call the foundation at (405) 236-0006.