E3 Educate-Empower-Elevate

Pro-truth sc - since summer 2021, e3 foundation has worked diligently with the naacp legal defense fund (ldf), aclu of south carolina, lowcountry black parents association, wren, jewish federation, and other partner organizations, advocates, and community members to strategize, organize, and educate the public about south carolina's legislative actions related to teaching truthful and inclusive education.these founding partners came together to form the pro-truth sc coalition, a collective effort to ensure that students across the state have access to fact-based, culturally responsive education. Through this coalition, e3 operates as the backbone of the coalition and played a key role in community education, legislative engagement, and advocacy training, helping residents understand how proposed laws affect schools and how to effectively advocate for equitable and accurate instruction.to learn more about this initiative, visit www.protruthsc.org.

Movement 400 - movement 400 is a collaboration of educators, parents, students, faith-based organizations, community leaders, and concerned citizens committed to ensuring that every child in the charleston region hasaccess to a high-quality public education free from systemic racism and discrimination.the e3 foundation serves as the backbone organization for this coalition, providing coordination, strategic guidance, and community engagement support. Through this role, e3 has helped movement 400 organize and implement efforts to educate the community about upcoming elections, promote voter registration, and increase awareness of local school board candidates. These efforts included hosting a school board candidate forum in partnership with other community organizations to encourage informed civic participation and ensure community voices are represented in education leadership. Gotv campaigncoordinating 16 voter-registration workshops and 3000 touch points during community events. As a result, 107 new voters were registered, and participants reported a stronger understanding of how to engage in local and school board elections. These efforts supported our mission to build civic-empowered communities and strengthen equitable representation in the charleston region.

Regional talent strategy - numerous studies over the past decade have shown that all studentsand especially black studentsbenefit academically and socially from having black teachers. Yet in the charleston region, there remains a significant gap between the racial demographics of students and educators. While over 40% of charleston county's students are black, only about 12% of teachers identify as black, a figure that has remained stagnant for more than ten years. In 2018, of charleston county school district's 3,312 teachers, 71% were white women and 14% were white men, compared to only 12% black women and less than 1% black men. There are more white men teaching in the district than teachers of color, both men and women combined.in response, the e3 foundation is leading efforts to build a pipeline of community-centered, entrepreneurially minded educators and leaders, with a strong focus on recruiting, preparing, and supporting teachers and leaders of color who are equipped to transform the academic trajectory of students of color in charleston.e3 is collaborating with local partners, including metanoia, charleston county school district, teach for america, and former servant leader interns (slis) and ella baker trainers from the cdf freedom schools program, to develop a regional freedom schools expansion that serves as both a high-quality summer learning experience for students and a training ground for future educators.through coalition building, e3 and its partners aim to identify and address the root causes of educational inequitiessuch as limited access to quality educational resources and low teacher diversitywhile advocating for policies that promote the success of black and brown students. E3 believes that the children's defense fund (cdf) freedom schools program, founded in 1995 by south carolina native marian wright edelman and inspired by the freedom schools of the civil rights movement, offers a proven framework for literacy development, leadership cultivation, and civic engagement that directly advances educational equity in south carolina.

Community assessments - community-wide assessments are one of the key resources the e3 foundation provides to help families understand and advocate for their children's learning. E3 hires certified educators to administer academic assessments for the sole purpose of educating and empowering parents, caregivers, and communities with clear information about students' academic strengths and areas for growth.during these events, all students in pre-k through 5th grade were assessed in both reading and math. The goal of the foundation is to ensure that families have a clear understanding of each child's individual learning needs and are equipped with the knowledge and tools to support their academic success throughout the school year.