Oppenheim Participates in Annual “Day on the Hill” Event

Day on the HillRachel Oppenheim, Director of the Antioch University Seattle School of Education, participated in a “Day on the Hill” event along with other members of the Washington Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (WACTE). Oppenheim spent the day in Olympia meeting with legislators to advocate on behalf of teachers and teacher education in the state. She partnered with colleagues from other local universities for her legislative visits and focused her message on legislation that would eliminate barriers to entering the teacher workforce, while also maintaining quality and accountability in teacher preparation programs. In addition, she advocated for increased funding to support teacher mentors across the state.

Oppenheim and her colleagues met with a number of legislators and their staffers, including Senator Joe Nguyen (pictured) and Education Committee Chair Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos (pictured). The Day on the Hill represented an important collaboration of the colleges of teacher education across Washington state. Altogether, WACTE members met with dozens of lawmakers and presented a clear, unified voice on behalf of eliminating barriers for teachers, supporting teacher mentors, and building a strong, diverse, culturally responsive educator workforce in Washington State.

Day on the Hill