Since retiring from his major league baseball career, both Edgar Martinez and his wife Holli returned to school at the University of Washington. Their back-to-school experiences changed their lives and have led them to expand their work in the community to focus on education.

In 2008, Edgar and Holli launched The Martinez Foundation, which strives to strengthen our communities by providing underserved populations with educational opportunities.

Teachers are at the heart of our society and play a central role in addressing the widening achievement gap in Washington and across the nation. By creating need-based diversity scholarships and support programs, The Martinez Foundation feels it can empower students from underrepresented populations to not only pursue higher education for their own benefit, but also positively impact the students and communities they serve.

Read more about Closing Opportunity Gaps in A Report by the Achievement Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee 2011.

Why Education?

We believe education is the key to alleviating poverty in underserved communities and we have built our programs in response to the needs of Washington's diverse student population.

• Research has shown that teachers of diverse backgrounds can have a positive effect on the success of students of color.
• In Washington, the number of teachers of color is just 7 percent compared to the 24 percent of students.
• In Seattle, over 50 percent of students are of color. Only 10 percent of Seattle teachers represent the diversity in their classrooms.

A Message from Holli and Edgar:

Dear Friends,

First of all, thank you for your support!
Without you, our scholarships and support programs would not be possible. In just three short years, we have provided over $800,000 in scholarships and support services to nearly 50 students!

Twenty-one of our fellows are now employed and by all accounts they are becoming the successful leaders and role models we had hoped they would be. But, scholarships are not enough. We want to give them the support and the professional development they need to be successful in underserved classrooms. These include:

• One-on-one mentoring with carefully selected mentors in the field
• Professional Development Seminar in coordination with
  Leadership Tomorrow
• Seminar at Seattle Children’s Theatre focused on engaging
  students through dramatic techniques
• Leadership Seminar at University of Washington
• Third Annual Summer Institute focused on classroom management and culturally responsive teaching
• Opportunities for Fellows to gather together, share stories and
  support each other
  

As you know, there is much uncertainty in Washington State Public Schools. The Achievement/Opportunity gap is worsening in Washington State1 and students of color are more likely to receive a “second rate education2.” In 2010, the number of students of color in Washington State public schools increased by 38% and bilingual/ELL students increased by 63.3%,3 yet Washington state teaching corps remains 93% white.

In the face of budget cuts and impending reductions in workforce our Fellows, committed to equity in education, face greater challenges every day and need our support more than ever! The relationships our Fellows create with each other and our underserved communities make them unique advocates to close the opportunity gap.

These are lofty goals, but we are committed to achieving them – for our children, for our communities’ children. Thank you for your ongoing support. This wouldn’t be possible without you!

All our best,

Holli & Edgar