by Karen Verrill, The State We're In: Washington Project Manager

The LWVWA is happy to report our popular civic education textbooks are now available in Spanish! This is one way of helping our Spanish-speaking residents feel welcome and to help them learn how government works in our state.

Our books, The State We’re In: Washington. Your guide to state, tribal and local government (TSWI) are available in two editions. One is designed for grades 6 and up and the other for use in elementary schools. These textbooks include information about Native tribes in Washington—how tribes governed themselves pre-contact, how they are governed today, and how they interact with Washington’s state and local governments. These colorful books include the ethnic and geographic diversity of our state and are designed to inspire students to become active citizens in their community.  

The Washington State Council for the Social Studies and the Washington State Indian Education Association have both endorsed these materials.   

Two years ago, the League learned the largest and fastest growing population in Washington are Latinos.  Thus, with the urging and support of LWV Snohomish County, we had our poster "What Does It Take to Be a Good Citizen?" produced in Spanish. This was followed by research on and the production of The State We're In: Latino History in Washington, which is available in both English and Spanish.

Recently the League shared these books with the Directors of the Multi-Language Learning Department at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). They encouraged us to get the elementary edition of TSWI and Latino History in Washington translated into Spanish because these textbooks would be useful in dual language classes. More than 40,000 students in WA are in these (English/Spanish) classes.

All of the above materials are now translated into Spanish, and digital copies of most can already be found in our shop. The rest will soon be available there and at the OSPI website.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to print the Spanish edition of the elementary edition of TSWI, the teachers’ guides, or Latino History in Washington due to lack of funding. We are currently pursuing grant opportunities to fund these amazing books—if you have experience with grants, we could use your help! Please contact Karen Verrill.

Please help us spread the word about these textbooks!

The books and downloadable materials in this article, as well as our other civic education materials, can be viewed here.