The EMPIRE Program
The UnityWorks School Program is modeled on the award-winning EMPIRE program, for which our Board president, Dr. Randie Gottlieb, served as Executive Director for over a decade. EMPIRE (Exemplary Multicultural Practices in Rural Education) was a consortium of K-12 schools, businesses and community groups in Washington State that had joined together in a collaborative network to encourage positive multicultural change.
Rather than asking the schools to implement a series of standardized multicultural directives from above, EMPIRE
offered pro-active leadership with a grassroots approach that empowered site teams at each school to design and implement their own agendas for change.
An Award-Winning Model
Promoting the Oneness of Humanity
As a result of the notable success achieved by participating schools, EMPIRE was highlighted as a model program by President Clinton's National Initiative on Race. It received the Year 2000 Best Program Award from the National Association for Multicultural Education; and was honored with the Washington State Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education.
WA State Governor Gary Locke, Randie Gottlieb,
State Superintendent of Public Schools Terry Bergeson