Will learning Chinese be part of the future of education in Oregon? Photo by Jennifer Margulis
What is the future of education in Oregon? This is the subject of my article on the cover of the Jefferson Monthly. I have four children who have all been educated in Oregon. While my son went only to public school, my daughters have gone to both public and private school. In addiction, I’ve taught both reading and writing at five Oregon schools, including the Willow Wind Community Learning Center, the Siskiyou School, Walker Elementary School, the Ashland Middle School, and the Ashland High School. So I have experience with education in Oregon as a parent and a teacher as well as a journalist.
First the bad news about education in Oregon:
Nearly 1 in 4 children in Oregon is living in poverty.
The graduation rate in Oregon’s high schools is only 68.5 percent (which is the second to last in the nation, and substantially lower than the national average of 78.2 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education).
Many of Oregon’s school children have what Nancy Golden, chief education officer for the Oregon Education Investment Board, calls an “opportunity gap.”
Now the good news about education in Oregon:
You don’t have to look far to find examples of viable and sustainable solutions to the challenges in Oregon’s K-12 education:
Behind-the-scenes boiler repair—it’s not sexy but it’s freeing up thousands of dollars to invest in kids and classrooms instead of squandering in energy costs.
A bold partnership “3 to Ph.D.” (it’s supposed to rhyme) between one of Oregon’s finest private universities (Concordia) and most disadvantaged public schools (Faubion School on Rosa Parks Way in Portland).
Theater production at Ashland High School, where the sets are so carefully crafted that they rival some I’ve seen on Broadway, and the actors so outstanding (some have worked professionally as actors at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival), it’s hard to believe they are students.
Want to know what’s trending in education the Beaver State? Read the full text of my article about the future of education in Oregon at JPR’s website.
Related content:
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Oregon Shakespeare Festival
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Two Winning College Application Essays
Fingers crossed the good news just keeps coming in in the near future for Oregon 🙂
1 in four children are living in poverty. That is so sad.
If schools would start watching their waste and energy costs, it would free up money to increase student educational needs. It is just that simple.
How does it get to that point is my question??
Hopefully better news starts coming in. I love that the high school theater is doing so well though, that’s so cool!
The partnership between Concordia and Faubion is encouraging. Thanks for sharing all of this. I’m an Oregonian that home schools and therefore, I miss a lot of what goes on, other than standardized tests, which we, too, have to take.
Wow I never knew this about the state I was born in!
68.5 percent graduation rate breaks my heart. I hope that these changes can help improve that and close the opportunity gap.
Hopefully better news starts coming in.
It is very bad to listen that only one kid is getting educated out of four. Everyone need to be educated to survive these days. The scenario should change soon and education for everyone should be implemented by the government.