Greetings!

Oregonians have another venue to weigh in on K-12 education issues thanks to Chalkboard Project Grant

DemocracyLab and the Chalkboard Project have entered into an agreement to take the concepts behind open source software into a new realm, Oregon K-12 education. Think of it this way: The same process that built the browser Firefox can help build better schools. DemocracyLab is building a new on-line tool for civic engagement that will create a gateway for Oregonians to weigh in on how to solve problems and find consensus on K-12 education issues. The goal is to harness the ideas and energy of Oregonians to make Oregon's K-12 public schools among the nation's best.

Read the press release

Read the Daily Astorian article

See the site

Schools feel gas pump pinch

Rising gas prices are hitting school district budgets hard. A new survey by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) finds 99% of superintendents contacted say they're feeling the pinch — and 77% say they're not getting any help from their state.

Oregon law requires school districts to bus elementary students to school if they live more than a mile away and high school students who live a mile and a half from school. The state reimburses school districts for most of those costs, about $152 million in the 2005-2006 school year.

This fall, the Oregon Department of Education is conducting a study on alternative methods of funding transportation costs for students. It focuses on reducing costs and increasing efficiency.

Read the article on how schools across the nation are adjusting to higher gas prices

Sherwood CLASS teacher makes case in business journal

As a teacher at Sherwood’s Middleton Elementary, Eric Beasley knows firsthand how quality teachers have an impact on student achievement. His recently published Op Ed in the Portland Business Journal outlines how he and his fellow teachers in the Sherwood School District have adopted Chalkboard’s CLASS Project and made it their own. The new leadership culture is already having results.

Read Eric’s op ed

Chalkboard opposes "Merit Pay" Initiative, now on ballot

The Chalkboard Project is standing firmly opposed to the “pay for performance” ballot measure sponsored by anti-tax activist Bill Sizemore. Our research shows the best way to raise student achievement is to make sure there is an excellent teacher in every classroom. The way to do that is to work with teachers to create new career paths, professional development, performance evaluation and compensation systems. The proposed Sizemore ballot measure is the exact opposite of this ground-up approach; it is not collaborative and fails to focus on enhancing quality teaching.

Join the Citizens' Corps now!

If you have not yet become a Citizens' Corps member, you too can join the growing list of parents, educators, businesspeople, civic leaders, retirees, philanthropists and students who serve as ambassadors for Chalkboard’s proposals. The Corps is now over 420 members strong!

Learn more about the Citizens' Corps...

Sign-up now!

Ready, Set, Teach!: A new blog hosted by Chalkboard

Mollie Dickson has found her passion. It’s teaching. Now, she’s in the process of earning her Masters of Arts in Teaching and she’s sharing her story online at Chalkboard’s website. She’s one month into the program, preparing for the reality of student teaching.

Hear about Mollie’s successes, anxieties and everything in-between on her blog.

Staff Updates

Kylie Grunow has joined our team as our Project Director. Kylie recently returned to Oregon with her family after several years in Montana. She has great experience in fundraising, program management and government relations. She and her husband have three girls.

The Chalkboard Project is also pleased to announce that Phil Donovan is joining our policy team. Phil brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the mission of the Chalkboard Project. His first job out of college was John Kitzhaber's driver during the 1994 election and since that time he has successfully represented a number of high profile interests in the Legislature and managed winning campaigns at the
local, state and federal levels.We’re developing a targeted agenda that focuses on professional development for teachers, early age investments, strengthening our Rainy Day fund and enhancing best practice reviews of school districts. The Chalkboard Project’s lobbying team is led by Cindy Robert and gets strategic advice from Dick Feeney.

In the News: Visit our "In the News" section to read news articles about Chalkboard initiatives from around the state.
www.chalkboardproject.org: Check out our website for more in-depth information on who we are and what we do.



	Greetings! Oregonians have another venue to weigh in on K-12 education issues thanks to Chalkboard Project Grant DemocracyLab and the Chalkboard Project have entered into an agreement to take the concepts behind open source software into a new realm, Oregon K-12 education. Think of it this way: The same process that built the browser Firefox can help build better schools. DemocracyLab is building a new on-line tool for civic engagement that will create a gateway for Oregonians to weigh in on how to solve problems and find consensus on K-12 education issues. The goal is to harness the ideas and energy of Oregonians to make Oregon's K-12 public schools among the nation's best. Read the press release Read the Daily Astorian article See the site Schools feel gas pump pinch Rising gas prices are hitting school district budgets hard. A new survey by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) finds 99% of superintendents contacted say they're feeling the pinch — and 77% say they're not getting any help from their state. Oregon law requires school districts to bus elementary students to school if they live more than a mile away and high school students who live a mile and a half from school. The state reimburses school districts for most of those costs, about $152 million in the 2005-2006 school year. This fall, the Oregon Department of Education is conducting a study on alternative methods of funding transportation costs for students. It focuses on reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Read the article on how schools across the nation are adjusting to higher gas prices Sherwood CLASS teacher makes case in business journal As a teacher at Sherwood’s Middleton Elementary, Eric Beasley knows firsthand how quality teachers have an impact on student achievement. His recently published Op Ed in the Portland Business Journal outlines how he and his fellow teachers in the Sherwood School District have adopted Chalkboard’s CLASS Project and made it their own. The new leadership culture is already having results. Read Eric’s op ed Chalkboard opposes "Merit Pay" Initiative, now on ballot The Chalkboard Project is standing firmly opposed to the “pay for performance” ballot measure sponsored by anti-tax activist Bill Sizemore. Our research shows the best way to raise student achievement is to make sure there is an excellent teacher in every classroom. The way to do that is to work with teachers to create new career paths, professional development, performance evaluation and compensation systems. The proposed Sizemore ballot measure is the exact opposite of this ground-up approach; it is not collaborative and fails to focus on enhancing quality teaching. Read more about the ballot measure Join the Citizens' Corps now! If you have not yet become a Citizens' Corps member, you too can join the growing list of parents, educators, businesspeople, civic leaders, retirees, philanthropists and students who serve as ambassadors for Chalkboard’s proposals. The Corps is now over 420 members strong! Learn more about the Citizens' Corps... Sign-up now!					Ready, Set, Teach!: A new blog hosted by Chalkboard Mollie Dickson has found her passion. It’s teaching. Now, she’s in the process of earning her Masters of Arts in Teaching and she’s sharing her story online at Chalkboard’s website. She’s one month into the program, preparing for the reality of student teaching. Hear about Mollie’s successes, anxieties and everything in-between on her blog. Staff Updates Kylie Grunow has joined our team as our Project Director. Kylie recently returned to Oregon with her family after several years in Montana. She has great experience in fundraising, program management and government relations. She and her husband have three girls. The Chalkboard Project is also pleased to announce that Phil Donovan is joining our policy team. Phil brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the mission of the Chalkboard Project. His first job out of college was John Kitzhaber's driver during the 1994 election and since that time he has successfully represented a number of high profile interests in the Legislature and managed winning campaigns at the local, state and federal levels.We’re developing a targeted agenda that focuses on professional development for teachers, early age investments, strengthening our Rainy Day fund and enhancing best practice reviews of school districts. The Chalkboard Project’s lobbying team is led by Cindy Robert and gets strategic advice from Dick Feeney.


	In the News: Visit our "In the News" section to read news articles about Chalkboard initiatives from around the state. www.chalkboardproject.org: Check out our website for more in-depth information on who we are and what we do.