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IN THIS ISSUE
The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Awards $100,000 to the CLASS Project
An Evening of Do More Than Give
Chalkboard Joins in the Support of the TIME Act
CLASS Project at the NGA Policy Forum on Teacher Effectiveness
Innovative Educators Conference
Our Voices, Our Schools
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Check out some of the blog posts from the past month.
"Higher and Greater: Students Can Rise to Our Expectations"
Todd Jones
Story #1: I teach International Relations at West Linn High, a course juniors and seniors can take to fulfill a social studies requirement. Part way through the spring semester, I was discouraged to realize that over half my 100 IR students were missing assignments.
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"The Education Bills Have Passed...Now What?"
Doug Wells
Let's take a moment to celebrate. All is not fixed, everything didn't go our way, there is so much to do, but there are moments of beauty in small victories. As I often find myself saying these days, we now have the possibility of possibilities. Once we're done with this brief self-congratulation, let's get to work.
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"Thank You, Oregon, for Taking Bold Steps to Improve Education"
Sue Hildick
It's been a dramatic time for education in Oregon. We have seen lots of change, coming fast and furious from the Legislature, and much of it remains to be sorted out in terms of its actual impact on student achievement. But it certainly gives us hope--hope that Oregon can have a public school system among the best in the nation.
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"Oregon Small High Schools Are Moving Forward"
Eva Bogue
There are some very inspirational leaders in the education profession. These are the people who seem to have the capacity to view the big picture and articulate so clearly what they see and hear. Linda Nathan, headmaster of Boston Arts Academy, author, and Harvard instructor in democratic schools, is such a leader. Linda came to Oregon in May as the keynote speaker at the Oregon Small Schools Leadership Institute in Ashland.
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"Reflections on the Legislative Session from Inside the Capitol"
Cindy Robert
As Chalkboard's state government relations team, Phil Donovan and I believe this was an incredibly successful session for Chalkboard Project and its parent foundations. Our partnership with the Oregon Business Association and Stand for Children served us well and resulted in a formidable advocacy team of business, grassroots and research entities.
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"A Teacher's Thoughts on 'Standing on the Shoulders of Giants'" - Part 1"
Shawn Daley
Marc Tucker, in his recent report, "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants" made some strident observations about education reform in the United States, and after spending some time with it, I'd like to explore some of his proposals over the next few blog posts.
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Greetings!
The work to improve Oregon schools doesn't slow down in the summer, and we're partnering on new efforts and expanding our scope before it's back to school time. There are so many elements that contribute to student success, and while we have focused on supporting teachers to do their best work in the classroom, we're excited about new funds to explore ways to strengthen the education of our future educators.
We're also looking forward to bringing teachers together at the first Innovative Educators Conference next month. Read below for more details and news on what's been keeping us busy and inspired.
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The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Awards $100,000 to the CLASS Project
We're excited to announce a new grant from The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to expand the CLASS Project work into the area of teacher preparation. $100,000 over the next year will help the Chalkboard team, led by Kate Dickson, review best practices in current teacher preparation programs and explore new ways to recruit and train the very best educators.
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An Evening of Do More Than Give
At the end of June, Chalkboard and Social Venture Partners Portland invited author and nonprofit strategist Leslie Crutchfield to visit Portland to speak about the innovative examples and ideas in her book Do More Than Give. It was an inspiring evening hearing about this new "golden age" of philanthropy and how donors are truly changing the world by doing more than just give. Chalkboard was proud to be mentioned in the book, and three board members and President Sue Hildick also spoke about their experiences.
Read more about the event and Crutchfield's message on ChalkBloggers.
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Chalkboard Joins in the Support of the TIME Act
The topic of summer learning loss is on a lot of minds lately. Teacher Jennifer Singleton explored the pros and cons of year-round education on ChalkBlogger earlier this month, and last week, Senator Mark Hass joined the discussion with a guest post about why extended learning time is necessary to improve student achievement, especially in a global economy.
With Oregon's school year one of the shortest in the country, we agree, and along with over 40 national organizations, have signed letters of support for the TIME Act (H.R. 1636 & S. 851), which would redesign public schools to add significantly more learning time-at least 300 hours-especially those serving high-poverty students. States would apply for federal grants to extend their school year or lengthen schools days.
Read the full statement of support and learn more about the proposal at the National Center on Time & Learning.
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CLASS Project at the NGA Policy Forum on Teacher Effectiveness
Last week, our Executive VP of Education Policy Dan Jamison traveled to Rhode Island to share the CLASS Project model and successes of teacher-led reform with education leaders from around the country at the National Governor's Association Policy Forum on Teacher Effectiveness. The two-day gathering featured researchers, state leaders, and other experts working on new evaluation tools and measures of teacher effectiveness in 22 states, and after our success with SB 290--which requires new state teaching standards including multiple measures to be used in teacher evaluations--we were excited to discuss what's working in Oregon.
In addition to learning about new initiatives in other states, Dan came back with great feedback on the CLASS Project model and saw an increased interest in teacher participation and leadership in design processes around the country. We're proud to see Oregon on the map.
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Innovative Educators Conference
 The first Innovative Educators Conference will be on Saturday, August 13 in Portland. The day is about bringing together educators to inspire each other--to collaborate and create, share challenges and successes, and discuss policy obstacles or opportunities that will impact their classrooms or schools.
In addition to a lunchtime keynote speech by Louise Sundin--currently the Executive Vice-President of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation AFL-CIO and former president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and vice-president of the American Federation of Teachers--there will be a discussion about working with policymakers to effect change as well as two breakout sessions to explore a variety of topics: fostering collaboration, effectively using assessments, addressing the achievement gap, and keeping students engaged and successful through high school.
If you're an educator looking to build on your success and connect with others to build influence beyond your classroom, please join us! Registration is $25 and includes lunch. Sign up at www.stand.org/or/IEC.
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Our Voices, Our Schools
BJ Abe graduated from the University of Portland this past May with his Masters in teaching and endorsements in Elementary Education and Middle School Mathematics. He moved to Portland from Hawai'i to attend Lewis & Clark College and worked as a tutor and classroom volunteer before deciding to formally pursue a teaching career. While looking for that first full-time teaching position, he helps oversee the Summer Learning Program at the University of Portland and mentors the new MAT candidates.
As a recent MAT graduate, what do you think are some of the most important elements of quality teacher preparation?
In broad terms I believe that teaching programs should give future teachers concrete strategies for classroom management, planning, and assessment as well as an opportunity to put those strategies to use in real classrooms. Student teachers who are not given the opportunity to be in charge of the classroom or are not given the support they need to successfully implement these strategies do not receive the kind of training necessary to feel confident if/when they have their own classrooms.
Furthermore, I believe that teacher prep programs have a moral duty to expose future teachers to the reality of the achievement gap(s) in our nation's education system. Teachers should also be made aware of any gaps that exist in the local education system. Beyond exposure, future teachers should engage in "courageous conversations" and be aware of the lens through which they view the world.
How has your experience mentoring MAT students informed your own personal growth as a teacher?
It has been quite an experience to witness how much growth future teachers can make in a very short period of time. I've helped teach MAT students how to write lesson plans, better manage their students, and create more effective assessments. It's so powerful and humbling to know that these skills will stay with them throughout their careers. It gives me hope to know that I, too, can continue to learn and will also make leaps and bounds in my professional development as I gain teaching experience.
As you embark on your teaching career, what excites you the most?
I am excited about getting to know a group of students and watching them grow. I'm excited to experience my first year of teaching, as I know that it will be an adventure that will make me a stronger teacher and person. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I'm excited to see how my strengths and weaknesses change over time, and whether I will be able to achieve my goal of turning my weaknesses into strengths.
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