April 2023 Education Update

OSU and ODE to Provide Coaching to Early Childhood Providers on Serving Children Experiencing Disability

From a joint press release sent March 23, 2023)

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE), the Early Learning Division (ELD) and Oregon State University (OSU) are partnering to develop the Oregon Early Childhood Inclusion Coaching Collaborative. This collaborative is the first of its kind, focusing on early learners experiencing disabilities. It will assist regional early learning systems and early care and education professionals by offering training and support to regional coaches on how to best include children experiencing disabilities in classroom activities.

The collaborative is an additional layer to the coaching improvement work begun by ELD and OSU’s Early Learning System Initiative in 2021. The Early Learning System Initiative (ELSI) was developed to increase early access to high-quality, professional learning opportunities and technical assistance for the early education workforce in Oregon.

A $4.4 million investment from American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) funds will provide for the creation of the collaborative.

“The development of this mentorship and outreach, and the plans to make high-quality supports and training accessible for professionals in publicly and privately funded programs across the early learning system removes barriers and empowers providers to use effective strategies to prevent suspension and expulsion of children who have been systematically excluded from education before, during and after the pandemic,” said Meredith Villines, Early Childhood Coherent Strategies Specialist with ODE. “It's an unprecedented effort to streamline funding to improve outcomes for systematically excluded children, especially children experiencing disability.”

Share your feedback on Raise Up Oregon, second edition

Raise Up Oregon is the state’s plan for the early childhood system and is in partnership with six agencies: Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care, Oregon Department of Human Services, Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Housing and Community Services and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

The second edition of Raise Up Oregon is open for public feedback. Help make sure the state’s plan for early childhood meets your needs! Your input can help shape the actions of government agencies and improve early learning and care in Oregon.

Visit the RUO page to share feedback on the draft plan. The deadline is 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 30.

For support or if you have any questions, please contact Remember.Watts@ode.oregon.gov.

Purple Up! For Military Kids

Military families help sustain our fighting force, on whom we depend for the security and safety of our nation’s families and communities. In April, the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) – along with many other organizations, non-profits and public entities - celebrate the important role of military children while their service member parents are serving the nation. Across the country, states, communities and schools celebrate this month in various ways, including wearing the color purple.

According to the Military Child Education Coalition, there are approximately two million children of military personnel ranging from newborn to 18 years old, of which 1.1 million are school-aged. Military families frequently move postings on a regular basis. Due to this, the average military child will attend six to nine different school systems during their kindergarten through grade 12 years and will likely transfer twice during high school.

To address these issues, in 2014 Oregon became a member of the Interstate Compact for Military Children. The Compact aims to reduce the educational and emotional issues encountered when the children of military personnel are required to transfer from schools in one state to another. The goal of the law is to provide as much consistency as possible with other states relative to school policies and procedures, while honoring the existing laws that govern public education in our state. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are members of the compact. The compact addresses many issues typically encountered by military children such as:

• Enrollment
• Student records
• Placement and attendance
• Special education services
• Absence related to deployment activities
• Receipt of credits
• Graduation

More information on the challenges experienced by military children is available on the MIC3 website.

Diploma Seal Reminder

Graduation is just around the corner! Oregon public school students who earn a 3.5 GPA or above are eligible for an honor diploma seal. Schools and or Districts are welcome to request diploma seals via phone call, email or fax to the ODE front desk. Contact information is provided on the request form which can be found on the Oregon Diploma webpage.

ODE In the News

Several news outlets have reported on districts getting community input on ODE’s Integrated Guidance process:

• Ontario Argus Observer
• Philomath News
• Polk County Itemizer-Observer
• Siuslaw News
• Tillamook Headlight Herald

New Resource: Guiding Principles for Discipline

The U.S. Department of Education recently issued guiding principles for discipline imploring schools to “treat students with dignity and respect” and to cease disproportionate use of exclusionary discipline. The resource notes that it “identifies five guiding principles and suggests actions schools and school districts can take to create inclusive, safe, supportive, and fair learning environments. The resource also lists federal resources to support these efforts.

The five guiding principles are:

1. Foster a sense of belonging through a positive, safe, welcoming, and inclusive school environment;
2. Support the social, emotional, physical, and mental health needs of all students through evidence-based strategies;
3. Adequately support high-quality teaching and learning by increasing educator capacity;
4. Recruit and retain a diverse educator workforce; and
5. Ensure the fair administration of student discipline policies in ways that treat students with dignity and respect (including through systemwide policy and staff development and monitoring strategies).

This resource references evidence-based policies, practices, and programs that can help create safe, inclusive, supportive, and fair learning environments for all students to learn, grow, and become successful.” We encourage you to review this resource and share it with your networks.

Register Today for the Youth Engagement Power Hour

The Youth Engagement Power Hour is a series consisting of youth panels, youth leadership councils, and youth-driven organizations with the purpose of highlighting the statewide engagement and advocacy work they are doing to educate and inform planning initiatives and policy work within OHA’s Health Systems Division. There will also be an opportunity for youth advocates and meeting participants to connect and network through important conversations.

The purpose of this series is to give youth and young adults a platform that elevates their voices, creating a space wherein their advocacy and lived experience is placed at the forefront in informing work within the mental health system of care. Workers of all roles within the mental health system of care are encouraged to attend.

The virtual Zoom events will be held from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. on the following dates. Click on the date to register.

April 20, 2023: EASA's Southern Oregon Young Adult Leadership Council

In this Power Hour, we are welcoming the Early Assessment Support Alliance's (EASA) Southern Oregon Young Adult Leadership Council (YALC) to talk about their experiences with the EASA program, ongoing youth advocacy efforts, and the importance of youth engagement and lived experience within mental health services. EASA is a network of programs and individuals across Oregon who are focused on providing rapid identification, support, assessment and treatment for teenagers and young adults who are experiencing the early signs of psychosis. Members of YALC are youth and young adults with lived experience with psychosis-related diagnoses. YALC strives to educate and engage communities on mental health experiences, risks, and treatment.

May 4, 2023: The Oregon Youth Resource Map

The Oregon Youth Resource Map (OYRM) is a website designed to help young people and their allies connect to youth-serving resources, organizations, and leadership opportunities. It serves as a comprehensive collection of youth-accessible, youth-facing, youth-friendly resources curated and vetted by young people themselves. This tool was developed by young people with lived experience in mental health services/systems in our state. These young leaders convened as part of Healthy Transitions Oregon, a federal grant working to improve services for transition age youth with significant mental health challenges. In this Power Hour, we are welcoming the youth and organizational partners who contributed to the OYRM to raise awareness of this tool and discuss how best practices for youth engagement have been implemented into the creation and ongoing development of the OYRM.

May 18, 2023: A Theory of Change for One-on-One Peer Support for Older Adolescents and Young Adults

Young adults with experience providing and participating in peer support are part of a national research project that aims to more clearly define how and why peer support produces positive outcomes. The project is also developing trainings for peer support specialists and their supervisors. In this Power Hour, Dr. Janet Walker and the young people involved in the project will discuss the background of the project and the "theory of change" that was developed, skills and top challenges for peer support specialists as they work with young adults, and key needs for supervision, training and organizational support.

Student Spotlight

• The Oregonian interviewed some Lake Oswego HS students who organized an Asian Cultural Festival.
• The Hermiston Herald followed students from Umatilla High School who helped spruce up a campsite on the coast as part of their senior community service project.
• An Oregon student interviewed a peer advocating for a lower voting age in state elections as part of the Oregonian’s Youth Voices series.