Education
U.S. House committee approves bills on whole milk, condemns sheltering migrants in schools
By Ariana Figueroa WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee on Tuesday passed several bills that are a rebuke of not only the Biden administration’s policies on immigration, child nutrition and health care, but also regulations from the Obama era. The committee passed a resolution that condemns the use of public schools to […]
Child care advocates say Oregon’s proposed budget isn’t enough to move the needle
Legislators are considering a proposal that would allocate about $1.3 billion to Oregon’s new Department of Early Learning and Care to tackle child care needs across the state, but advocates say an additional $70 million is needed. House Bill 5013 outlines the state’s plans for agency operations and statewide programs in the next two years. […]
After more than a decade, state issues new recommendations for how reading should be taught
The Oregon Department of Education released new recommendations Tuesday for ensuring all kids can read by the end of third grade, after years of Oregon students demonstrating poor reading proficiency on state and national assessments. It’s the first time the Early Literacy Framework has been updated in more than a decade. The 100-page framework published […]
Kotek orders new council to investigate quality of reading instruction at Oregon teacher colleges
Gov. Tina Kotek will appoint a new council to investigate how well Oregon’s 15 teacher colleges prepare graduates to teach kids to read and write. It comes in response to more than a decade of low-reading and writing proficiency among Oregon students as measured by state and national assessments, and in light of growing pressure […]
Biden student debt relief plan revoked in U.S. House vote
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday voted to overturn the Biden administration’s one-time student debt relief plan that is currently on hold awaiting a Supreme Court decision expected within weeks. Before the 218-203 vote on the resolution, the the White House said President Joe Biden would veto it, arguing that the U.S. Department of Education has the legal […]
More Oregon kids attend preschool but enrollment still among lowest in nation
More Oregonians have been enrolling their kids in preschool, and the state has spent more per child on preschool than most states, but the state has lagged in other areas. A study released last week from the Rutgers University National Institute for Early Education Research in New Jersey found that more 3 year olds in […]
Democratic lawmakers agree on historic school funding but bill stalled by Senate Republican walkout
Democratic leaders in the Legislature have agreed to spend a record amount on schools over the next two years after last week’s economic forecast showed lawmakers will have more money to spend. House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis and Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, announced late Monday a $10.2 billion investment in the State School […]
Public funding is key in increasing child care openings statewide
Child care is becoming more readily available for families across Oregon. But state workers and lawmakers are still fighting for long-term improvements. A new report from Oregon State University found that available child care slots for young children in Oregon grew by almost 5% from March 2020 to December 2022, thanks in part to increased […]
Takeover of Newberg School Board appears to thwart other conservative candidates in election
The political signage telling you everything you needed to know about the McMinnville School District election this season came in the form of multiple yard and field signs, clearly expensive and featuring soft pastel designs with attractive candidate portraits – all visibly from the same sources. And the signs were only the most obvious part […]
May 2023 Election: Initial returns show changes coming to school, library boards across Oregon
UPDATED: Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 9:23 a.m. to reflect the latest returns. The ballots of a quarter of Oregon voters who participated in the special election will lead to substantial changes for school and library boards across the state. These results will have substantial impacts on Oregonian’s daily lives. School board members govern the […]
More book banning cases emerge in Oregon this year
If you read about school or public library book banning in some places – Idaho or Texas, for example – it might come as a jolt but not a surprise. This kind of thing doesn’t happen in Oregon, right? Except that it does, even in a state not usually identified as central to the conservative […]
Legislative proposal could help hold teachers, school nurses more accountable for abuse
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow the state’s educator licensing agency to better hold teachers and school nurses accountable for violating professional ethics or committing crimes. Senate Bill 218 – which passed through the Oregon Senate last month on a 25-4 vote and is scheduled for a House vote on Monday – addresses […]