Summer 2017 Today's OEA

A PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF THE OREGON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

TODAY’S

SUMMER 2017 | VOLUME 91 : NUMBER 4

OEA e c oi V y er Lifting Ev Through OEA’s Story-of-the-Day project, legislators get a peek inside our classrooms – and our hearts

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OEA FOUNDATION

CONTENTS / Summer2017 VOLUME 91 : ISSUE NO. 4

Features

Departments President’s Column

05 / looking back and embracing the future

By Hanna Vaandering, OEA President

Upcoming

06 / Events for OEA Members Newsflash

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07 / Culturally inclusive graduation attire 08 / Loosened nutrition restrictions » ESSA

10 / ESSA Gives Power and Voice to Teachers

On the Cover

Teaching & Learning

32 / lifting every voice

12 / Graduating with Honors

Through OEA’s Story-of-the-Day project, legislators get a peek inside our classrooms – and our hearts Intro By Meg Krugel

In-Depth

26 / the larger micro issue

A Fir Ridge Campus educator begins the Micro-Aggression Awareness Project with her students

By Bobi Blue

38 / Oregon gets engaged

A new statewide organizing program seeks to build member engagement from the ground up

By Jim Fotter and Meg Krugel

42 / Three teaching wishes granted

Across the state, Oregon educators' most innovative teaching ideas come to fruition through grants from OEA’s Center for Great Public Schools

By Charles Lapham

Politics & You

14 / A Multi-Billion Disinvestment in Education Association in Action

16 / RA wrap-up 18 / Strategic Action Plan Summary Inside OEA

19 / OEA-Retired Presents New Payment Options Eye on Equity

20 / Valuing the student story Opinion

24 / Joining the fight for health care for all Sources + Resources

48 / Books and Opportunities Opportunity

50 / become a national board certified teacher

ON THE COVER: More than 80 educators have shared their story as part of OEA's Lift Every Voice campaign this Legislative session.

Credits: Tony Ramos; Aracely Gomez Bravo; Judy Christensen

TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE / Summer2017 Hanna Vaandering OEA President

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t is hard to believe how quickly these four years have passed.

Thank you for the faith and support you have provided; it has been an honor to represent our 44,000 members. These have been challenging times, and we have had to make some very difficult decisions, but I believe we are a stronger union today because we have pushed one another to do the right thing for our students, our members, and public education.

I am proud of the many accomplishments of OEA during my time in office. The adoption of our mission, vision, and core values; the work of our Strategic Action Plan to engage and empower our members; our teams’ work to author The New Path for a balanced system of assessment; our Class Size and Better Oregon campaigns.

We have done some amazing work, and it couldn’t have happened without the dedication and commitment of members, leaders, and staff across this great state.

While we have much to celebrate, I am sorry to say that we are not done! As of June 14, 2017, the budget proposal being moved through the Oregon Legislature will devastate our schools and leave our students once again with less than adequate supports. At the same time, we are being attacked by corporations who want to continue to enjoy some of the lowest corporate tax rates in the nation. So, what do we do? We organize and stay focused on our goal of building the schools our students deserve!

Your voice and your actions are key to our success. We must reform our tax system; we must ensure that corporations pay their fair share. We must be the leaders in implementing Every Student Succeeds Act; we must make sure that every student, no matter where they live, the color of their skin, or the language they speak, has access to a quality public education in Oregon. I believe that we, Team OEA — 44,000 members standing together, can make this happen.

The trials that lie ahead are great, but I know that the team we have in place to carry our work forward is up to the challenge. Team OEA will not stop until we have built the Schools our Students Deserve!

Thank you again for the honor of representing you as President of the Oregon Education Association for the past four years. It has been a true privilege.

Hanna Vaandering began her career as an educator as a student teacher in the classrom of Beaverton EA member Karen Lally, pictured above.

At the close of Vaandering's final OEA Representative Assembly, she handed off the gavel to incoming President C. John Larson, a longstanding OEA tradition.

Hanna

Hanna Vaandering rallies a crowd of educators at Atkinson Elementary during OEA's May Day event, advocating for safe schools for all students.

Credit: Meg Krugel

TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

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UPCOMING Summer2017

TODAY’S

OEA

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE OREGON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION June 30-July 5, 2017

NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly

SUMMER 2017 VOLUME 91 : ISSUE NO. 4

n What: NEA-Representative Assembly delegates will gather from around the country to elect

leaders, review bylaws and policies and set the direction for the NEA in the coming year. n WHERE: Boston, MA n how: Please visit http://ra.nea.org.

August 1-3, 2017

2017 OEA Summer Leadership Conference n What: Hosted by the OEA Union School, the Summer Leadership Conference will be held at

the Sunriver Resort, just outside Bend, Ore. You’re invited to attend in a team from your local association to strategize the next steps of our revenue campaign’s initiative drive. Contact your local UniServ office for more information. n how: For more information and to register, visit www.oregoned.org/summerconference.

August 4-6, 2017

2017 Oregon AFL-CIO Summer School n What: The Summer School program is designed for labor union members and members of

organizations working to promote strong organized labor and the worker justice movement.

The 2017 AFL-CIO Summer School will focus on how we can build strong unions and a strong movement for social change. n WHERE: University of Oregon, Eugene Campus n how: For more information and to register, visit: http://lerc.uoregon.edu/events/summerschool/ Various Dates

OEA Jump Start Seminars for National Board Certification n What: OEA Jump Start is a four-day comprehensive seminar designed to provide National

Board candidates with important information about the certification process, time to examine component and Assessment Center requirements, the opportunity to plan how to meet requirements, and time to collaborate, gather resources and information needed to pursue certification. n who: Educators interested in becoming a National Board Certified Teacher (must have completed candidate registration prior to registering for a session). n when: July 31-August 3 (Medford), August 7-10 (Bend), August 15-18 (Camas, WA) n how: For more information and to register, visit: oregoned.org/jumpstart

OFFICE HEADQUARTERS 6900 SW Atlanta Street Portland, OR 97223 Phone: 503.684.3300 FAX: 503.684.8063 www.oregoned.org PUBLISHERS Johanna Vaandering, President Jim Fotter, Executive Director EDITOR Meg Krugel PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Milana Grant CONTRIBUTORS Milana Grant, Charles Lapham, Jenny Smith, Andrea Shunk, Tibor BesskÓ, Bobi Blue, Hyung Nam, Dan Domenigoni To submit a story idea for publication in Today’s OEA magazine, email editor Meg Krugel at meg.krugel@oregoned.org PRINTER Morel Ink, Portland, OR TODAY’S OEA (ISSN #0030-4689) is published four times a year (October, February, April and June) as a benefit of membership ($6.50 of dues) by the Oregon Education Association, 6900 SW Atlanta Street, Portland OR 97223-2513. Non-member subscription rate is $10 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR. POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: Oregon Education Association Attn: Sheila Mangan Membership Processing 6900 SW Atlanta Street Portland, OR 97223-2513

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DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Francesca Genovese-Finch

Newsflash Portland High School Student Wins International Science Award

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f the 1,800 entries to the 2017 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, one project’s practical application stood apart from the rest. Adam Nayak, a junior from Cleveland High School, presented a projection of future urban flooding based on historical data, geographical information, and planned construction.

He then took his research a step further and outlined a plan to offset flooding by installing wetlands and other types of landscaping to capture runoff from heavy rain.

The foresight and positive community impacts of his project earned Nayak the contest’s top prize, the Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability Award. “For the past five years, my work has been centered around my passion for empowering communities and applying research in order to promote conservation locally,” Nayak says.

He will present his project at the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Sustainable Design Expo next year.

A 2016 graduate receives her high school diploma wearing culturally significant tribal attire

Statement regarding culturally inclusive graduation attire released by ODE

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s students across the state prepare for their commencement ceremonies in June, many of Native American heritage plan to wear items of cultural significance to their tribes. Without a statewide policy on the subject, many school districts have prohibited students from wearing items such as eagle feathers and beaded caps in past years. Oregon Department of Education Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Salam Noor issued a statement to all public high schools on March 31, imploring

them not only to allow Tribal regalia during graduation, but to amend their policies “to facilitate ceremonies that are culturally inclusive and reflect and honor the diversity of our students and families.” This is the second time during the 2016-17 school year that Noor has released direction on this topic to Oregon schools. Local Tribal councils and allies in local government hope that with continued support from the Department of Education, their students will feel encouraged to embrace their heritage during one of their most important milestones.

National Center for Education Statistics releases 2017 report

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he Condition of Education is a congressionally mandated report prepared by NCES, based on the most recent available data.

Some of the national highlights from the 2017 report: Credits: Hannah Potes / The Billings Gazette

n Starting salary for those who have

obtained a bachelor’s degree increased by just $100 from 2014 to 2015. n 300,000 fewer people enrolled in undergraduate programs from 2014 to 2015. n The average student/teacher ratio was 16:1

for the 2014-15 school year. n The number of dropouts fell by .7 percent from 2015 to 2016.

For more national education statistics, view the report here: https://nces.ed.gov/ pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2017144 TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

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Newsflash INTERESTED IN COLLABORATING? » Summer is a great time to contibute to the Today's OEA team! Share your story ideas, explore the possibility of freelance writing for the magazine, and catch up on past issues! Find out more at: www.todaysoea.org.

Federal Court rules in favor of new, racially divisive school district in Alabama

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efferson County, Alabama’s history is plagued with racial inequality.

Though the area-school district has been under federal desegregation orders since 1965, a new federal court ruling may allow certain schools to roll back time to the pre-Civil Rights era.

Gardendale, a pre-dominantly white municipal in northern Jefferson County, has been granted the right to form their own school district within the city limits at the start of the next school year. This limits the number of students of color who can access programs unique to Gardendale schools.

The city has been fighting for local control of schools since 2013, with officials making the argument that the split will “give the community a sense of pride and ownership”.

The most recent report published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office shows that roughly 17 percent of schools are racial and/or socioeconomically isolated, which means that at least 75 percent of the student population is of the same race or socioeconomic group. An appeal to the case is being prepared for filing with the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Loosened restrictions on nutrition content in school meals as childhood obesity soars

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ewly appointed Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has signed a proclamation that gives more flexibility on school meal guidelines, rolling back some of the regulations that were put into place under Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign.

Perdue cites “feedback from students, schools, and food service experts about the challenges they are facing in meeting final regulations for school meals” as a reason for the rollback; schools facing hardship in meeting nutrition goals are now able to serve

foods with higher sodium and fat contents, enriched white flour, and low-fat flavored milks, the latter of which has been proven to include more sugar than recommended for an entire day.

This news comes at a time when over 30 percent of school-aged children in the United States are classified as overweight or obese.

With many elementary schools pressed for funding to give students access to physical education, they are not only losing access to adequate exercise, but access to information about healthy food choices.

With OEA's Help, School Board Election Results Reveal Influx of New Faces

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he year 2017 has ushered in a recordbreaking number of Oregonians running for local school board positions that have been long uncontested. It has been nearly ten years since the Oregon School Boards Association has seen this many people – over 1,000 – campaign for office.

OEA endorsed candidates in 86 local

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TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

elections across the state. Over $30,000 was contributed on behalf of OEA members, which allowed community supporters to mobilize and reach more potential voters.

Thousands of phone calls, emails, and doors knocks made a clear impact in many of these races as well.

Over 75 percent of OEA-supported

contenders were chosen by their communities to represent their school districts, including many candidates of color. As diversity increases in Oregon schools, cultural representation in school government is crucial to the success of all students. OEA proudly supports those who want to improve the overall quality of public education.

Newsflash ARE YOU INTERESTED? » The time is right to explore the possibility of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher. OEA is hosting a series of summer "Jump Start" workshops to get you on the right path. Find out more on page 50, or go to: www.oregoned.org/jumpstart.

Oregon ESSA plan receives statewide praise

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regon’s plan for implementing the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday, May 3. Given the flexibility that ESSA allows for state-specific success indicators, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE)has created a plan that is centered on delivering a well-rounded and equitable education to every student in the state.

The number one commitment the plan makes is to prioritize and advance equity in our schools. ODE engaged tribal councils, leaders of communities of color, as well as organizations representing students with disabilities from around the state to develop innovative approaches to achieve the goal of equitable education for all.

Strengthening partnerships with community organizations and providing more resources to educators to help them combat barriers to student success are two of the methods the plan will use to follow through on this commitment.

Improving graduation rates as well as ensuring that students are able to make the transition into higher education or the workforce are also an integral part of Oregon’s ESSA plan.

The plan has been well-received by state agencies and community organizations alike; they applaud the collaborative techniques used to gather information and develop the processes that will be implemented starting in the 2017-18 school year. The practice of listening to those who are closest to the work is quickly becoming a national model for ESSA compliance, giving a voice to many who have been disenfranchised in the past.

“There is much for the Oregon Education Association to champion and support in our State ESSA plan. We are proud of the process and believe the plan’s recognition that improving schools takes all stakeholders – educators, families, and community organizations, will be key to our success. We believe that those closest to students and schools should play a vital role in making decisions about teaching and learning. Our members are ready to work together to build the schools our students deserve.”

— OEA PRESIDENT HANNA VAANDERING

“The State Board of Education unanimously supports Oregon’s State Plan under ESSA. We are proud of the inclusive process to develop our plan and look forward to supporting the work as we move into implementation.”

— STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CHAIR CHARLES R. MARTINEZ, JR.

“This new law, more than ever before, creates an opportunity for tribal leaders to exercise their sovereign authority and play an active role in the creation of state policy in Oregon. We welcome the opportunity to strengthen our partnerships with the Oregon Department of Education and local school districts in order to support improved outcomes for American Indian students.”

— OREGON TRIBAL COUNCIL MEMBER VALARIE SWITZLER

“ESSA has sparked an urgency among state and local leaders in Oregon to take an intentional approach to addressing the needs of our most vulnerable children. I am proud of Oregon’s work to identify key levers to moving the work forward, including building sustained partnerships with community based and culturally-specific organizations like SEI.” ­— SELF ENHANCEMENT, INC. FOUNDER TONY HOPSON

“On behalf of the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators, I want to commend ODE for their extensive and inclusive engagement efforts to develop Oregon’s State Plan. Oregon’s Plan offers key levers to advance our state’s focus on equity and ensure all students, schools, and educators are better supported to do their best work.”

— COSA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CRAIG HAWKINS Credits: iStockphoto.com

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ESSA

LEADING THE PROFESSION: ESSA GIVES POWER AND VOICE TO TEACHERS

BY ANDREA SHUNK / Policy & Practice Strategist, OEA Center for Great Public Schools

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ver the past 18 months since President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act into law, OEA has been asking you three very important questions. n What is something you had to do as an educator under No Child Left Behind that you knew was bad for students? n What is a hidden success in your school, something your school does well that falls outside of reading, writing and math? n If you could do one thing in your school to improve teaching and learning, what would it be?

Unsurprisingly, you are quick to answer that first question. We have been naming, calling out, and organizing against the harmful effects of NCLB for 15 years. Too much time spent on high-stakes testing.

Students losing out on enrichment opportunities in place of interventions.

Scripted curriculum that our leaders guarantee will finally be the solution to student growth.

Teachers can also easily call out the hidden gems of their schools and the amazing work going on in classrooms.

Maybe it’s the planetary STEAM program or the robust community garden or the bilingual parent group.

Great work is being done in our schools, but rarely do we get to celebrate those programs outside of the small school community. Instead, test scores and report cards often overshadow the much more relevant and meaningful programs that inspire students’ natural curiosity and desire to learn.

What ESSA finally gives us is a way to take action to end harmful practices, promote what is working in our schools, and to add back what we know improves teaching and learning.

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On Ramps to Organizing

The best way to approach ESSA is to think first about the goals you have for improving teaching and learning, and then consider the parts of ESSA that can support those goals. This is opposite of how we approached NCLB, which was compliance driven. ESSA is about opportunity, not compliance.

OEA member responses to our three critical questions reveal five distinct opportunities to organize for improved teaching and learning, using provisions of ESSA to support the work. One way to think of these opportunities are as on-ramps, or entry points, to improving schools. They are: n Professional learning; n Educator evaluations and support systems; n Assessment systems; n School improvement; n A well-rounded education.

More opportunities exist beyond these five, and we encourage members to share their organizing ideas and successes with us at oea-essa@oregoned.org.

Professional Learning

Each and every educator — from the superintendent to the bus driver — needs ongoing learning in order to improve. ESSA redefines professional learning as ongoing, sustained, job-embedded, and classroom focused. The legislation specifically says that one-time conferences or workshops are not high quality learning unless they are part of a bigger plan.

ESSA also requires school districts to consult with organizations that represent educators on how to spend Title IIA funds.

Title IIA funds are intended to support effective instruction. School districts often use this money to pay for professional development and learning, and to lower class sizes; however, classroom teachers,

specialized instructional support personnel (such as counselors and speech pathologists), and education support professionals are often left out of the conversation on how best to use those funds.

ESSA opens the door to organize for higher quality professional learning for all educators. Some ways to organize to improve professional learning include: n Bargaining for the creation of a collaborative labor/management professional learning committee; n Advocating for educator-led professional learning; n Pursuing more autonomy of professional learning time, like staff meetings, PLCs/PLTs, or staff development days.

Unfortunately, President Trump’s proposed 2018 budget drastically cuts federal Title IIA funds. Oregon educators should contact their congressional delegation (see page 12) to let them know the disastrous effects such cuts would have on classrooms and quality teaching.

Educator Evaluation and Support Systems

The last few years of NCLB brought us the era of the NCLB waivers. States, including Oregon, had to agree to tie teacher evaluations to student test scores to get these waivers. Congress saw these waivers as an overreach of federal authority and so ESSA explicitly says the U.S. Department of Education cannot mandate any aspect of a state evaluation system or even mandate that a state has an evaluation system.

Oregon’s education evaluation and support system remains in place, but the Oregon Department of Education has removed the link between high-stakes test scores and teacher evaluations. Further changes will be considered at the State

Board of Education’s May 26, 2017 meeting (final results were not available at the time of publication).

The intent of Oregon’s system is to support educators and provide professional learning and growth opportunities identified through the evaluation process. Rather than just identify areas for improvement or deficiencies, the system is supposed to celebrate teacher strengths while providing support in other areas.

Additionally, the intent of Oregon’s system is for school district leaders and educators to work collaboratively to develop a professional growth and evaluation system that inspires quality practice. When the law passed in 2012, some school districts embraced the spirit of collaboration while others continued with business as usual.

Now that the federal government doesn’t hold the evaluation stick, so to speak, and Oregon leaders have renewed their commitment to a supportive evaluative system, OEA members have the opportunity to organize for improved professional growth and evaluation systems. If a district failed to get it right the first time, this is the chance to push for a truly collaborative evaluation system.

Balanced System of Assessment

The area of NCLB members have voiced the most concern about is highstakes testing. NCLB brought us the era of test-and-punish. While ESSA doesn’t completely right these wrongs, it does lessen the overall impact of test scores.

The opportunities to organize for a better and more balanced system of assessment, using ESSA as the starting point, are many, and include: n Calling for a district assessment audit to examine all district and school-mandated assessments, reduce redundancies, and ensure that the test is being used for its intended purpose; n Taking an inventory of district and school-mandated assessments; n Advocating for a cap on time spent on state, district, and school mandated tests and the time spent preparing to take the tests;

WHAT ESSA GIVES US FINALLY IS A WAY TO TAKE ACTION TO END HARMFUL PRACTICES, PROMOTE WHAT IS WORKING IN OUR SCHOOLS, AND TO ADD BACK WHAT WE KNOW IMPROVES TEACHING AND LEARNING. n Asking school boards to take a public stance on standardized testing; n And ensuring all families and parents have access to Oregon’s opt-out system.

School Improvement

Under NCLB and the waiver system, schools that were identified as in need of improvement had a limited set of options to choose from. Additionally, federal School Improvement Grants were competitive and schools that needed resources the most might not have received the grants.

ESSA deliberately puts local school communities ­— educators, leaders, families, and community organizations — in charge of writing school improvement plans. This August, the Oregon Department of Education will redesignate Oregon schools. ODE has eliminated the Priority, Focus, and Model school structure. Instead, schools will be designated as Comprehensive Support Schools, Targeted Support Schools, or no designation. For more on Oregon’s new accountability and school improvement system, see www.oregoned.org/essa.

Schools identified as either Comprehensive or Targeted Support Schools will have a year to develop improvement plans that will go into effect in the 2018-19 school year. Educators in those schools should begin conversations with principals and district leaders now about how best to collaborate to write, implement, and monitor improvement

plans.

Well-Rounded Education

An exciting shift in NCLB from ESSA is its focus on providing all students with a well-rounded education. This was also a key theme in Oregon’s ESSA plan, which was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in early May. ESSA defines a well-rounded education as courses, activities, and programming in English, reading, writing, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, art, history, geography, computer science, music, career and technical education, health, physical education, and any other subject a state or school district decides.

Additionally, ESSA includes a new section in Title IV called Student Support and Enrichment Grants that would help fund access to a well-rounded education.

Unfortunately, as with Title IIA, President Trump’s proposed 2018 budget would cut much of the funding for these programs.

Educators can organize now to contact our Oregon congressional delegation and let them know that Oregonians value a well-rounded education for our students.

Federal Title IV funds are essential for providing the kind of rich educational experience that students deserve.

Moving Forward

There are many ways to move forward with your organizing efforts. First, visit our ESSA website at www.oregoned.org/ essa to access the many resources on ESSA there, including the Educator-Led Improvement Toolkit. This toolkit has all the resources you need to start an organizing effort in your school or local association.

You can contact Karen Hoffman (karen. hoffman@oregoned.org) in the Center for Great Public Schools to help get you started and to provide support for your plan. The Center for Great Public Schools staff and key member leaders will also lead an all-day workshop on using ESSA to organize at the annual OEA Summer Leadership Conference this year.

It’s time to embrace the promise of ESSA, lift our voices, and organize for the schools our students deserve.

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Politics & You

A MULTI-BILLION DISINVESTMENT IN EDUCATION

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n late May, President Donald Trump announced his budget proposal for fiscal year 2018. In addition to cuts to medical and science research, the arts, and services for the poor, elderly, and disabled, Trump’s budget would also slash $10.6 billion from education initiatives.

Under this budget, the federal department of education would see a whopping 13.5 percent cut in funding.

Cuts to public education

The proposal will touch nearly every aspect of public education from Kindergarten to higher education. Here are a few programs that will be impacted: Class sizes and Teacher Training ($2.3 billion cut): n Cuts a program designed to help with teacher training and class-size reduction called the Supporting Effective Instruction State grants.

After school programs ($1.2 billion cut): n Cuts the 21st Century Community Learning Center program, which provides after school activities to nearly 2 million children, many of them low-income.

Student loans ($1 billion cut next fiscal year): n Ends the public loan forgiveness program, which is designed to those who go into public service, such as teachers.

Special Ed ($4 billion in reimbursements cut next year): n Cuts billions from Medicaid, which would impact special education services

Contact your federal lawmakers and tell them to reject TrumpDeVos cuts to public education.

Senator Ron Wyden 202-224-5244

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such physical therapists, vision screening, and speech therapy.

Funneling money to private schools

public schools, something our students cannot afford.

To make matters worse, this budget fulfills Betsy DeVos’ anti-public education vision of funneling millions of taxpayer dollars into unaccountable private schools. Despite mounting evidence showing how these voucher schemes hurt students, Trump and DeVos are doubling down on these failed programs. Here is what they would do: n The proposal creates a $250 million voucher program which would use public dollars to pay for private school tuition. n Allocates an additional $167 million to charter schools.

Although the President's budget is simply a proposal, it gives us a clear vision of the new Administration's priorities. This budget would be a historic disinvestment in public education at all levels. Ultimately, students would bear the burden of these cuts — particularly those who are most vulnerable.

Public schools with significant numbers of low-income students would suffer the most from this budget. Under Trump’s budget, $1 billion more would be dedicated to a grant program that lures low-income students away from neighborhood schools and into private schools, taking federal dollars with them. The move is controversial because, in practice, it will redistribute funds from poorer districts to wealthier districts.

The concept of portability — or the “backpack of cash” as it’s often called — would result in increased cuts to funding based on declining enrollment for community

Senator Jeff Merkely 202-224-3753 Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici 202-225-0855 Congressman Greg Walden 202-225-6730

A mission to disrupt public ed

The education cuts alone are dramatic, but the real danger is seen by looking at the bigger picture. Under the direction of Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, the Trump Administration is looking to remake our education system by moving money from public schools into private schools that operate under a different standard.

This is in uncharted territory. Since the early 20th century, public education has been a value shared by Administrations of both parties. This is no longer the case. If even parts of this budget were to be enacted, the effect on our most vulnerable students would be devastating.

It’s up to us, as Oregonians, to ensure our students have the resources they need to succeed. The vast majority of education funding and policy is decided at the state level. In the Trump era, educators must be willing to defend their students and public education. We must let our state and federal lawmakers know where we stand.

TAKE ACTION

It couldn’t be clearer: DeVos’ goal is to slash funding for public schools, using voucher schemes to funnel taxpayer dollars to unaccountable private schools.

A well-resourced public school in every neighborhood is our best bet for setting every student up for success. Email Devos and tell her to focus on investing in public schools: educationvotes.nea.org/emaildevos.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer 202-225-4811 Congressman Peter DeFazio 202-225-6416 Congressman Kurt Schrader 202-225-5711

$8.2 JUST WON’T DO Oregon's Budget Proposal Falls Far Short of What Schools Need to Avoid Massive Cuts

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n early June, the Oregon State Senate approved an $8.2 billion budget for K-12 schools; the vote now goes to the House, and if approved, on to the Governor. An $8.2 billion budget is $200 million short of the cost to maintain current service levels. Education advocates – including OEA – know this proposal falls far short of what’s needed to avoid educator layoffs, loss of critical programs, and cuts to school days.

First-year Representative Diego Hernandez (and OEA-PIE recommended candidate) of Portland was removed from the budget committee that originally considered the proposal because he couldn’t bear to vote for an education budget that, he believes, would harm students.

“I definitely did not want to offend any of my colleagues by making that decision,” he said. “But on the other hand, I also am proud to stand up and make a statement and say that we do need to do more.”

Credits: Meg Krugel

Hernandez said he wants to see lawmakers approve a plan to overhaul corporate taxes as a way to adequately fund education.

Numbers run by the Oregon Association of School Business Officers show that districts will need at least $8.4 billion in the next biennium to avoid cuts, including educator layoffs and reduced school days in some districts.

The Public Employee Retirement System has also announced it will increase schools' employee pension rates significantly this year, with higher costs coming in 2019 and 2021.

On the day of the budget vote, education advocates lined the halls of the state capitol chanting “8.2 just won’t do.” OEA leaders, who stood in this crowd, are pushing for a budget of $8.6 billion, and encouraging lawmakers to vote "no" on the current plan.

OEA recently filed two 2018 ballot initiatives, one of which would raise as

much as $1.75 billion a year in corporate taxes to fund K-12 and higher education.

The other measure would make it easier for the Legislature to raise those taxes to fund education by eliminating a super majority revenue requirement in certain cases.

"The education budget released is inadequate and once again prioritizes big corporations over students, families, and local communities," OEA President Hanna Vaandering said in response to the vote.

"Meanwhile, Oregon corporations would continue to enjoy the some of the lowest corporate taxes in the country – benefitting from our public schools but not paying their fair share."

Many lawmakers, even those who ended up voting in favor, expressed their agreement. "It is indeed a floor," Sen. Lew Frederick, D-Portland, said in an Oregonian article. Frederick was reluctant to vote for the bill because "we need to have significantly more for our students and our future."

TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

13

Quality Assessment Practices

GRADUATING WITH HONORS OEA’s Inaugural Quality Assessment Practices Cadre Completes Their Learning Journey

BY ANDREA SHUNK / Policy & Practice Strategist, OEA Center for Great Public Schools

C

on-grad-ulations are in order for the first Quality Assessment Practices Cadre! This group of 14 educators have dedicated the past 18 months to learning about quality assessment, conducting action research in their classrooms, sharing their knowledge with peers around the state, and leading learning in our pilot schools.

The Quality Assessment Practices (or QAP) cadre was established in January 2016 in response to one of the 11 recommendations from A New Path for Oregon: System of Assessment for Meaningful Student Learning. That policy paper — crafted in partnership with the Chief Education Office, the Office of the Governor, and the Oregon Department of Education — called for more robust professional development for educators to improve classroom assessment.

OEA developed this program to respond to that need. In the first year, six statewide leaders went through a rigorous application process to join the QAP team. The St. Helens Education Association in partnership with the St. Helens School District, agreed to be a pilot site for implementing district-wide professional learning. Teacher and administrator teams from each of the district’s four schools also joined the QAP 1.0.

The 14 teachers and four building principals along with statewide leaders first met in January 2016 for four intensive days of learning about quality assessment practices, led by OEA staffers Erin Whitlock and Andrea Shunk, and assessment expert Jan Chappuis.

QAP 1.0 continued to meet monthly on Saturdays to share what they learned, what they tried in their classrooms, and to plan for ongoing action research. Often, teachers shared what didn’t work, learning from their failures and seeking help and assistance from their colleagues on how to 14

TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

reiterate a lesson or instructional approach to try it again.

This school year, the St. Helens teacher leaders led professional learning for their peers. Teachers from each school volunteered to be part of school-based PLCs where they learned about the purpose of assessments and how to use learning targets to help improve student learning.

About two-thirds of the teachers at each St. Helens school site participated in this voluntary learning.

Meanwhile, statewide QAP 1.0 leaders took on a variety of leadership roles.

These teacher leaders co-presented at state and national conferences with OEA staff members, promoting the work of QAP and how the union can play a key role in supporting teachers’ practices. They also provided coaching and technical assistance to the St. Helens teacher leaders, helping to plan professional learning and providing

a sounding board when the leaders faced challenges.

These statewide leaders also helped lead the next group of QAP leaders and pilot site members, essentially paying it forward to QAP 2.0. This included a series of book studies in the Medford School District, mentoring the new statewide leaders, and leading PLCs. These leaders also facilitated a three-day track on sound assessment design at the 2016 OEA Summer Leadership Conference, and will lead sessions at the upcoming 2017 OEA Summer Leadership Conference.

QAP 1.0 also continued to meet in their PLC as they moved on their learning from the five guiding principles of quality assessment to strategies for using formative assessment in the classroom.

Truly, this dedicated group of teacher leaders embody what it means to be reflective practitioners. They were all open to changing their instruction, even when it felt hard and uncomfortable. They found community with each other, sharing their frustrations and failures, but always supporting one another to move forward in service to students.

In August of 2016, OEA started QAP 2.0 with four new statewide leaders and seven pilot leaders from Centennial Elementary School in Springfield Public Schools. Just like QAP 1.0, these teachers met on Saturdays, conducted action research, shared successes and failures, and planned for schoolwide professional learning that will start this August at Centennial.

Now, OEA is launching QAP 3.0. Applications for statewide leaders have been turned in and the Banks Education Association in partnership with the Banks School District has agreed to be the next pilot site. OEA will also launch an online course for English Language Arts teachers later this fall. Stay tuned for more information on that course.

“

The changes I have made in my teaching because of the QAP cadre have produced amazing results in my classroom. My students understand what we are working on and why and as a result they have taken more ownership in their learning. As second graders they are able to look at the results of a test, determine which targets they still need to work on, create and execute a plan for improvement, and decide when they are ready to reassess. I am so thrilled to be a part of bringing this amazing work into our district.

KENDRA GRIFFIN St. Helens EA, 2nd grade

The team efforts of both the educator and the student. Students clearly are taking ownership of and investing in their learning. It is EMPOWERMENT! CATHERINE CONTRERAS St. Helens EA, 6th grade social studies teacher The QAP cadre has been a great opportunity to work with amazing educators from around the state. I have learned the importance of deeply understanding the keys of quality assessment. I've had the opportunity to learn, try something out, and then adjust and try again within a supportive community of learners. What struck me the most was the simplicity but importance of clear learning targets. Getting that solid foundation down will allow me to continue to build on my learning.

TERRI HETHORN, Dallas EA, ELL teacher The QAP cadre has revitalized my teaching and has been the best professional learning I have ever experienced. I loved the emphasis on student involvement and the use of assessment FOR learning. My students are better off because of my involvement in the project. Better teaching! Deeper learning!

ROSALIE SUMSION, St. Helens EA, Title I teacher

“

The QAP cadre has been the most powerful professional learning experience I have participated in. The greatest impact it had on my practice was around student reflection and empowering my students to take ownership of their own learning.

JENNA SCHADLER North Clackamas EA, ELL teacher and collaboration grant liaison

Following are the thoughts and sentiments of our first graduating class of the Quality Assessment Practices Cadre. We are proud of their work, dedication, and willingness to lead the way for our union on quality assessment practices to support meaningful student learning.

I now have a much better understanding of how to use formative assessments to gauge where my students are in the learning process and thus can make adjustments to my teaching before summative assessments.

JOHN ENGLAND St. Helens EA, high school science teacher QAP has allowed my students to move from asking how many points an assignment is worth to asking for help learning a concept. Students now see a correlation between learning the concept and their grade rather than just calculating how many more points they need to get an A.

“

These past 18 months with the QAP cadre have been pivotal for me. My involvement with this learning has changed the way I approach all aspects of my job -- my planning, instruction and assessment; the atmosphere I try to create in my classroom; the professional learning I participate in with coworkers; and my role as an educator in the larger Oregon education community. I have changed the way I think about the marks I make on papers and the intended learning, and how students participate in their education.

DANIELLE SPEISER St. Helens EA, 7th grade language arts teacher

BETH YARBROUGH Sutherlin EA, high school science teacher

“

Since being involved in the QAP cadre, I have felt empowered to reflect and improve assessment in my own practice and also my colleagues’ practice. I have also really grown as a leader within my school community, something I didn’t even realize I wanted to do!

ANDREW COFFIN St. Helens EA, high school science teacher

Being a part of the QAP cadre has improved my classroom practice and helped me move student learning and growth forward. QAP has been a collaborative experience that has allowed me to learn from educators across the state. In addition, it has been an important platform on which I have been able to strengthen my personal teacher leadership skills, as well as offer leadership opportunities to educators in my building and broader district. It has been a truly rewarding and transformative journey.

The QAP cadre has given me the opportunity to think deeply about my curriculum planning, to share my thoughts and questions with other professionals, and to engage in my teaching in new ways.

LORI CARDIFF St. Helens EA, 7th grade social studies and language arts teacher

“

Being part of the QAP cadre has been incredibly positive. I’ve grown in instructional and leadership knowledge as well as abilities.

For me QAP is a priceless professional learning opportunity because I get to learn from other eduleaders from around the state who are on the same journey: nurturing healthy assessment systems and practices. Even though QAP 1.0 is technically over, the gift keeps on giving. Other edu-leaders notice the positive impact and want to join the journey.

ERIN BEARD Medford EA, high school AP art history and school improvement specialist

ALY NESTLER, Springfield EA, 1/2 blend teacher My involvement in the QAP cadre has helped me involve my students in their learning in purposeful ways that help them better understand themselves and the learning process. My students’ confidence has blossomed and they are more willing to take risks and work through challenges. I am grateful for the opportunities to learn from and work with so many talented, dedicated educators around the state.

KATHLEEN ALEXANDER, St. Helens EA, 3rd grade teacher

TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

15

Association in Action

STANDING TOGETHER FOR THE SCHOOLS OUR STUDENTS DESERVE

“W

e will do what we have to do to meet the needs of each and every one of the students we work with!” This message from OEA President Hanna Vaandering’s opening address marked the theme for this year’s OEA Representative Assembly. In the past year, there have been many changes in the federal government’s vision for public education; some that threaten its very foundation and leave educators uncertain of the future — for their students and for themselves. Budget cuts looming, new threats to retirement benefits, and the rise of for-profit charter schools are just of few of the things on the minds of teachers and support professionals now.

OEA members did not take these new challenges to their profession sitting down. They rose to the occasion and made their voices heard; 24 New Business Items (NBIs) were adopted at this year’s assembly, several of which emphasized the guiding body’s desire to get more involved in political matters. Some examples of the political directives voted on by delegates: n A renewed commitment of OEA NBI 20 from the 2016 RA, to include “implementing public education policy to highlight and address discriminatory practices that occur within our statewide systems.” n An organized, statewide rally to be held on a Saturday during the 2017-18 school year in support of public education. Locals will be encouraged to hold events in their own districts, and community organizations as well as students and parents will be encouraged to attend. n A stronger focus on organizing strategies and member engagement efforts — like listening campaigns — through NEA's Center for Organizing events n A cooperation with local school districts to pass climate education resolutions in order to “provide resources for educators to teach about climate at all grade levels using factual information and research data...”

It was clear from the energy in the enormous hall that Oregon educators are here to fight. There were many heated debates surrounding NBIs, yet members were able to agree on one thing: now is the time to advocate for our schools! —Milana Grant

HONORING MEMBERS AND PUBLIC EDUCATION ADVOCATES Dick Barss/Pat Wohlers Member Rights Award

n Tony Whipps, Centennial Education Association

Noel Connall IPD Award

n Jenna Schadler, North Clackamas Education

Association

Robert G. Crumpton Organizational Excellence Award

n Michael Endicott, Grants Pass Education Association n Marilyn Bounds, Bethel Association of Classified

Employees

Excellence in Education Award

n Jennifer Scurlock, Eugene Education Association

Political Action Award

n Travis Overly, Bend Education Association

Kevin Forney Education Support Professional Award

n Melinda Adams, Association of Salem-Keizer ESP

Ruth E. Greiner Membership Award

n Sue McGrory, Greater Albany Education Association

OEA Retired Lifetime Service Award n Jeanne Mackie, OEA Retired n Stephen Hillis, OEA Retired

Ed Elliot Human Rights Award

n Sheila Warren, Founder/President of

Portland Parent Union

NON-MEMBER AWARDS Education Citizen of the Year

n Suzanne Bonamici, U.S. Representative

News Media Award

n Natalie Pate, Statesman Journal (Salem)

PRESIDENTIAL CITATIONS OEA MEMBERS MAKE AN IMPACT Over 550 delegates attended the 2017 OEA Representative Assembly (RA). The Red Lion Hotel in Jantzen Beach was full to bursting with nearly every available meeting space occupied by OEA. All gathered on Friday evening to adopt their standing rules, receive reports, and hear candidate speeches, going late into the evening. On Saturday, delegates voted to elect officers to serve as OEA President, OEA Vice President, OEA Region III Vice President, as well as two NEA Directors. Also on Saturday, delegates debated and adopted new business items and amendments to OEA’s Bylaws, Policies, Resolutions, and Legislative Objectives. Refer to the 2017 OEA RA Minutes for full details on debate: oregoned.org/ra.

16

ELECTION RESULTS

Serving a 2-year term beginning July 10, 2017 n John Larson,

OEA President

n Reed Scott-Schwalbach,

OEA Vice President n Cori Swan,

OEA Region III Vice President Serving a 2-year term beginning Sept. 1, 2017 n Enrique Farrera,

NEA Director

Serving a 3-year term beginning Sept. 1, 2017 n Jennifer Scurlock,

NEA Director

OEA President Hanna Vaandering recognized the following OEA members with Presidential Citations at the 2017 Representative Assembly:

2017 Teacher of the Year Award n Gloria Pereyra-Robertson,

Medford Education Association

2017 Friends of the Foundation Award n Judy Van Scoter, Memoriam

2017 OEA Great Communicator Award

n Benjamin Gorman, Central Education Association

OEA Leadership Award

n Karen Ashcraft, Coos Bay Education Association n Debbie Brudevold, Eagle Point Education Association n Matthew Hensley, Astoria Education Association

OEA Advocacy Award

n Jen Mohr Colett, Beaverton Education Association

OEA Bargaining Award

n Wy’East Education Association n Clackamas Community College Association of

Classified Employees

OEA Organizing Award

n Evan Selby, Reynolds Education Association

OEA Political Action Award TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

n Don Sterns, Bend Education Association

Association in Action APPROVED BY DELEGATES OEA member delegates approved amendments to OEA’s Legislative Objectives, Resolutions, Bylaws, and Policies. They also approved the following New Business Items (NBIs): NBI 1: that OEA continue to support locals in developing organizing strategies to engage members and their communities through both geographically based trainings and NEA’s Center for Organizing Events. These trainings will include but not be limited to the following topics: •Working with other labor organizations and community groups.

•Community listening campaigns.

•Bargaining for the common good.

NBI 2: that OEA support the induction of new educators through the following actions: • Establish an appropriate taskforce to develop a model framework for a union-led, new educator mentor program.

• Actively partner with locals to promote activities for new educators. These activities will be designed to educate educators as to the role of the union and opportunities for professional development.

NBI 3: that the OEA convene a committee to investigate the feasibility of transferring the interest earned every year from the crisis relief fund into the General Fund during years of budget decreases. The OEA president will appoint the members of the committee and will work with the Budget Committee to refine the charge and work plan for the committee. The OEA Executive Director, the crisis relief fund committee chair, and OEA finance officer will advise the committee and provide essential information to the committee essential to its charge. Decrease in budget will be defined as a potential shortfall in dues revenue as compared with the budget of 2015-2016. The committee will make their report to the OEA Board by the December board meeting. In addition, the report will be sent to all 2017 delegates through their home email.

NBI 4: that we [OEA] create a governance structure review task force. The task force should include representation from all regions, as well as a variety of sized locals. The purpose of the task force will be to conduct a review of our structures and present recommendations and/or findings to the OEA RA in 2018. The task force may review previous work of past task forces, as well as NEA recommendations.

Preliminary recommendations will be brought to the OEA Board by January 2018.

NBI 6.a.: that OEA locals encourage their school districts and NEA to not accept money from the Gates Foundation and foundations backed by billionaires and corporations attempting to privatize education.

NBI 7: that OEA advocate to remove or revise developmentally inappropriate standards from K-5 ELA and Math Oregon State Common Standards used in Oregon Classrooms.

Members of Jennifer Scurlock's family, including her two children, look on as she receives the OEA award for Excellence in Education

and iNACOL promote as part of “personalized”/ competency education.

Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) multistate longitudinal data system.

NBI 11: OEA continues the work of NEA’s NBI-B and the 2016 OEA RA’s NBI 20 by OEA leadership participating in a committee that will include voices of historically marginalized and underrepresented communities and the voices of the majority community, stakeholders and constituents to: 1) Work in conjunction with relevant local and statewide community organizations in an effort to create common language for culturally responsive practices statewide at the district level, school-wide and for the classroom to disrupt institutional racism within our institutions.

2) Examine implementing public education policy to highlight and address discriminatory practices that occur within our statewide systems.

NBI 16: that OEA investigate the steps to creating a state recognized Education Support Professional of the year like the statewide teacher of the year.

NBI 12: that OEA encourage local affiliates to work with their school boards to pass climate education resolutions in local districts. The resolutions should commit to providing resources for educators to teach about climate at all grade levels using factual information and research data as we implement the Next Generation Science Standards.

NBI 13: that OEA post on its website a letter template for use as personal character references for parents of students so they may prepare for interactions with ICE, along with a list of resources members can use to assist families in finding legal help for immigration issues.

OEA will also provide a link to Purple DACA’s letters campaign to support students directly.

NBI 9: that OEA provide monthly updates on the progress of NBIs approved at the Representative Assembly each year. These updates are to be posted on the OEA web page with an easy to find direct link from the main page. This page will also include a feedback link so members can ask questions.

NBI 14: that OEA conduct a state-wide survey to determine which school districts in Oregon are engaged in “Future Educator” programs like the Salem Keizer Teacher Cadet Program or the Centennial Occupational Teacher Program. OEA will reach out to leaders in districts with such programs to determine the role the Association can play in recruitment and development of students interested in entering the profession, with particular attention to recruiting students from historically marginalized and underrepresented communities. Furthermore, OEA will explore the possibility of helping locals without such programs develop them.

NBI 10: that OEA oppose mandating changes to grading policy that groups like the Business Education Compact

NBI 15: that OEA publicly and aggressively oppose Oregon’s participation in the Western Interstate

NBI 8: that OEA publicly and aggressively advocate for a moratorium on the use of the Smarter Balanced Assessment in Oregon Schools until an appropriate assessment system can be developed and implemented.

Credits: Meg Krugel

NBI 17: that OEA collect data statewide to determine numbers of staff who teach online, in various designations along the spectrum of fully public, to public charter, and privatized charter.

NBI 19: (Referred to the Special Ed Task Force) for OEA to advocate for an amendment to the OARs regarding special education eligibility names. Specifically changing Emotional Disturbance to emotional difference, specific learning disability to specific learning difference, and Autism Spectrum disorder to Autism Spectrum development. This change would only apply to Special education eligibility paperwork and IEPs. NBI 20: that OEA promote (email, social media, etc.) and encourage locals to hold simultaneous rallies around the State on a Saturday TBD before the end of the 2017-18 school year to advocate for public education. Further, I move that OEA conduct outreach to other groups, such as Oregon PTA, to help support and promote these rallies.

NBI 21: that the OEA President write a letter to our congressional delegation urging them to continue the process of normalization of relations between our country and Cuba. They should also be urged to work on ending the economic embargo on the Cuban people.

NBI 23: that OEA explore: 1) the path forward to changing existing laws and contract language that prevents us from going on strike (or other work stoppages) at the state level.

2) how far we can push the envelope with statewide actions without violating current labor law.

NBI 24: the OEA RA renew NBI #7 from last year “that OEA work with its coalition partners (including 350.org and other environmental groups) to lobby the Oregon Investment Council and the State Treasurer to divest the Public Employee Retirement System from stocks and funds that are in fossil fuels. They should pay particular attention to all coal investments and the top 200 largest fossil fuel companies. They should do this in accordance with their fiduciary responsibilities.”

TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

17

Association in Action

WHEN INVESTMENTS PAY OFF OEA’s Strategic Action Plan Successfully Fulfills Vision for Greater Member Engagements

T

he Strategic Action Plan (SAP), approved by the OEA Representative Assembly in 2012, set a new course for OEA. The SAP presented a new path forward: a road map to building a more powerful, member-driven union. At each succeeding RA and throughout each working year, delegates and members review and assess the ongoing SAP work. Now in its final year, the plan relies on three strategic priorities, with the very specific intent to engage and empower OEA members to transform public education in Oregon. We set the following priorities: Educator-Driven Innovation and Public Policy: Leading the Way to Great Public Schools.

OEA and its members will be recognized as the most knowledgeable and trusted voices, experts, and leaders in public education.

Building Powerful, Visionary, Member Driven Locals.

OEA members will see the OEA and their local union as a powerful vehicle to secure a better quality of life, preserve collective bargaining rights, and to establish our right to shape the future of education in our schools and across the state.

Re-shaping Politics in Oregon – From the Grassroots.

OEA members will help build and lead a movement that will re-shape politics in Oregon by contesting and winning local and statewide elective offices.

Never has this work been more important. Under the current anti-public education Administration and on the brink of another economic crisis in our state, we must be more organized and stand together more strongly than ever. It’s important we continue the work that has engaged new members, built capacity, and created a sustainable future for our union.

18

TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

LOOKING BACK

OEA’s Strategic Action in 2016 and 2017 can be characterized as a fulfillment of the vision, but with work left to accomplish.

Two specific areas—our organizing on the Better Oregon campaign and our leadership on the Every Student Succeeds Act— have demonstrated significant areas of growth and engagement. We have also built significant capacity through our Union School by empowering our local associations and building a pipeline of leaders.

The Better Oregon Campaign and Political Organizing In fewer than six months, OEA surpassed all previous organizing efforts, with over 5,000 OEA members working to collect more than 63,000 signatures to qualify the Better Oregon petition. This represents a level of engagement six times larger than any past effort in our organization's history. This success carried into the fall and we were able to host over 400 unique OEA volunteer campaign events with over 4,500 volunteer shifts completed by members. This represented 267,548 volunteer calls and door knocks made by our members. While the ballot measure did not pass, we did change the conversation, and proved that we can be a true powerhouse when we align our priorities and focus on making the lives of our students better.

A Better Path/ESSA All of the work done through the Center for Great Public Schools (CGPS) presents new and interesting opportunities to develop and support member leaders’ knowledge and expertise on professional practice issues. This ensures educators have a respected voice in public policy and that members are fully engaged in the process. This year, CGPS demonstrated its crucial role in providing members with implementation strategies for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

CGPS continues to lead and influence the creation of a balanced system of

assessment through policy work and the development of member leaders in quality assessment practices. Over the past two years, quality assessment cadres have been developed and are increasing the emphasis on classroom assessment practices through pilot projects and classroom action research. This work reflects the recommendations set forth in the foundational document “A New Path for Oregon” and demonstrates the deep work necessary to build and sustain Oregon’s transition to a balanced system of assessment.

OEA Union School, Powerful Locals The OEA Union School has established a multi-faceted program, Powerful Locals, which helps local teams assess and build their capacity. To date, 33 locals have engaged the program with 7 new locals signed up to participate this year. Participants join a growing network of highly-engaged, expertly-trained leaders, and create close communication links with each other and leaders and staff at all levels of the organization.

The Union School is working to engage and grow new leaders from all corners of the organization by supporting programs such as Emerging Leaders and Leaders for Tomorrow.

LOOKING FORWARD

The Strategic Action Plan provides a trajectory which will allow us to build on these strengths, and focus specifically on engaging new members and early career educators. We will continue to identify and train new and existing leaders and will revitalize local associations through focused leadership development and increased understanding of member needs. We will accomplish this growth by increasing engagement in local and district politics; elevating educator voice on professional practice issues like assessment and evaluation; and evolving the OEA brand to reflect a set of shared values which nurtures a sense of belonging and community.

Inside OEA

DO WE HAVE A DEAL FOR YOU! OEA-Retired Presents New Payment Options

BY DAN DOMENIGONI / OEA-Retired

I

t probably never occurred to many of us that after 50-plus years of attending public schools (starting as a five year old kindergartner) and being tied to the traditional agrarian school schedule for a half a century (or more), that we would be able to continue our interest, support, and advocacy for younger colleagues, schools and students! How many professions do you know where there are direct ways to continue a relationship with what defined your life after you retire? If you are beginning to think about retirement or have already started the next chapter in your post-employment life — boy, do we have a deal for you!

OEA-Retired members continue to have remarkable opportunities to have fun getting together, take advantage of continuing their NEA/OEA member benefits, participate in extraordinary travel adventures, continue to play a role in politics and advocate for public education, continue to actively promote and raise funds for our great OEA Foundation, help our Literacy Committee collect and distribute books to schools and children’s programs around the state, and to do whatever we can to support our active members, local schools, and our local communities! What is different this time around is that, as an OEA-Retired Member, you get to decide what your interests are and the level of commitment you want to make in order to continue to make a difference!

In this spirit, we have worked with OEA to develop some really sensible and affordable ways for you to become a “Lifetime” member of OEA-Retired and NEA-Retired.

Once you become a Lifetime Member, you no longer have any membership dues obligations (ever) and you can participate at whatever level makes you feel comfortable.

Remember, you have options to join the OEA and NEA retirement membership group even as you continue your current Credits: Dan Domenigoni

OEA-Retired Members Celebrate with Oregon Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, pictured in front row, at the 2017 OEA-RA Awards Banquet.

active careers or your “active” retirement.

There is even a monetary incentive to consider these new membership options that is being offered for the very first time!

So, if you are planning to retire or are already retired — but want to continue to stay involved, stay invigorated, and stay in touch — read on: At the OEA-RA, we rolled out two new payment plans for OEA-Retired Lifetime membership (in addition to the current option of a one-time $250 payment).

These two new plans are available to both pre-retired and retired members…

Option 1: $10 down and $10/month for two (2) years; authorized monthly payments to be taken from checking or savings account Option 2: $10 down and $20/month for one (1) year; authorized monthly

payments to be taken from checking or savings account The Hook: Once the lifetime membership has been paid in full (total $250), a rebate of $50 will be paid to the new lifetime member. This is true for any payment plan, including the one-time payment.

These offers are not retroactive! And, members need to understand that this is only for the OEA-Retired Lifetime membership and does not include NEA-Retired membership. NEA-Retired membership still requires a one time payment of $250.

These options are also open to current retired members that are paying annual dues. Once you sign up for the plan, you will not be making the annual dues payment, only the monthly payment. Join today!

TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

19

Eye on Equity

At the Jan. 13 Town Hall, students were given time to write about their personal stories dealing with racism. Students shared these stories in pairs, and then in groups facilitated by teacher leaders, including counselor Kelly McGhehey (2nd photo from left) and Jennifer Scurlock (3rd photo from left).

VALUING the student story Eugene-Area Educators Wrap Up Town Hall Symposium Series on Institutional Racism, Strengthen Community Ties

BY TIBOR BESSKÓ Eugene Education Association Member

“We, the members of the National Education Association, acknowledge the existence in our country of institutional racism–the societal patterns and practices that have the net effect of imposing oppressive conditions and denying rights, opportunity, and equality based upon race. This inequity manifests itself in our schools and in the conditions our students face in their communities. In order to address institutional racism, the National Education Association shall lead by: 1) spotlighting systemic patterns of inequity–racism and educational injustice–that impact our students; and 2) taking action to enhance access and opportunity for our students.”

New Business Item B, adopted unanimously at the 2015 NEA Representative Assembly New Business Item 20, adopted at the 2016 OEA Representative Assembly

Standing in front of more than 120 predominantly African Heritage, Latino, Asian, and Native American students, Churchill High School teacher Jennifer 20

TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

Scurlock cited these New Business Items during the final “Lift Every Voice” Town Hall Symposium of the 2016-2017 school year. On May 26, students representing

Eye on Equity

The Lane Community College Longhouse provided a safe space for students of color to find community with one another and their educators, including Leah Dunbar, right.

six high schools in the Eugene-area listened attentively as Scurlock shared the rationale behind the gathering.

“We are here today because our Oregon Education Association asked educators to bring together students of color, to listen to their voices, so that we can better understand how racism is affecting our youth, and to work together toward removing any policies, programs, or practices standing in the way of our students’ success. Take a look around at each other. Here we are!”

Scurlock reminded the group that in order to look forward, we must also look back.

“I am the educator and leader that I am because I have been lifted on the shoulders of my parents and grandparents. And this is true for everyone in this room. We have all gotten to where we are because of the people who have come before us.”

Scurlock acknowledged the many dedicated adults who made it their life’s work to support young people’s success.

Looking around the room, she named state senators, city council members, superintendents, school board members, police officers, and community organizers Credits: Lisa Fragala

who were in attendance.

“All of these people are here because they care about you. They want for you to get the most out of your education so that you too can become community leaders and lift up those who are coming up after you,” Scurlock says to her students.

Each of the three 2016-2017 Town Hall Symposiums, held October 26, January 13, and May 26, have been facilitated by a core team of educators leading the various pieces of the Lift Every Voice curriculum that they co-created. With Jennifer Scurlock at the helm, members of this team include sisters Rena and Leah Dunbar, Kevin Summerfield, and Imelda Cortez, all teachers from Eugene 4J School District. Each brings a distinctive voice and perspective and has built deep, personal relationships with many of the students and families in the room. Their combined testament demonstrates the need for more culturally-responsive educators of color in the profession.

WELCOMING THE CONNECTION James Florendo, coordinator of the Native American program at Lane Community College, opened with

some guiding words, reminding all the participants of their inherent connections to one another and to all things.

“Treat all things in nature with respect.

Everything is equal, including this building, the trees, the air… it all has living spirit.

We need to respect that. And we need to respect each other, so listen to each other fully. Your voices are important. Don’t forget where you come from. That should be the basis of your dialogue.”

Since many students attending the symposiums are meeting for the first time, facilitators lead them through some lowrisk ice-breaker activities.

These encourage the students to value their own, and each other’s, stories while also building a sense of connection and safety.

In one activity, led by Kevin Summerfield, students were encouraged to mill about until they met someone new.

Summerfield then prompted, “What is one culturally-based saying that you have learned from a parent or grandparent?” He gave an example of one that he had learned from his great-grandmother, “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.”

While debriefing this activity, TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

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Eye on Equity

Far left: The Town Hall series leadership team includes, from left, Jennifer Scurlock, Imelda Cortez , Catherine Kotlarek-James, Rena Dunbar, Leah Dunbar, and Kevin Summerfield.

Second from left: OEA Vice President John Larson engages a student during a break time about institutional racism and definitions of prejudice and bias.

Summerfield pointed out that some of the shared examples were from the time of legal slavery.

“The question parents were confronted with on a daily basis was, ‘How do we keep our children safe in a society that doesn’t value them?’” Summerfield continued, “One way was to create ‘coded language’ or ‘cautionary whistles’ that only people within a certain group would recognize.

These small things enabled us to keep one another alive.” As Summerfield shared this reflection, students and adults around the room nodded their heads in understanding.

FACING DISCOMFORTING FACTS

“In order to talk about race,” Summerfield offered, “we have to have some community agreements. We make these agreements because talking about race can bring up uncomfortable feelings, and many times people are tempted to just check out or to talk about other things.”

Attendees were asked to abide by five agreements, adapted from Glenn Singleton’s Courageous Conversations About Race, and then to consider each one relative to themselves: 22

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1. Stay Engaged 2. Speak Your Truth 3. Allow Yourself to Experience Discomfort 4. Expect and Accept Non-Closure 5. Listen With the Intent to Learn Facilitators laid out a series of definitions for words like “prejudice”, “bias”, and “institutional racism” in order to create a common language for these conversations.

One of the presenters explained, “All people can discriminate and exercise prejudice or bias, but institutional racism implies these things plus power. Since people of color in the United States historically, and up to the present, have not wielded institutional power, they are not in a position to be racist.”

NEA representatives Kevin Gilbert and Aaron Dorsey presented facts and data about institutional racism and how it is manifested in the “school-to-prison pipeline”.

The information provided illustrates the disproportionate numbers of office referrals and suspensions for students of color, and how this leads to higher

dropout rates in Black, Latino, and Native populations. “For every out-of-school suspension, the risks of a student dropping out double,” Dorsey said.

More instances of office referrals and suspensions does not necessarily indicate that students of color are acting out more. “Students of color are being penalized more harshly than their white peers for the exact same offenses. This is happening all over the country. It is due to the implicit bias of those in authority.”

He went on to explain that, “It doesn’t matter if the authority figure is white or black…The net result is the same.

Proportionally, many more young people of color than their white peers are being pushed out of schools and ending up in prisons. This is institutional racism. This needs to stop.”

And it isn’t only students of color who are experiencing this.

“Students with disabilities as well as students who identify LGBT or gender non-conforming are also receiving disproportionate numbers of school referrals and suspensions.”

Kevin Gilbert reminded the group during the January 13 Symposium that,

Eye on Equity

Second from right: A rapt audience at the first Town Hall listens to Kevin Gilbert (NEA) speak about institutional racism. Far right: NEA's Senior Programs specialist Aaron Dorsey engages the audience in a discussion on school-to-prison pipeline at the January Town Hall meeting.

“Even though no individual is solely responsible for creating these oppressive practices, each of us gets to play a part in helping to eliminate them.”

BEGINNING TO HEAL

Attending students were given the opportunity to share emotionally-charged personal stories dealing with racism in small groups facilitated by team leaders, some even choosing to speak to the whole room.

One young man of multiracial descent spoke about working so hard to avoid being the “stereotypical black man”, so much so that when he got into trouble, it devastated him to his core. Tears streamed down his face as he shared how he felt that his entire personhood was irreconcilably damaged.

Just to be able to tell this story was a healing experience for this young man, and everyone who listened.

Listening to some of the experiences of these students was painful at times, but there were also some who showed amazing resilience in the face of adversity. One young African-American woman said, “They can put me down all they want, but they can’t break my spirit. I am Black and Credits: Lisa Fragala

I am proud! That is how my mother raised me,” inspiring cheers from the other young people in the room.

After Oregon Senator James Manning’s keynote speech at the May 26 Symposium, Kevin Summerfield facilitated a panel of eight elders of color, asking each of them the questions, “What were some early challenges that you faced with racism?

How did you overcome them? And what would you say to your 16-year-old self if you could talk to them today?” Each person on the panel shared heartfelt stories about their experiences with racism as a young person, and what helped them to remain strong.

When asked about the most important or memorable part of the day, several students said that they would remember the panel most.

One student said “We got to see and hear adults crying about things that they had to go through, and we got to learn that it is possible to keep going even when it feels like there is no hope.”

EXPANDING THE CURRICULUM

Jennifer Scurlock, a recently appointed NEA Director, seizes every opportunity

to share highlights from the three Town Hall Symposiums held in Eugene. Her enthusiasm and the success of these events has sparked an interest across the state.

At the May 26 event, a group from Barlow High School in the Gresham-Barlow School District attended, including their science teacher, Amanda McLeod.

“After the election, race issues were coming up frequently in our school.

Students of color were being targeted.

They were being told to go home, that they were going to get deported. This was not okay. A group of us teachers decided to start having conversations about what we could do,” McLeod says.

“We’re trying to figure out what are the key ideas that we can implement in our district as a starting point. We have a core group of students of color at our school who are starting to talk about their experiences at Barlow. We want to know how we can better empower them.”

The “Lift Every Voice” movement is spreading. Our numbers are growing, our connections becoming deeper, and we’re standing together against institutional racism in our schools and in our world.

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Opinion

SOCIAL JUSTICE SPOTLIGHT Joining the Fight for Health Care for All

BY HYUNG NAM / Portland Association of Teachers

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EA should join with other unions leading the campaign for an improved Medicare for All, single payer health care. Such a public health insurance funded by progressive taxes will deliver costeffective, affordable, comprehensive care to every person living or working in Oregon regardless of health, income, age, or employment status. It would also protect high-quality public education from state budget strains caused by rising healthcare costs. This plan will improve public health, lower costs, improve Oregon’s economy, and protect workers from “Cadillac” taxes starting in 2020.

Medicare for All will directly benefit unions in bargaining struggles, will build union and working class power, and will advance union goals of social justice in health and healthcare. With lower administrative costs, the program will be more efficient than the current system, and allow for more choice of providers, without restriction to narrow networks.

Our leadership in this social movement campaign will build solidarity and demonstrate the value of unions to all.

OEA and other unions already recognize the need to adopt universal, single-payer health care. Nationally, the campaign has been led by the National Nurses Union as well as the many unions in the coalition Labor Campaign for Single Payer. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) supports Medicare for All in their Next Steps in Health Care Reform.

The OEA is a coalition member of Health Care for All Oregon (HCAO), the state nonprofit leading this campaign, along with over a hundred organizations, including many other unions. In 2012 the OEA Representative Assembly reaffirmed this with a New Business Item in support 24

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6/10 of Americans don’t have $500 to $1,000 saved for unplanned expenses on a daily basis according to 2017 data from Bankrate. of the efforts of HCAO. The status quo is unsustainable.

Looking at the overall trends, we see that rising healthcare costs and diminishing access threaten not only people’s health, but Oregon’s education funding and unions’ collective bargaining. It is well documented that our healthcare system, even after the Affordable Care Act (ACA), costs much more than universal systems in other countries while delivering worse health outcomes overall.

A 2014 study by Service Employees International Union (SEIU)/Act for a Healthy Oregon in Lane County showed the biggest cause of bankruptcy was medical debt, despite Oregon being a model for ACA reforms. In 2017, data from Bankrate showed that nearly 6/10 of Americans don’t have $500 to $1,000 saved for unplanned expenses. This is troubling because, even after the ACA, there’s been continued rise in substandard highdeductible insurance.

The United States has the highest healthcare costs in the world by far. They total just under 18 percent of gross domestic product. Switzerland is second at 12 percent. Even billionaire Warren Buffett has supported single payer for years, and recently Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger, a Republican, joined him in pointing

out how the cost of health care makes it difficult for U.S. companies to compete internationally. It’s one of the reasons why GM, Ford and Chrysler have shifted half their production from Detroit to Canada.

We can win state single-payer in Oregon. While national reform is the ultimate goal, as with progressive reforms like marriage equality and cannabis decriminalization, it’s strategic to win state campaigns. With a population comparable to those of Scandinavian countries, Oregon can reform health care.

After the recent election, there has been a surge of momentum for single payer in both the California and New York legislatures. Historically, Canada’s single payer system, called Medicare, was won in a single province in a difficult political battle, but then spread across provinces as a national system because it worked so well.

Medicare for All would directly benefit unions in bargaining struggles.

Private health insurance premiums continue to rise faster than inflation and our salaries. Bargaining pressure to give on health care premium “cost sharing” will grow ever more intense. Holding the line on health benefits will make it harder to make or defend bargaining gains on wages/ salaries, working conditions, retirement, and other matters. Pressure will increase to hollow out covered benefits, increase deductibles and co-pays and to drop family plans. A universal public health insurance would protect health care benefits from being bargained away.

Medicare for All would build union and working class power and will advance union goals of social justice in health and healthcare. Shifting the unions’ strategy to public provision of

Opinion Introducing Social Justice Spotlight: Notes from the Rank and File

H

Jess Hoffman of HCAO's Youth Council rallies for Health Care for All Oregon at the State Capitol.

health care for all would help to undercut the false attacks on unions as promoters of privilege for only its members. When we stand at the head of this movement, we are recognized as builders of social solidarity.

Everybody in, nobody out. Now more than ever, that solidarity is crucial to fight together against future attacks on unions, public sector workers, and educators.

Residents of nations with universal healthcare systems are healthier, as we see from international data. When Oregonians are healthier, students, educators and their families will also be healthier. Education outcomes will improve, and absenteeism will be reduced.

Medicare for All would improve the economy and employment rates while reducing strain on public budgets.

The Affordable Care Act has resulted in the problem of employers shifting workers from full-time to part-time status to save on healthcare obligations. Lower health insurance cost frees resources to increase the pay of all Oregonians and reduce inequality and poverty. For educators, the promise that they will not lose access to healthcare means that more of those at the top of the salary scale can retire early, opening jobs for younger educators.

Credits: David Young / Healthcare for All Oregon

With Medicare for All, employers large and small will be able more freely to hire workers without worrying about the cost of health benefits. Oregon would gain a competitive advantage, attracting investment to the state, without giving away millions in tax subsidies to attract or keep business development in our state.

Many American multinational companies already see that benefit when they do business in other countries, just as our own members see the benefits of better health care systems when they visit friends or family members living in other countries.

Solidarity is the antidote to hate and fear. Another world is not only possible, with universal health care, it actually exists just over our border and in many other countries. An improved, universal, and publicly-funded healthcare can be one form of solidarity.

We can do this, but we will need your active involvement. Join our movement!

You can sign HCAO’s statement of support, as well as become an individual member of HCAO. At your local and in your community, you can also host a showing of the Healthcare Movie or Fix It, and invite a guest speaker from HCAO. Visit www.hcao.org/mss to learn more and get involved!

ello OEA sisters and brothers.

My name is Casey Tiemann and I am a school counselor in Eugene (proud member of EEA). At the OEA Representative Assembly in April, a few of us proposed the initiation of a regular column in Today’s OEA magazine, written by rank and file members, to highlight the activism of our union members in their work on issues of social justice. I am happy to present our first installment of this column, Social Justice Spotlight: Notes from the Rank and File, written by Hyung Nam of Portland Association of Teachers. Thank you, Hyung for your vision from the start and willingness to go first.

If anyone would like to submit something for this column in an upcoming issue, contact Today’s OEA Editor Meg Krugel at meg. krugel@oregoned.org. I hope we can sustain this space together!

In Solidarity, Casey T.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hyung Nam has taught high school social studies for Portland Public Schools since 2000 and has been active with Portland Association of Teachers. He also serves as a board member of Health Care for All Oregon and helps to organize the NW Teaching for Social Justice Conference.

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chools today are grappling with a plethora of serious issues. While it can be cumbersome to address all of them—and we know educators do their best to do so—schools often have to address the larger “macro” issues before they can adequately tackle the day-to-day, or “micro”, concerns. This year, an art teacher from an alternative high school in Portland has honed in on one of these crucial micro-concerns with the goal of improving school morale, culture, and progress.

Something about the school environment at Fir Ridge Campus wasn’t sitting well with Michelle Colbert, an art teacher at the alternative school in the David Douglas School District. She noticed that students were exhibiting micro-aggressions — defined as direct (but usually unintentional) discrimination against marginalized communities.

Colbert says she noticed students making derogatory statements to each other, and when reprimanded, they would respond that they were simply joking around.

Editor's Note: All students' names, photos and personal stories are printed with their permission. Watch a video about their experiences at: https://youtu.be/vrpvD8xyWUg.

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“I thought, you know, there’s a piece to this puzzle that’s missing. I want them to understand that while they think they’re joking, these [statements] can actually have long term, negative effects on their peers.”

This observation compelled Colbert to bring the Micro-Aggression Awareness Project into her classroom, with hope that students would, through metacognition, reflect on their own participation with micro-aggressions and the effect they have on others. The culminating project this Spring resulted in large posters of students pictured holding a sign of a micro-aggression they routinely experience. These posters encircle the highly visible Commons area and are a constant visual reminder of the power of the language we use to speak to one another.

By the end of the unit, many of Colbert’s students were able define micro-aggressions in their own words. One of them, Andrew Charlton, defines micro-aggression as “meaningful words that may not be meaningful to a person that’s saying it, but could be meaningful to the person who it’s being said to.”

Student Sadie Gainer says that for her, many micro-aggressions are assumptions based on what she looks like. Another student, Tatum Wilson, understands that micro-aggressions are not always meant in a hurtful way. “People always say them with the intent to be in conversation but [they] actually hurt somebody’s feelings,” says Wilson. Micro-aggressions are not only spoken words but can be actions as well.

Aleathea St. Hilaire opened up about one experience she had, which highlights the prevalence of behavioral micro-aggressions. She recalls being on the street, hungry, and having to panhandle when a group of men walked by and put three pennies in her hat. “I was hungry that day. I was desperate so I had to do something. That in itself was pretty much a micro-aggression.

You put three pennies in my hat and you’re giggling when you’re walking by. What you do can be a micro-aggression,” she says.

Still, others are uniquely personal or creative. Martell Ragland chose to create a “mug shot” in which he holds a police slate-style sign that includes his name, height, date of birth and criminal charge.

For criminal charge, he wrote: “None.” Ragland's micro-aggression addresses the misrepresentation and racial profiling of African American males. Others are poignantly personal, as in the case of St. Hilaire. She was adopted this year by a loving family, but recounts her experience of being in and out of homes and shelters.

“Anytime I received anything, I always had this thing where people would expect me to be really overwhelmingly grateful for what they’ve done for me.” She says that when she was going through the foster care system, and grieving the absence of her family, foster care providers equated her lack of enthusiasm with ungratefulness.

Her micro-aggression example is incredibly personal, but her poster shows a young woman, staring straight ahead, resilient and strong, holding a sign that reads, “You are a lesser being who needs to be grateful for the charity given to you by the majority.”

St. Hilaire’s experience is not an anomaly at Fir Ridge. Students are typically behind academically and/or at-risk of dropping out. Almost all have extremely difficult life circumstances. They are no strangers to the harsh reality of insurmountable odds. They bring to the table a genuine reflection of the worlds they experience, thus adding to the success of the project.

Often, schools teach about overt forms of discrimination. There are dozens of “awareness events” like “No One Eats Alone Day”, “The Day of Silence”, Black History Month, and others that aim to bridge our differences through visibility and acknowledgement. The Micro-Aggression Awareness Project is another effort schools can implement to bring the many covert forms of discrimination to light.

Tatum Wilson believes micro-aggression awareness education should be mandatory in schools. She says, “they [schools] always teach you not to bully people, but then they don’t teach how not to bully or what could actually be hurtful.”

The passivity of micro-aggressions is what makes them so incredibly subtle, yet powerfully engrained in our common conversational patterns. Inevitably, as Fir Ridge’s vice principal La’Shawanta Spears notes, they support systems of discrimination. She says that the project gave her a Credits: Michelle Colbert

deeper appreciation for her students and their resilience, and allowed her to reflect on her own practices to ensure that she is looking at the “whole student and not what society depicts them to be.”

One would be hard-pressed to find someone who has never experienced a microaggression, which makes this project extremely relatable. In that sense, students and staff are drawn to specific remarks and behaviors that range the gamete, from often-heard and experienced by many, to very personal and individualized experiences. Ramiyah Baker, educator and community partner with Camp Fire, chose “Can I touch your hair?,” which is a common

micro-aggression experienced by African Americans.

Art teacher Michelle Colbert chose “That’s pretty good, for a girl,” which is so common it appears to boomerang across all social circles and cultural groups. Colbert says it’s as if “somehow my gender devalued whatever accomplishment I had… nobody could just say, ‘Yeah, you did that pretty good’, but they had to add in the micro-aggression of ‘for a girl’.” Many microaggressions spotlight the irreverent thread of society’s views—the underbelly of what we truly think about one another.

Other students chose similar “boomerang” micro-aggressions, such as Tatum TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

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Wilson’s, “You like football?”, or Sadie Gainer’s, “Is that your real hair?” Some are related to perceived class like Andrew Charlton’s, “I am not trailer trash.” Others have to do with perceived citizenship, like Christian Gonzalez’s “Just because I’m Mexican doesn’t mean I’m illegal”. Many of these types of micro-aggressions magnify the ways in which we prejudge one another based on characteristics we see.

Others magnify deep-rooted stereotypes that highlight the mountain of work we still have to do as a society to find acceptance and tolerance. For example, consider the following micro-aggressions reported by Fir Ridge students:

Fir Ridge art teacher Michelle Colbert, instigator of the micro-aggression project, leads a unit on screen-printing in her art classroom.

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n “You’re gender fluid? Do you want to be a boy?” (Kyran Lindsay)—Demonstrates ignorance regarding gender identity.

n “Actually, I’m not ELD. I’m TAG.” (Kassandra Loya)—Presumes that Hispanic or Latino students are English Language Learners or may struggle with literacy. n “You look better with your hair down.”

(Katelyn)—Reinforces beauty standards for women. n “Just because I’m Asian doesn’t mean

I can’t drive.” (Michael Chau)—Examines specific ethnic and racial stereotypes for Asian Americans. n “You’re accomplished, for a black girl.”

(La’Shawanta Spear)—Observes that there is something remarkable about being black and successful.

This project sheds light on a wide range of experiences with discrimination and generalizations, all of which can easily go uninterrupted. It's begun a necessary, albeit sometimes uncomfortable, dialogue in the school. Martell Ragland says that he has noticed that his classmates have changed the way they interact with each other, even if they don’t realize it. Sadie Gainer acknowledges it’s an uncomfortable topic to talk about, but also that bringing it to the table is a good thing.

As the project supervisor, Michelle Colbert says she likes to think that kids are being more cautious about what they’re saying and really owning their words. She says she hears students calling each other out when they hear micro-aggressions and hopes that this type of behavior will continue.

The posters, which are prominently displayed in the hub of the school, act as a gallery of silent faces beckoning a call to action against a not-so-micro issue, one which Fir Ridge is answering. n Bobi Blue is an ELA teacher at Fir Ridge Campus, where she has taught for 13 years.

She helped create a short film about the micro-aggression project and works closely with Michelle Colbert on art and english projects. Beyond the classroom, Bobi enjoys writing, photography and film, music, and traveling as much as she can.

Credits: Bobi Blue

SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT FOR OEA CHOICE TRUST This is a summary of the annual report of the OEA CHOICE TRUST, EIN 930243443, Plan No. 501, for period July 01, 2015 through June 30, 2016. The annual report has been filed with the Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, as required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

Basic Financial Statement

The value of plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the plan, was $64,110,683 as of June 30, 2016, compared to $65,489,648 as of July 01, 2015. During the plan year the plan experienced a decrease in its net assets of $1,378,965. This decrease includes unrealized appreciation and depreciation in the value of plan assets; that is, the difference between the value of the plan's assets at the end of the year and the value of the assets at the beginning of the year or the cost of assets acquired during the year. During the plan year, the plan had total income of $352,888, including earnings from investments of $351,793, and other income of $1,095.

Plan expenses were $1,731,853. These expenses included $1,416,383 in administrative expenses, and $315,470 in benefits paid to participants and beneficiaries.

Your Rights To Additional Information

You have the right to receive a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, on request. The items listed below are included in that report: • an accountant’s report; • financial information; • assets held for investment; To obtain a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, write or call the office of OEA CHOICE TRUST in care of HOLLY SPRUANCE who is Plan Administrator at 6900 SW ATLANTA STREET, BLDG 2, TIGARD, OR 97223, or by telephone at (503) 620-3822. The charge to cover copying costs will be $0.00 for the full annual report, or $0.00 per page for any part thereof.

You also have the right to receive from the plan administrator, on request and at no charge, a statement of the assets and liabilities of the plan and accompanying notes, or a statement of income and expenses of the plan and accompanying notes, or both. If you request a copy of the full annual report from the plan administrator, these two statements and accompanying notes will be included as part of that report.

The charge to cover copying costs given above does not include a charge for the copying of these portions of the report because these portions are furnished without charge.

You also have the legally protected right to examine the annual report at the main office of the plan (OEA CHOICE TRUST, 6900 SW ATLANTA STREET, BLDG 2, TIGARD, OR 97223) and at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., or to obtain a copy from the U.S. Department of Labor upon payment of copying costs.

Requests to the Department should be addressed to: Public Disclosure Room, Room N1513, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210 TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

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e c oi V y er v E g n i t f i L YOUR STORIES MATTER. THEY NEED TO BE HEARD. Across the state, OEA members have taken the brave step to talk about the realities they face every day in their classrooms and worksites. The 56 seventh graders they teach. The 1 minute and 45 seconds they have to spend on each individual student every day. The daily grind of grading papers in the cafeteria and lugging teaching supplies from room to room, due to overcrowding.

Each day this Legislative session, OEA lobbyists have handdelivered a new "Story of the Day" to every Legislator in the Capitol. Sometimes, we were fortunate to have our own members personally deliver their story — Woodburn teacher and OEA member Tony Ramos hand-delivered his story to Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon in mid-May. Through this organizing effort, educators also share the deep passion they have for the work they do. Today's OEA has selected a handful of stories for reprint that showcase the breadth of our work across public schools and community colleges. All of the stories collected can be found on our Medium blog: medium.com/@oregoned.

It's been a work of heart, and our effort isn't over. If you have a story to tell (and who doesn't?) - please share it with us at: oregoned.org/lifteveryvoice.

Through OEA’s Story-ofthe-Day project, Legislators Get a Peek Inside Our Classrooms – and our Hearts

— Meg Krugel

Credits: Name here

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Prioritizing Education

Instability Affects Students

TONY RAMOS Elementary Spanish Immersion Teacher Woodburn, OR

JUDY CHRISTENSEN Education Assistant Grants Pass, OR

I have always known that the most important thing any one person can do to better themselves and the lives of their family is education. I learned this from my dad. He was a professor in Mexico. When he first came to the United States, he worked in the fields as he worked on his recertification to continue teaching.

I have now been a teacher for five years. I take education very seriously and try to give my students as much as I can every single day because I know how significantly it will impact their future. I’m worried that the proposed cuts by the Legislature will only make it harder to provide a quality education and many students in my community will suffer.

I teach a dual immersion Spanish-English program with my teaching partner. It’s a wonderful program, and it has been powerful to watch the students grow in both languages. Some of the students require additional academic or communication assistance. We do our best to support them as a team of teachers, administrators, speech pathologist, psychologist, and their parents/guardians, but it still doesn’t feel like enough. Our speech pathologist and psychologist are split between multiple schools, and in my classroom, I don’t have enough time to give the one-on-one attention that I wish I did.

It feels disrespectful to both the students and the educators when our state is not investing enough in education ­— it’s even turning some away from the profession entirely as they experience burn out and leave.

Education is so vitally important to all of us. Please stop these downward trends and invest to support our students, our teachers, and our community.

I have been an Education Assistant (EA) in Grants Pass for 30 years. I first started as an EA when my son was in the 5th grade. Grants Pass is a high poverty area and this can disrupt home life for students.

I’m talking about families working multiple

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Access to Current Technology JASON PINKERTON Natural Resources Instructor Mount Hood Community College Throughout my life I have had several teachers profoundly impact the path I have chosen. Their dedication and passion for teaching students was something I knew would give me fulfillment as a profession. As a teacher of natural resources, I feel I am doing my part to shape future generation of resource managers and positively impact the environment.

To be successful, my students need a

jobs, single parent households, and in some extreme circumstances, families that are homeless. I have seen this cause all sorts of stability issues and many times turn into serious behavioral problems for the students.

It is especially hard for students that have been uprooted three, four, sometimes five times from previous schools.

Last year in particular, one student arrived in spring and could only read nine words per minute. He needed serious one-onone attention but because of a lack of resources there wasn’t any time to catch him up.

I also worry about the middle of the class students. They have almost no time devoted to them but they are not low enough on the scale to get pulled out for extra help.

We need more funding for smaller class sizes and additional aides. If it doesn’t happen then I worry things will only get worse.

strong support network connecting them to each other and future employment.

Our program is deeply seated in providing fundamental technical skills required by industry.

We are fortunate to have continued support from our private, local, state and federal agencies throughout the United States. This means our Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree program produces students valued for their knowledge, skills and experiences.

Continued access to current technologies employed by industry professionals is critically important for my students. With potential budget cuts in sight, this is in jeopardy. Data collection and analysis tools are ever-changing within our industry. An example of this ever-changing technology is Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Our program students need access to these tools to be competitive in the job market.

Nothing satisfies me more than to see my students obtain a seasonal field position during their first year of study using the skills I have helped them develop. To prepare them for their careers, we need adequate funding and resources.

Budget Cuts Looming JAIME SPEED Fourth Grade Teacher & Instructional Coach Bend, OR Roughly 30 percent of the students at my school are English Language Learners.

We house a very large Life Skills program, and we also house the district’s hearing impaired program. We are a Title I school, and nearly 70 percent of students qualify for the federal free lunch program.

This year in my 4th grade class I have 24 students and it’s magical. Not too long

Parent, Teacher, Community Member ERICKA KEEFAUVER High School Teacher Hermiston, OR I’m a Hermiston High School teacher, parent of five public school students, and a life-long citizen of Hermiston. From all three of these perspectives, I’m extremely concerned about the future of Oregon.

As a teacher, increasing class sizes, decreasing access to vital services, and loss of course offerings are detrimental to Credits: Photos submitted by individual members

ago I had 37 students. It is a completely different teaching experience in terms of the quality of support I can provide students. The physical space alone becomes an issue. More importantly, you can’t get to know your students when class sizes are that big. This year I get to check-in with every kid, every day. I know them as learners, but I also know them as people.

When I had 37 students, it felt like I was managing a small town.

I would love to have our state representatives come try teaching for one day. Try it from morning to night when your morning prep is taken because a parent needs to talk to you about something important, and then you’re trying to go to the bathroom, but a student needs you to listen to their problem during your break, and you have 37 students you’re planning for and thinking about and you have recess duty.

I wish our state representatives could experience what it feels like to go home at night and worry about the families you work with. I go to bed each night, and I worry about my students and how I can serve them better.

the education of my students.

As a parent, I fear for the opportunities of my five children. I want my teenagers to experience amazing elective programs.

I want my kindergartener to be able to experience music, PE, and library/media (she doesn’t right now).

Teachers are constantly being asked to do more with less and it is unrealistic for the state to expect better results without doing something differently.

Oregon currently has some of the lowest corporate tax rates in the nation. I pay higher tax rates than many corporations that operate in our state.

It’s time these corporations pay their fair share to help the underfunded educational system that grows and trains their future employees.

When making decisions that will affect the students of Oregon, please remember my words and let the budget reflect your value in Tristan, Annabel, Violet, Lorelai, and Aria’s education as well as the thousands of other children across Oregon.

Playing Short-Handed AMELIA EDD First Grade Teacher Coos Bay, OR I’ve wanted to be an educator ever since I was a little girl. My younger sister always says I taught her to read. I’d come home from kindergarten or 1st grade, and we’d play school. I still have this passion for teaching.

In Coos Bay, our school board has really tried to make it a priority to keep class sizes as small as possible. However, what we have really lost, due to a lack of funding, is all of the support staff a school needs to function well. Our school has a serious need for behavior support.

We have some high-needs students who should be receiving extra support.

They need individual attention that we are currently unable to give them in a regular education classroom. We just don’t have the staffing.

Our school is short-handed with custodial staffing as well. The classrooms are cleaned only every other day. We sit on the floor a lot in primary, so it’s kind of gross to sit on the floor when it’s dirty or there are wood chips. We also have problems with ants because it’s an old building and children tend to spill on the floor.

Schools need help. Oregon needs to fund education at an appropriate level.

This means lower class sizes, a better adult to student ratio, and adequate support services.

I always say public education is like this: everyone wants you to fly to the sun with a spaceship, but they give you the materials to fly to the moon and the personnel to get to the first layer of the atmosphere.

This is your goal, to get to the sun, but the resources that you need are just not provided. So, what happens? Our students suffer; we crash and burn.

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My Position Has Been Cut EDITH GUITRON K-8 School Counselor Portland, OR This is my second year in education, and

Harming Potential Success STACEY FREEMAN K-8 Counselor Portland, OR

my job is very rewarding! I support students in every aspect of their lives here at school and also at home, but many of my students have significant challenges.

There are two counselors at our school, so we divide duties to meet students’ academic, personal, and social needs while also providing college and career support. This means we are visiting classrooms throughout the day, sometimes helping the teacher implement curriculum; conducting one-onones to check in with students who need help with crisis intervention. If left unsupported, many of these students will develop serious behavioral problems and fall behind academically, because their basic needs must be met before they can learn.

Recently, we were finally able to establish groups for our kids based on ethnicity. The

students love these opportunities to identify with other students who have similar cultural backgrounds. These meetings have also helped us develop further unity throughout our school.

Then we received the news that my position was being cut for next year. This means our Title I school, with nearly 700 students, will have only one counselor. It becomes a situation where the remaining counselor will only have time to work with the students who have the highest perceived needs. Unfortunately, many students have situations that are not always visible at the surface, and I’m worried they will suffer the most.

Honestly, sometimes students are coming to us just to get a hug. As we fill their hearts, they fill ours, and I’m terrified for what will happen next year if the budget is cut.

There is never a dull day at my job. I’ve been here for four years, serving more than 700 K-8 students. Two years ago, a second counselor was hired, and I thought, “Finally!

We can finally fully support our kids!”

When we got our second counselor, it turned out that there were so many problems we were not aware of because I was stretched so thin. Most of my workday had centered around supporting the students who were constantly in trouble.

Together, the new counselor and I learned that we have a huge percentage of students who are in crisis but can maintain emotional control in the classroom.

These students have good attendance, but aren’t learning because their basic needs aren’t met. Kids’ brains can’t even

think about reading, writing, or math without that.

Last month we learned that one counselor position in our school has been eliminated.

This will be devastating for our students. We have an extreme range of diversity at our school. We have English language learners, refugees, undocumented students, and kids from all ethnic backgrounds.

It breaks my heart because the counselor we’re losing is a person of color with whom so many students connect and look up to. We have had to start explaining to our students that she won’t be coming back next year. It’s hard on them. They don’t understand, and they’re hurt. I’m afraid it’s going to push them away, just when they were finally making progress.

12 Working Calculators STEPHANIE TRUE High School Math Teacher David Douglas School District Our district supports a diverse population of students; many of them have very few resources at home to support their studies.

The adults at home may have insecure employment or other circumstances that undoubtedly put more pressure on the school.

Large class sizes certainly don’t make it easy to fully support our students.

Beneficial Programs ROBERT WELLS-CLARK Career Technical Educator The Dalles, OR After years of budget cuts in our district, we are finally restoring many of the programs that had been cut in previous years due to lack of funding.

Through grants and great educator-led initiatives, we have added back Metal Shop, Fabrication and re-expanded the Credits: Photos submitted by individual members

Last semester my largest class had 37 students with the rest averaging in the mid-thirties.

Thankfully, this semester my averages are in the low thirties, but we lost our Instructional Assistant because there was a higher need elsewhere.

The courses I teach are blended, with students from all different grade levels and abilities. This poses a challenge because there will be students that come in at a very low level and others that may be in this class because they have failed previously, despite having the skills needed to succeed. Managing ability and motivation is hard enough without factoring in that I only have twelve working calculators, not enough textbooks, and very limited time and attention to give.

It can be a win for the day just getting the students into the classroom. But it will take more investment, not less, to improve Oregon’s low graduation rate and in an area where I see so much potential — I sincerely hope we can do more to prevent students from falling through the cracks.

full complement of Auto courses. We’ve added Construction and full day Wood Shop, as well.

Our student community benefits immensely from these programs. We have clawed our way up from a 57 percent graduation rate, to an 83 percent graduation rate.

Our AP program has doubled in the last two years as well, and now finally matches the student demographic of our school.

This all stands to change if we don’t figure out how to fund our schools adequately. Our school district is facing the possibility of cutting seven positions.

Seven!

These cuts will destroy so much of the progress we have built in the past four years. Who knows how many students will end up dropping out and never graduating due to these types of cuts?

Please commit to the funding our schools require so Oregon’s students can have they education they deserve.

Time With Students ARACELY GOMEZ BRAVO Middle School Spanish Language Arts Teacher Bend, OR When I decided to become a teacher, I knew I wanted to teach Spanish because it is my passion. It’s my heritage. I’ve been working at the middle school level as a Spanish Language Arts teacher for four years. Our school is very internationally focused and globally minded - I love working here because we are a community of individuals committed to working together for our students.

One of the biggest impacts of budget cuts is class size. Typically, I have 30 or more students in a class. If you could see my classroom, you would notice that it is small, and we have large tables. That’s because the number of students is growing. It is physically hard for me to get around the classroom, and for my students it is equally challenging. I constantly hear from my students about how they feel they don’t have enough space.

I try to focus on working with a few students each day, but there are always kids who I feel like I’m ignoring. There is just not enough of me to go around, which means my students are not getting the support they need. I don’t have any instructional assistants, but I do have a lot of special education students. They need extra support in classes this large, but they don’t get it.

My heritage speakers’ class has 10 fewer students in it than in my other classes, and it’s easy to see the difference it makes for those kids. Smaller class sizes allow me to know what struggles each student is having, to know their individual backgrounds and their personal stories.

It’s hard to imagine what could happen if there were significant budget cuts. Our students need educational assistants who speak Spanish. We need more teachers, so we can reduce class sizes. We need to be able to fit in our classrooms. n TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

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Astor Elementary School teacher Laura Biederman shares her experiences with JoAnn Nelson, who teaches at the middle school level.

OREGON

››› gets ››››››››››››››››››››››››››

ENGAGED

AS PART OF A TRANSFORMATIVE EFFORT TO ENSURE OUR MEMBERS' VOICES DRIVE OUR DECISIONS, OEA

has launched a comprehensive member engagement program based on one core philosophy: listening to our members. Oneto-one meetings are the core of this plan as it is the most effective tool for member engagement. OEA has set an ambitious goal to conduct one-to-one meetings with at least 75 percent of our members and potential members over the next year. Our goal is to learn more about our members' stories – what keeps them showing up each day and what we can do to help them succeed.

We also want to learn whom they view as respected and trusted colleagues. Finding respected peers at every worksite to serve as the face of our union in the fight for quality schools and the wages, benefits and working conditions to be able to deliver on that promise is key to our success.

We also are doubling down on our outreach to early career educators. These members are the future of OEA, and we need to empower them to help set our priorities. Educators entering their careers right now have an incredible passion for the profession; they are craving an outlet to improve their practice and improve public schools. We are that outlet.

To date, nearly 40 local associations have

Credits: Meg Krugel

set up Engage/listening projects in their locals. Our members are listening to each other’s stories and they’re building union goals based on what they hear from each other. While most locals conduct their own Engage Campaign, in some of the Engage efforts, member organizers from nearby locals volunteered to participate as member organizers. For example, listening teams from the Columbia River UniServ Council recently took part in an Engage effort in Hermiston. Members experienced their union’s support from area colleagues who took the time to listen to their stories.

Here are just a few testimonials that we’ve heard across the state: Cindy Towers, Roseburg EA Secretary and Engage Team member shared, “The Engage brought us together in a way we hadn’t experienced before. Our secondary teachers listened to our elementary members and the elementary did the secondary.

We realized how much we had in common.

We shared our findings with members and the district. The district quickly responded to feedback with suggestions about professional development.”

Cindy Williams, Oregon City EA President said, “We were able to meet staff whom we hadn't spoken with in person before and our members appreciated the one-toone interactions. This experience was well

received by our OCEA Leadership team, members, and District Administration. We even heard 'Aren't you going to listen to our building?' from a couple of principals.”

Grants Pass ACE member and bus driver Becky Boone told us, “We felt comfortable having open and honest conversations. This was definitely a valuable experience that should continue throughout the Grants Pass ACE and the state.”

Rita Glass, incoming President of ASKESP in Salem said that although her local has yet to participate in the program, "I'm absolutely committed to connecting positively with ASK-ESP members. We want to visit as many members in the worksite as possible to listen to their hopes and challenges so that we can provide the best support possible."

The Engage program is on the move, and we'll be featuring participating locals in an ongoing series of stories in Today's OEA, starting with Astoria in this issue. If you haven’t yet participated in a listening program through your own local association, ask your local president about starting one up. If you'd like to become involved in an Engage listening team, contact Susan Crumpton, Assistant Executive Director of the OEA Union School (susan.crumpton@ oregoned.org). Together, we are building our union: OEA Strong.

— Jim Fotter, OEA Executive Director

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ENGAGED IN A SINGLE AFTERNOON ASTORIA'S ORGANIZING EFFORT GOES ALL OUT

O

ver the span of about four hours during a professional development day, 15 members of the Astoria Education Association (AEA) engaged in a round of conversations with their colleagues in each of the four schools in Astoria (two elementary, one middle, and one high school). Their goal? In a single afternoon, to talk to 85 percent of the members of AEA about their experiences as educators and union members in the community.

Four hours in to the listening project, and Astoria had become the newest participant in OEA’s Engage Program – a cornerstone of the statewide Association’s organizing efforts this past year. The Engage Program’s focus is simple, but powerful: set up as 1-to1 conversations to allow listeners to fully hear what members’ experiences and hopes are without making an ask or request of them at the end of the conversation.

Matt Hensley, Astoria EA’s President and an 8th grade U.S. History teacher at Astoria Middle School, agreed to host the Engage 40

TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

Program in his local to build deeper ties with members across the district. Though he’s been serving as President for nine years, Hensley says there are still members, particularly newer teachers, who he’s yet to meet.

“I love the way we’ve done this program today because I was able to see a lot of our members face-to-face, which I don’t often get the opportunity to do,” Hensley said. “I want our members to feel like the union is important. Getting our members connected is the first step to that as we make this a regular part of our union culture.”

While each local association can develop their own series of questions for the conversations, the general format stays consistent from local to local. In Astoria’s case, the Engage program was guided by three principle questions: n What has cultivated success in your work so far this year? n What keeps you from doing your job as

BY MEG KRUGEL

well as you want? n Who among your peers in the building do you feel is the most trusted and respected?

In Astoria, teams of 3-5 “listeners” (mostly leaders of Astoria’s local association executive committee) were routed to a school where they did not teach or work – helping to ensure the authenticity of responses collected. The conversations were meaningful, but brief. Yet for some of the members – it was the first time they’d truly been engaged by their union, face-to-face.

After the conversations had wrapped, Engage leaders convened at a local brewery to debrief and reflect on what they heard.

Sara Whelan, OEA's Statewide Organizing Coordinator, encouraged Astoria leaders to think about the responses they’d collected.

“What stood out? What was surprising?

What were the common themes heard that afternoon?”

At one of the elementary schools, the

Left: Matt Hensley, Astoria EA's Local President, and Katie Rininger, both teachers at Astoria Middle School, conduct their listening sessions at the high school. Above: New teacher Emily Townsend, on the right, student taught in the classroom of her "listener" Teresa Patterson, on the left. This is Townsend's first year teaching at Astor Elementary School. Right: Data is tabulated after a full afternoon of listening sessions across the district.

conversation focused on the depletion of classroom supplies due to funding. One teacher had spent over $1,000 out-of-pocket to fund student projects. The science lab was out of materials and low on equipment, leaving students without the ability to conduct science experiments for the remainder of the year.

At the middle school level, behavior problems seemed to be a top concern – especially given the middle and high school’s large class sizes. Teachers expressed frustration that behavior issues had not been adequately addressed.

High school teachers, particularly those identified as ‘singletons’ in their subject area, wanted stronger curriculum – and the time and resources to create it. Like their colleagues at the elementary level, high school teachers felt frustrated by the demands that state testing placed on their availability to teach students and the time it took to both prepare for and administer state tests.

One of the listeners expressed, “Over and over again, I heard that collaboration is what made our teachers successful. They wanted more time with their PLC’s (Professional Learning Communities) because time for collaboration, at least within their own discipline, was immensely supportive.”

Hensley noted that individual responses from non-members are important to hear, too. “I always tell people, you may not agree Credits: Meg Krugel

with everything that the union supports, because we are individuals and we all have different beliefs – but our strength in our profession comes from our engagement in the union.”

“No student is an island and no teacher is an island,” he said. “Our strength is built up in the union. We do what we do in our classrooms because the union is strong enough in this state and supports our growth. But, we have to do our part to keep it that way.”

ENGAGE PROJECT SITES • Portland AT • Bend EA • N. Clackamas EA • Roseburg EA • Cascade EA • Klamath County EA/ACE • Gladstone EA • Woodburn EA • Klamath Falls EA/ACE • Tigard-Tualatin • Dallas EA • Eugene EA • Lake Oswego EA • Oregon City EA • Knappa EA • Ontario EA

• Hermiston AT • Hillsboro EA • Jefferson EA • Parkrose FA • Madras EA • Clackamas CC PTFA • Elgin EA • Grants Pass ACE Transportation • Sisters EA • Redmond EA • Rogue River • Beaverton EA • Umpqua CC PTFA • ACE - Umpqua CC

ENGAGE SITES, SO FAR

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_ _ _ _

(TEACHING)

WISHES

GRANTED

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Across the state, Oregon educators' most innovative teaching ideas come to fruition through grants from OEA’s Center for Great Public Schools

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BY CHARLES LAPHAM

Tapping into the Knowledge of Veteran Educators

Students at the North Clackamas School District’s Sojourner School have the option to do their work on balance balls and other flexible seating options.

Credits: Charles Lapham

When passing through Glide, one can’t help but slow down to enjoy the sweeping vistas of forested ranches. Tucked among acres of the moss-green Cascade foothills of southern Oregon lies this tiny, no-trafficlight town.

There are mountain views from the elementary school playground and the community seems to know each other by name, yet even in this idyllic community, the school district of just under 700 students faced a staffing crisis a few years ago.

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Allison Whitworth, a longtime teacher at Glide Elementary, has mentored new teachers coming to the district.

Several departing teachers, combined with retirements, found the district needing to replace 20 percent of their staff in a short period of time. With this influx of new educators, Glide Education Association President Lynn Hill saw both a challenge and an opportunity.

“In a small town like Glide, you face unique challenges,” Hill explains. “We not only want to welcome new educators to our district, but create a system where they feel supported and want to stay.”

Hill met with a group of educators to develop an action plan. Their idea was to pair veteran educators with new teachers who had less than three years’ experience in the district. This allowed educators who have taught elsewhere to be eligible to benefit from this resource. Hill ran with the idea and applied for a Professional Practice Organizing grant from OEA’s Center for Great Public Schools, and the next year, their mentorship program was up and running.

Now in its second year, Glide’s new 44

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“IN A SMALL TOWN LIKE GLIDE, YOU FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES. WE NOT ONLY WANT TO WELCOME NEW EDUCATORS TO OUR DISTRICT, BUT CREATE A SYSTEM WHERE THEY FEEL SUPPORTED AND WANT TO STAY.” Glide Education Association President Lynn Hill

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educator mentorship program has helped 16 teachers prepare for a career in the district with the help of 18 mentors. Sandra Wright is in her second year of teaching first grade at Glide Elementary School and took part in the program.

She says the program helped her adjust to teaching in Glide after spending nearly a decade in another district. “I not only felt supported by my fellow teachers,” Wright says, “but I felt valued by my union as well.

They really wanted to help me succeed.”

Another mentorship recipient, Kelli Long, teaches 5th grade at Glide Elementary School. She says the program has helped her improve her practice. “It has connected me to people I can turn to for help on practical things, like classroom management and paperwork, while also helping me refine what I am doing in the classroom,” she says.

Allison Whitworth has been a teachermentor both years of the program. She believes that having access to these kinds of experiences is important because teacher

_ preparation classes at the university level can only prepare you for so much. “There are some things that you can only learn in the trenches as you’re going through and teaching children,” she explains.

Even though she is a “veteran” teacher, Whitworth says the program has helped her continue to grow in the profession. “We get to learn from each other. They bring a new excitement to my teaching,” she says.

The success of the program has led to a continued investment from the district.

Glide School District agreed to sponsor time for classroom observations, evaluations, and discussion between the new teachers and their mentors.

Administrators have also approved a paid “jumpstart” day for new educators to spend in their classroom before the start of the school year. This day gives them time to ensure technology works and their classroom is ready for the new year. On in-service days, the entire group regularly gathers for lunch to talk about life, in and out of the classroom.

Lynn Hill hopes the spirit of comradery will continue without the support of a grant. “My dream is that our program carries enough value that teachers and the community will ensure it carries on regardless of funding,” Hill says.

The success of Glide’s mentorship program is clear, even to an outsider. Staff members convey genuine companionship as they walk the halls of Glide Elementary, greeting each other on a first name basis.

Teaching tactics are often shared. After a few minutes in a new educator’s classroom, it’s easy to guess who their mentor teacher was. The program gives them the confidence to help students succeed.

Using Flexible Seating to Captivate the Young Mind Two OEA members are leading the profession using innovative teaching practices to help students reach their full learning potential, starting from the ground up.

Stephanie Gately and Debbie Wright are teaching partners in a shared K-1 class at Sojourner Elementary School in the North Clackamas School District. They saw the Credits: Charles Lapham

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children who participate in short bouts of physical activity within the classroom have more on-task behavior, with the best improvement seen in students who are least on-task initially.”

Mentee Kelli Long helps a student in her 5th grade class.

generic seating in their classroom, with identical hard chairs (often so tall that kids’ feet couldn’t reach the ground) grouped around tables, and noticed their students fidgeting, tapping their feet, and adjusting their positions frequently. They began to wonder if there was a better way to help these young children stay focused during lessons.

After researching the benefits of alternative seating options, they set a professional development goal of building a classroom where students are focused on learning, instead of sitting still and looking ahead.

Gately and Wright are not alone in their thinking. Replacing traditional seating has been shown to increase student attention.

A small investment toward renovating a classroom can yield hefty improvements in performance. Research by Matthew T. Mahar found that: “Simple in-class activities can boost performance. Studies suggest that

So, Gately and Wright decided to turn their thoughts into actions. Through their UniServ Council, they applied for a Promising Practices grant from OEA’s Center for Great Public Schools, which provided the funding for them to purchase 16 balance balls.

The teaching partners have 56 students in their shared classroom, which is partially divided by a wall to separate Gately’s art and science-inspired area from Wright’s reading and writing environment. Throughout the day, students rotate between the two rooms, with occasional periods as a large group taught by both teachers.

Walking between the two sides of the classroom, you can see each of their personal inspiration. The walls and ceiling of Gately’s room look like a movie set of a classroom, brimming with colorful artwork and flourishes. Wright’s room showcases the creative writing of her students, with pages of their work covering the walls.

The most immediately noticeable thing, however, are the kids swaying on bright pink yoga balls scattered around the classroom. In addition to yoga balls, they have also set up inflatable seat cushions, stools, and elastic chair straps for fidgeting legs.

Gately believes that having alternative seating options allows students to choose the type that best suits their learning style.

“They’re choosing the seating that best helps them concentrate. Some choose a stool; some choose a wobble seat. Some choose a regular chair,” she explains.

“Giving them the choice of seating has created positive outcomes in their learning.” Giving these choices encourages students to think deeply about what they need as learners. “It allows them to grow and thrive in the opportunity they create for themselves,” Wright says.

Gately and Wright hope to continue pushing the limits to improve student learning. Next year, they want to experiment with variable table heights. For them, it is about empowering students to choose TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

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_ the environment where they can focus on learning.

Building Teacher-Leaders of Tomorrow When Mindy Merritt meets new educators, she often tells them that their association is much more than a contract – it’s the power of thousands of educators who come together to do what’s best for students. “Our association is strong because of our collective voice.” she says.

Merritt is the President of the SalemKeizer Education Association. SKEA is not only Oregon’s third largest local association but also one of the most racially and socioeconomically diverse. It can be an overwhelming experience being a leader for new teachers in Salem-Keizer, but Merritt wants to make sure that they feel the support of their union early on.

Merritt was not simply satisfied with preparing them for the challenges of the profession — she wanted to encourage early-career leadership within SKEA. She hoped to create an outlet to harness the passion new educators have in their first years of teaching.

The Early Career Leadership Fellows (ECLF) is a National Education Association cadre comprised of new educators who are ready to take on a new challenge and develop as leaders in their association within their first five years teaching.

The SKEA leadership team learned about the ECLF program while attending a Teacher Union Reform Network conference and realized the opportunity for their local. With the help of ECLF Coach Maraline Ellis, SKEA was awarded a grant to recruit 10 fellows for the program. They did not anticipate the number of members that would want to apply, however, and received over 40 applications.

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FROM TOP: Salem-Keizer’s Early Career Leadership Fellows Kelsy Dunlap of McKay High School, Amanda Asp of Parrish Middle School, and Ruth Ames of the Roberts Structured Learning Center have become leaders in their association.

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Merritt dreaded the thought of telling dozens of new educators that she did not have the resources to help them develop their leadership potential. With the help of a Professional Practice Organizing grant from OEA’s Center for Great Public Schools, she found the solution. SKEA would create a support system open to all early-career educators, led by ECLF participants.

“The expectation for our Early Career Leadership Fellows is to not only learn about themselves and grow as leaders within our association ­— each of the Fellows is expected to reach out to an additional five early-career educators who they can connect with as a sounding board and learn more about what other early-career educators are challenged with.” Merritt explains.

“Together, we are working with early-career educators to build the best schools for our students and help [teachers] in their career.”

As the program concludes its first year, fellows are excited to continue their leadership within Salem-Keizer. Amanda Asp is a 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher at Parish Middle School, and a participant of ECLF. She says the program has helped both educators and students by “allowing us to identify what we need as early-career educators and what our students need to be successful,” she says.

Ruth Ames teaches middle school at the Roberts Structured Learning Center, which houses alternative education programs for the Salem-Keizer School District. She says that almost every one of her students has experienced trauma in their life. This creates a maze that she must navigate to connect with each individual child. “At their core, each of the them are still children who want to learn,” Ames explains.

She says the program has helped alleviate much of the stress that new teachers face. “The program has given me the support of my colleagues who I can share stories with,” she says. “I see what we all have in common and I feel less alone.”

The first round of fellows has already shown great promise in leadership roles for their local.

“Currently we have two fellows serving as SKEA board members. One member Credits: Charles Lapham

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“EACH OF THE FELLOWS IS EXPECTED TO REACH OUT TO AN ADDITIONAL FIVE EARLY-CAREER EDUCATORS WHO THEY CAN CONNECT WITH AS A SOUNDING BOARD AND LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT OTHER EARLYCAREER EDUCATORS ARE CHALLENGED WITH..”

President of the Salem-Keizer Education Association Mindy Merritt

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represented the voice of early-career educators on the bargaining team, while another member served on a joint committee with our district on our evaluation committee. Nine went to OEA RA as delegates. Two will serve as NEA RA delegates,” Merritt explains.

Merritt plans to re-apply for the ECLF grant next year to develop another cadre of new-leader support, but regardless of the program’s future, she wants to ensure that SKEA continues engaging and developing new teachers.

“Our early-career educators are a foundational cornerstone to the success of public education,” Merritt says. Through ongoing association events and experiences, her intention is to make sure the collective voice of the local includes its newest members.

Empowering Members to Lead the Profession As these stories illustrate, OEA members are leading the way to find new, creative ways to improve student learning. Colleen Mileham heads OEA’s Center for Great Public Schools, which seeks to empower educator-led initiatives that support teaching and learning. She wants members to turn to their union as they seek innovative instruction methods and professional learning opportunities.

“Educators entering the profession right now face challenges that didn’t exist 10 or 20 years ago,” she says. “This is an area where we can work together to organize networks of professional practice leaders who can provide quality professional learning and support to educators facing those challenges.”

The Center for Great Public Schools is emerging as a major player in educational professional development in Oregon, thanks in part to the tremendous effort of teachers and OEA professional staff. “The Center staff and teacher leaders are our best ambassadors in getting the word out about the support OEA provides for teaching and learning,” Mileham says. She wishes more educators knew about the work. “We are trying to encourage more members to come to us with ideas for improving student learning,” she says.

In addition to professional practice grants, local associations are forming task forces around the implementation of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Teacherleaders are probing traditional classroom assessment and addressing critical issues in special education.

Educators are holding town hall-style symposiums to address institutional racism in our public schools and focusing on culturally responsive teaching and learning.

Mileham says the common theme of all these efforts is constant learning and collaborative work to improve the lives of students. “No matter what you teach, or where you teach, educators share a common mission: ongoing learning for themselves to help our students reach their highest potential.” n TODAY’S OEA | SUMMER 2017

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Sources + Resources The following information is provided as a resource to members of the Oregon Education Association. Their publication within Today’s OEA is not to be construed as a recommendation or endorsement of the products or services by the Oregon Education Association, its Board of Directors or staff.

AWARDS, GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS

Kids in Need Foundation Teacher Grants

WHAT: Teacher Grant awards range from $100 to $500 and are intended to be used to finance creative classroom projects. The purpose of the grant is to provide funds for classroom teachers who have innovative, meritorious ideas or who want to replicate a project previously funded. n WHo: Applicant must be a PK-12 certified teacher working at a public, private, charter, or parochial school. n WHen: Online applications are accepted beginning July 15, and closing September 30. n how: To read the guidelines and download an application, visit https:// www.kinf.org/programs/grants/ n

P. Buckley Moss Foundation Teacher Art Grants

WHAT: Grants of up to $1,000 are available for the 2018-2019 school year to support a new or evolving program that integrates the arts into educational programming. The purpose is to aid and support teachers who wish to establish an effective learning tool using the arts in teaching children who learn differently. n WHo: Open to all K-12 teachers. n WHen: Deadline to apply is September 30, 2017, to be awarded for the 2018-2019 school year. n how: For more information and to download the application, please visit http://mossfoundation.org/teacher-artgrants n

OPPORTUNITIES

SuperQuest Workshop

WHAT: SuperQuest is a highly collaborative technology training series designed specifically for K-12 teachers by K-12 and Community College teachers.

Our goal is to empower educators with the skills and classroom tools to build n

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hands-on technology learning directly into their classrooms and/or after-school activities. n WHen: June 27-29, 2017 n WHere: Clackamas Community College, Wilsonville Campus n how: SuperQuest Workshops are free!

Other dates and locations available. For more information and to register, visit http://oregoncsta.org/

Social Skills for School Success

WHAT: A program evaluation of a social skills curriculum. Iris Educational Media, in conjunction with Oregon Research Institute, has funding from the Department of Education to evaluate We Have Skills, a multimedia social skills program for elementary students.

Participating first grade teachers receive the We Have Skills curriculum, 90-minute training, classroom materials and remuneration for completing two study surveys. Deadline to join is August 1, 2017. n WHo: First Grade Teachers in general education not currently using We Have Skills as their social skills curriculum. n how: For more information or to join, visit www.irised.com/skills n

Engaging Diverse Student Writers K-6: Learn Classroom-Ready Strategies from Author Ruth Culham

WHAT: This hands-on Summer Institute includes practical strategies to organize writing workshop, traits, modes, and the writing process. Learn innovative ideas from Ruth Culham's new book Dream Wakers: Mentor Texts that Celebrate Latino Culture. PDU certificates provided and PSU graduate credit available.

Questions? Contact pennyplavala@gmail. com n WHen: August 23, 2017 n WHere: Monarch Hotel, Clackamas, OR n how: For more information and registration, visit http://www. portlandreadingcouncil.org n

FOR STUDENTS

NW Film Center Summer Camp for Kids + Teens

WHAT: One-week sessions that allow children and teens to learn about and experiment with media arts and technology. Classes range from simple stop-motion animation films to digital filmmaking, with all equipment and training provided. n WHo: Children and teens in grades 2-12. n WHen: Camps begin June 19, the last session begins on August 14. n WHere: NW Film Center, Downtown Portland n how: For more information and to register, visit https://nwfilm.org/classcategory/summer-camp/ n

STEM Academy Day Camps

WHAT: Week-long camps that allow children and teens to explore science and technology through a variety of different interactive courses. Camps are divided by grade levels, with courses designed for elementary, middle, and high school levels. n WHo: Children and teens in grades 3-12. n WHen: Dates vary for each level, beginning in July and ending in August. n WHere: STEM Academy, OSU Corvallis Campus n how: For more information and to register, visit http://stemacademy. oregonstate.edu/summer-stem-academyprograms-osu n

ON THE WEB

“Social Media Made Simple”

WHAT: This article from the NEA website tells the story of one physics teacher who has been able to reach her students more effectively outside of school so that they can spend more class time putting their learning to practice. It also contains free tech resources to engage with students using various social media outlets so you can make your classroom more exciting n

Sources + Resources and increase participation! n how: To learn more, visit http://www. nea.org/tools/53459.htm

National Geographic One-Page MapMaker

WHAT: A tool that allows you to create custom, single-sheet maps of any continent, country, or state. Labels can be added or removed to allow for knowledge testing, and maps can be emailed, printed, or shared on all major social media platforms. Requires Adobe Flash Player. n how: To use the tool, visit https:// www.nationalgeographic.org/education/ mapping/outline-map/ n

17 Books for Teachers’ Summer Reading Lists

WHAT: A well-rounded group of books on pedagogy, professional development, personal wellness, and education-inspired light reads to keep your mind stimulated during all that “time off”! n how: To view the list, and links to each book, visit http://teacherpop. org/2015/06/17-books-for-teacherssummer-reading-lists/ n

BOOKS

Thriving in the Multicultural Classroom: Principles & Practices for Effective Teaching

By Mary Dilg Teachers College Press, 2003, ISBN-13: 9780807743898, $28.95 (List Price); available at www.tcpress.com This book focuses on the special needs of adolescents. The author provides examples of student observations, conversations, and writings; details approaches to curriculum and pedagogy that are particularly effective in the multicultural classroom; and more.

Building a Culture of Hope: Enriching Schools With Optimism and Opportunity

By Robert D. Barr & Emily L. Gibson Solution Tree Press, 2013, ISBN-13: 9781936764624, $34.95 (List Price); available at www.barnesandnoble.com Research demonstrates that children of poverty need more than just academic instruction to succeed. The authors draw from their own experiences working with high-poverty, highachieving schools to illustrate how to support students with an approach that considers social as well as emotional factors in education.

"Why We Drop Out": Understanding and Disrupting Student Pathways to Leaving School

By Deborah L. Feldman, Antony T. Smith & Barbara L. Waxman Teachers College Press, 2017, ISBN-13: 9780807758625, $33.95 (List Price), available at www.tcpress.com The narratives and insights presented here will help readers to better understand the interplay of school-related and personal factors that lead students to drop out of school. "Why We Drop Out" is essential reading for K–12 educators, school principals, counselors, psychologists, and everyone concerned with our nation’s “dropout crisis.”

Teaching for Equity in Complex Times

By Jamy Stillman & Lauren Anderson Teachers College Press, 2017, ISBN-13: 9780807757840, $39.95 (List Price), available at www.tcpress.com This book details how one school integrated equity pedagogy into a standards-based curriculum and produced exemplary levels of achievement. As the authors illustrate, however, the school’s dual commitment to bilingual education and standards-based reform engendered numerous complex tensions.

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Opportunity

DO THE BEST FOR YOUR STUDENTS AND YOURSELF Explore the Possibility of Becoming a National Board Certified Teacher

T

he National Board has advanced the teaching profession by establishing and maintaining the definitive standards of excellence in teaching and certifying more than 112,000 educators against those standards.

Grounded in the National Board’s Five Core Propositions that describe what teachers should know and be able to do, the certification process is designed to collect standards-based evidence of accomplished practice. In all 25 certificate areas, candidates are required to complete four components: 1) Content Knowledge; 2) Differentiation in Instruction; 3) Teaching Practice and Learning Environment; 4) Effective and Reflective Practitioner. An assessment overview containing additional details is found at www.boardcertifiedteachers.org/ about-certification.

Proven Impacts

Through National Board Certification, teachers demonstrate that their teaching meets the profession’s standards for accomplished practice through a rigorous, peer-reviewed and performance-based process, similar to professional certification in fields such as medicine. In achieving Board certification, teachers prove their ability to advance student learning and achievement.

Estimates of the increase in learning are on the order of an additional one to two months of instruction. The positive impact of having a Board-certified teacher (NBCT) is even greater for minority and low-income students. This improvement in student outcomes is mirrored by NBCTs achieving stronger results on leading measures of teacher effectiveness, including robust classroom observations and value-added scores.

The compelling research on the effectiveness of Board-certified teachers is particularly noteworthy when compared to the lack of consistent research on the effectiveness of teachers with master’s degrees.

Learn more by visiting boardcertifiedteachers.org.

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Are you interested in becoming a National Board Certified Teacher?

The Oregon Education Association is offering Jump Start Seminars, led by Oregon NBCTs, to assist OEA and WEA members in that pursuit. OEA Jump Start is a four-day comprehensive seminar designed to provide National Board candidates with important information about the certification process, time to examine component and Assessment Center requirements, the opportunity to plan how to meet requirements, and time to collaborate, gather resources and information needed to pursue certification.

A special one-day Certification Renewal Seminar will be offered to those Oregon NBCTs who are interested in recertification.

Renewal is a personal and public statement about your commitment to the profession and to your students.

OEA JUMP START SEMINAR LOCATIONS & DATES: Medford: 4 Day Seminar (open to OEA members only) July 31- August 3, 2017 Medford OEA Office 2495 South Pacific Highway Medford, OR 97501 Bend: 4 Day Seminar (open to OEA/WEA members) August 7-10, 2017 High Lakes Elementary School 2500 NW High Lakes Loop Bend, OR 97703 Camas, Washington: 4 Day Seminar (open to OEA/WEA members) August 15-18, 2017 Liberty Middle School 1612 NE Garfield Street Camas, WA 98607

The Official Publication of Oregon Education Association

OEA • NEA 6900 S.W. Atlanta Street Portland, OR 97223 tel: (503) 684-3300 fax: (503) 684-8063 www.oregoned.org

Periodicals POSTAGE PAID at Portland OR