In the news
ENORMOUS VARIATION IN SCHOOL INSTRUCTIONAL TIME FOR OREGON STUDENTS, ACCORDING TO NEW DATA TOOL
Highlighting parent experiences and policy gaps, Liz Miller digs into the new Stand for Children Oregon District Lookup Tool and covers the Stand for Children Media Briefing.
IN OREGON, SCHOOL YEARS CAN VARY BY A MONTH. WHY IS LARGELY RANDOM
Betsy Hammond and Julia Silverman analyze recent data on time in school, interviewing parents, researchers, and school district representatives about the short — and highly variant — Oregon school year.
HOW DO OREGON DISTRICTS COMPARE FOR SCHOOL LEARNING TIME? MAP REVEALS KEY DIFFERENCES
Sarah Pope, our Executive Director, is featured in this KOIN segment highlighting Oregon’s low expectations for time in school and consequent wide variation across the state.
A STATE WITH A SHORT SCHOOL YEAR WANTS TO STOP THE ‘BLEEDING’ OF CLASSROOM TIME
Governor Kotek’s executive order establishes a new precedent for districts in Oregon. Stand Oregon’s Executive Director, Sarah Pope, joins her press conference — sharing ECOnorthwest study results.
SOME OREGON STUDENTS GET YEARS MORE IN SCHOOL THAN PEERS, STUDY FINDS
Alex Baumhardt reports on the Stand for Children Media Briefing, covering the launch of the new district lookup tool and highlighting perspectives of elected officials as they advocate for improved instructional time policies.
OREGON SCHOOLS RANK NEAR THE BOTTOM NATIONALLY FOR HOURS OF INSTRUCTION TIME
Khushboo Rathore looks at the ECOnorthwest study and newly release district lookup tool, highlighting districts that offer varying amounts of time in school.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A SHORTER SCHOOL CALENDAR MEETS CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM?
EducationWeek reporter Sarah Sparks looks into time as a factor in Oregon’s low academic outcomes. Sarah Pope, our Executive Director, shares how the short school year feeds into a culture that accepts chronic absenteeism as status quo.
AMID DISMAL TEST SCORES, OREGON WEIGHS ITS SHORT SCHOOL YEAR
Executive Director, Sarah Pope, sat down with Kevin Mahnken at The 74 — a national news organization dedicated to covering K-12 education in the United States. Sarah shares findings from recent ECOnorthwest modeling that looks at the impact of Oregon’s short school year and high rates of chronic absenteeism.
OPINION: STUDENTS’ EDUCATIONAL FUTURES ARE CAUGHT IN A CRISIS OF TIME
Executive Director, Sarah Pope, and State Representative April Dobson co-author an op-ed highlighting the stark reality here in Oregon: students are years behind their peers around the nation. Check out the piece for the specific disparities and possible solutions.
Town hall — crisis: student reading
Live from the Elsinore Theatre in Salem, OR, Dana Nerenberg, Oregon Director for the Center for Early Literacy and Learning Success, joins a panel of leaders to discuss Oregon’s literacy crisis, what we’ve done about it, and how we can continue to make progress.
ARC PDX ON THE ROAD: TALKING EDUCATION IN OREGON AND SW WASHINGTON
Live from the Stand for Children office in SW Portland, Wesleigh Ogle speaks with Executive Director, Sarah Pope, about issues facing education in Oregon today.
PORTLAND-BASED CHILD ADVOCACY GROUP SAYS STATE MUST ADDRESS CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM
In a live interview with Dave Miller on OPB’s Think Out Loud, Sarah shares the results of our study with ECOnorthwest.
CUTTING SCHOOL DAYS TO BALANCE BUDGETS IS A RISKY STRATEGY FOR OREGON STUDENTS, A NEW REPORT WARNS
“We cannot cut more school days,” said Sarah Pope, executive director of Stand for Children’s Oregon chapter. “We cannot repeat Oregon’s history of balancing budgets on the backs of students.”
OREGON EDUCATION REPORT SHOWS STUDENTS LOSING WEEKS OF INSTRUCTION ANNUALLY
KATU covers our media briefing in SW Portland, where we share the shocking findings from our study with ECOnorthwest.
OREGON SCHOOLS FACE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM CRISIS
Ezra Kaplan returns to the issue of chronic absenteeism – covering everything from teacher-led outreach efforts to the policy gaps that leave districts without support.
NON-PROFIT PUSHES FOR BILL TO TRACK CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM IN OR SCHOOLS
Executive Director, Sarah Pope, sits down with KOIN 6 News AM Extra hosts to talk about HB 4154, which would improve the states’ data reporting around attendance.
LOW ATTENDANCE AND A SHORT SCHOOL YEAR UNDERMINE SUCCESS OF OREGON STUDENTS, ACCORDING TO NEW ANALYSIS
Portland-based nonprofit Stand for Children hopes this analysis will lead to more instructional time and better academic achievement in the future.
NEW OREGON BILL CALLS FOR DATA ON SCHOOL ABSENCES AMID CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM
“Teachers are hesitant to move on to the next lesson or plan the next major unit when a third of the class is missing.” Pope says of chronic absenteeism, which impacts everyone — not just the students that are missing.
IN BEAVERTON SCHOOLS, TRACKING ABSENTEEISM – AND THE IMPACTS OF THE IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN – IN REAL TIME
“When we see states that have made gains, it starts with more regularly collecting and reporting out on the data,” Pope said. “It is not the only step, but it is often the first step and Oregon needs to start.”
SCHOOLED BY MISSISSIPPI: MISSISSIPPI’S READING TURNAROUND, BUILT ON “THE SCIENCE OF READING,” HOLDS LESSONS FOR OREGON
In 2013, Mississippi made some dramatic shifts in how they teach reading – they now see some of the highest reading proficiency rates in the nation. Sarah Pope, Executive Director, sits down with the Oregon Journalism Project to talk about the barriers that keep Oregon students behind.
OREGON CITY SCHOOL LEADING EFFORT ON LITERACY PROGRAM
Deborah Knapp at KATU visits Holcomb Elementary, one of the schools in our Demonstration Network. Our executive director, Sarah Pope, sits down with Knapp to share how we are helping schools put research into practice and utilize their Early Literacy Success Initiative dollars to help all kids read by third grade.
DESPITE MODEST IMPROVEMENT, THE OREGON EDUCATION SYSTEM FACES A LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY
Sarah Pope, Executive Director of Stand Oregon, joins Debora Knapp to break down what’s moving the dial for Oregon students – and the barriers still holding progress back.
OVER A THIRD OF OREGON STUDENTS STILL AREN’T CONSISTENTLY ATTENDING SCHOOL
Executive Director of Stand Oregon, Sarah Pope, joins Willamette Week and the Oregon Journalism Project to discuss the recent attendance data release.
OREGON FACES SCHOOL ATTENDANCE CRISIS
Sarah Pope, Executive Director of Stand Oregon, joins KPTV to discuss the pervasive issue of Chronic Absenteeism and how we can improve school attendance in Oregon.
PANDEMIC BABIES HIT KINDERGARTEN
Stand Oregon Executive Director, Sarah Pope, was interviewed by KGW, to discuss first class of “pandemic babies” entering the school system and how caregivers can prepare children for school transitions.
ADVOCACY GROUP SEEKS $300 MILLION TO BOOST READING PROFICIENCY
Before the legislative session ended, Sarah Pope, Executive Director at Stand Oregon, sat down with journalist Deborah Knapp on KATU2 to discuss why Stand pushed so hard for full funding of the Early Literacy Success Initiative. Strong leadership and targeting investment are critical for ensuring Oregon’s students gain the foundational reading skills they need to succeed.
OREGON EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES RANKED AT BOTTOM NATIONALLY: HOW WE CAN IMPROVE
Sarah Pope, Executive Director for Stand Oregon, recently had the chance to join Angela Wilhelms on the Business Matters podcast. They talked about why Oregon is in the bottom nationally when it comes to most measures of educational outcomes and what we can do about it.
STUDENT JOURNALIST REPORTS ON EFFICACY OF EARLY LITERACY SUCCESS GRANTS
Meghan Whitten, a junior at Lincoln High School and the managing print editor of The Cardinal Times, recently reported on Stand for Children Oregon’s advocacy for a $300 million investment in the Early Literacy Success Initiative School Grants. This initiative aims to enhance early literacy among Oregon’s K–3 students.
OREGON’S SHORT SCHOOL YEARS WORSEN EFFECTS OF CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM
A student who is chronically absent in Oregon will have missed about 75% of a school year by the end of fourth grade.
Bethel sees improvements in student literacy with ‘science of reading’
Students across Oregon are still struggling with reading and writing – but a Eugene area district says it’s seeing improvements with the help of the “science of reading.”
Oregon’s graduation rate increases show a proven path forward
Each student who graduates represents both a personal achievement and also a step toward a stronger Oregon. These graduates are the innovators, problem-solvers and leaders who will drive Oregon’s economy forward.
OPINION: oregon kids need legislators to triple down on literacy support
“When we fail to invest in our children, we risk losing a generation of potential leaders, innovators and engaged citizens.
Now is the time for action..”
Report: Measure 98′s targeted spending has helped Oregon high schools, despite lagging graduation rates
“Not only have more students graduated since Measure 98 was implemented, but fewer students have dropped out.”
Students nationwide have rebounded after pandemic. But not in Oregon. Consequences could be severe
“‘Oregon’s results are unacceptable. Our educators and children are just as talented as the educators and children in every other state,’ Pope said. She decried the lack of ‘a statewide, focused, research-based strategy. The research is clear on what accelerates student learning, and our state didn’t insist we do that with these funds.’”
Ridgeview High student Jordan Jensen overcomes challenges, receives ‘Beat the Odds’ scholarship
“Jordan is one of just eight students in Oregon to receive the 2025 scholarship, reflecting his remarkable resilience and commitment to achieving his goals despite a difficult upbringing.”
Why Oregon schools’ pandemic recovery lags behind much of the nation
“Pope points out that many states with high performance on the recovery efforts – like Tennessee and Ohio – had strong directives from state leadership in implementing interventions including statewide tutoring, summer learning opportunities and teacher training.”
OPINION: tO IMPROVE eDUCATION, tARGET fUNDING oN pROVEN mEASURES
“High-quality education deserves a significant investment from our state. However, money must be spent on what works. If we do that at scale and statewide, we can create a brighter future for us all, and most importantly, our children.”
