Resources

Focus on Critical Issues


This is an image of ci08sm_1 Staying Safe: Get ready, respond & recover (1232k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) There's a saying: If it can go wrong, sooner or later, it will go wrong. But school boards can do a lot to minimize the effects of violence, natural disasters, vandalism, accidents or expensive lawsuits. This spring 2008 issue shows how planning is the best defense. Also see our Staying Safe resource page for more insights and information on ways to reduce risk.
This is an image of ci07sm_1 Lessons from November's Winners (2811k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Explaining the need, convincing voters to agree - then getting them to vote - is hard work that deserves recognition. Campaign work begins months, even years, before the election. This winter 2007 Focus on Critical Issues includes campaign reports from the 21 winners. We hope their stories give you direction and new ideas for your own success. Also see our Guide to School Bond & Local Option Levies.
This is an image of ci06sm_2 Schools at the Heart of Communities (2119k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) Schools are changing - from footprints and heating systems to landscapes and siting decisions. The summer 2006 Critical Issues highlights how school boards are working with agencies, cities and citizens to create the next generation of schools. Additional information in Schools at the Heart of Communities.
This is an image of ci06sm_1 Bridges to Achievement (612k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Eighteen boards in Oregon will spend the next few years participating in a groundbreaking project with OSBA’s Board Development staff that focuses on changing governance and management to improve student achievement and shift thinking about administration, teachers, and communities, and students.
This is an image of ci05sm_2 Increase Support For Schools? Change Your Message (977k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) A "primer" to understanding what Oregonians want to hear from their schools and how to deliver those messages. Learn how to adjust your communication efforts without a lot of extra work. Learn what E3is doing to support the effort. More in Change Your Message: Increase Community Support Through Communication.
This is an image of ci05sm_1 Downsizing the Student Body (494k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Nine million overweight schoolchildren across the nation are swelling the ranks in our classrooms, clogging the lunch lines and stuffing the halls. This Critical Issues explores how some boards are "downsizing" their student bodies without a huge price tag. More in Downsizing the Student Body: Fighting Childhood Obesity
This is an image of ci04sm_2 Breaking Barriers to Close the Gap (383k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) Explores how, triggered by growing student diversity and spurred on by No Child Left Behind, Oregon school boards are struggling to meet the needs of students who don’t speak English, have special needs, live in poverty or otherwise get left behind. More in Breaking Barriers to Close the Gap.
This is an image of ci04sm_1 The Perfect Storm: Rising Health Care Costs (581k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Explores the complexities of skyrocketing health insurance costs. Explores the concept of government-run health insurance pools and how they work (or not) in nearby states.
This is an image of ci03sm_1 Leadership - Wanted: Dealers in Hope (556k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - We face a serious shortfall of education leaders, compounded by more retirements, a sagging economy and growing political challenges in the school reform movement. This Critical Issues attacks the topic on two fronts: how to become the type of board that attracts and keeps good leaders and what Oregon is doing to replenish the pool.
This is an image of ci02sm_4 At the Crossroads: Will the Well-Educated Child Become an Endangered Species in Oregon? (345k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Oregon is on the verge of losing precious ground and jeopardizing the future of its children if it doesn't maintain its investment in public education. This Critical Issues tells discusses we got here, where we need to go, and why.
This is an image of ci02sm_3 Leave No Child Behind (266k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - This issue outlines the major aspects of the No Child Left Behind Act -and how Oregon is faring under its expectations.  More in No Child Left Behind Resources.
This is an image of ci02sm_2 After The Fall: Surviving and thriving in Oregon's budget shortfall climate (256k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Explains where we are in the school funding crisis, offers survival tips and best practices from school districts, and helps you communicate about the budget crisis.
This is an image of ci02sm_1 Emotionally Armed and Dangerous (642k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Explores how the culture of school violence evolved and offers school-safety strategies and best practices for policy leaders. Our School Violence Prevention contains more information and links about school violence prevention.
This is an image of ci01sm_2 Addressing the Achievement Gap (371k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Findings from Oregon's dramatic population shift, the so-called "achievement gap," and an introduction to census 2000 data and its many uses. See Breaking Barriers to Close the Gap and Census Primer for more information and resources.
This is an image of ci01sm_1 The Education Workforce Shortage (631k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Explores how Oregon fits into the national picture, our unique challenges and what we're doing to "get and keep the keepers" we need in our classes and in the principal's office. See our Recruitment and retension page for more information and resources on recruitment and retention of qualified staff.
This is an image of ci00sm_3 QEM: What is a quality education and how much does it cost? (820k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Explains the Quality Education Model, education funding, priorities, and the legislative debate. More at QEM Resources.
This is an image of ci00sm_2 Apples to Apples (496k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - This issue explores Oregon's new Database Initiative Project and whether we are ready to create a fair system of funding schools and setting priorities. 
This is an image of ci00sm_1 Report Cards: Making the grade in Oregon (237k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Covers Oregon's new school and district report cards. Report Card Resources contains more information and resources about implementing the new school and district report cards.
This is an image of ci99sm_3 Charter Schools: Charting new courses in Education (241k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Explores the charter school movement in Oregon and across the country. Our Charter School Resource Center contains additional information and resources on Oregon's charter school law.
This is an image of ci99sm_2 Class size: Is less really more? (210k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Helps you understand one of the hottest issues in public education and discusses effective school board policies and strategies. See Exploring Class Size for more information and resources for districts and board members.
This is an image of ci99sm_1 Dropping out: How can we stop the undertow of failure in school? (153k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - About a quarter of Oregon students who began as freshmen four years ago didn't graduate. See Dropout for more information and resources.
This is an image of ci98sm_1 When Crisis Hits In Our Schools (246k This file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download.) - Information about preparing for a crisis in your district. Crisis Management contains additional information and resources.