ORS 327.016 directs the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to prepare an annual report on English learner program funding and student outcomes. The report's intention is to describe the population of English Learners in Oregon and provide a summary of district and state progress towards meeting their needs and objectives. This report consists of…

A governor's State of the State address is an opportunity to outline policy priorities, highlight past accomplishments and reflect on the condition of the state and country. In 2018, 17 governors are serving their last year in office, having reached the end of their term or deciding not to seek re-election. Many of them used their State of the…

The federal "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA) has stimulated states to revisit school improvement. Previously, the Center analyzed ESSA and the related consolidated state plans using the lens of how the federal legislation and state plans address barriers to learning and teaching and re-engage disconnected students. Such analyses…

With an emphasis on planning and cutting costs to make better use of resources, facilities managers at community colleges across the nation have undertaken facilities audits usually with the help of outside engineers. Such assessments analyze the history and structural integrity of buildings and core components on campus, including heating…

This report provides six mini-case studies of higher education policy reforms enacted in other states, exploring the important role that state policy leadership played in developing, promoting, and implementing these policies aimed at improving higher education outcomes, and discussing the relevance of each reform effort for California. This…

The challenge of producing the systemic changes that are needed to boost educational attainment and economic competitiveness across the country falls heavily on entities that coordinate public postsecondary institutions. Coordination of postsecondary education, whether of a single system of institutions or across an entire state, requires…

The business models under which most public universities in the U.S. operate have become unsustainable. They were put in place when state economies were stronger and there were fewer programs making competing claims on state funds. The current Great Recession has made things worse, but the unsustainability of current business models derives from…

The financial state of the nation's public pension funds--which provide the retirement incomes for all state employees but in most states are dominated by teachers, administrators, and other school employees--has gone from bad to worse, and is projected to continue to worsen in coming decades. A perfect storm of factors has combined in the past…

The Breaking Through (BT) initiative promotes an expanded and enhanced role for community colleges in providing access to college for low-skilled adults. BT is uniquely important in its systematic integration of adult education, developmental/remedial education, professional-technical education (PTE), and career planning and preparation in…

This study is intended to stimulate rapid adoption of long-range planning in Oregon education. A principal study goal has been to review present planning activities in the state and determine future planning needs. Emphasis has been placed on long-range planning as a specific process that should and can be incorporated within the organizational…

There is a great deal of discussion and concern within the postsecondary education community regarding the future of postsecondary enrollments. The Council staff has followed this debate and has identified critical population factors that will influence future enrollments in Oregon institutions. In light of this, the Council has presented…

How schools weather budget reductions shows the difference between effective and less effective school systems. Policymakers' response to reductions depends on an array of factors: general economic conditions, access to data about future trends, community expectations and "myths," past records of school effectiveness, local education…

COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN OREGON, HAVING RESOURCES AND FLEXIBILITY TO MEET MANY DEMANDS FOR POST-HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION, ARE INTENDED TO OFFER BROAD, COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMS IN BOTH ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL FIELDS. THEY SHOULD BE (1) LOCAL, WITHIN COMMUTING RANGE FOR MOST OF THEIR STUDENTS, (2) OPEN TO ALL WHO CAN PROFIT FROM THEIR PROGRAMS, (3) PART OF…

This study grew out of a desire to look at the reality of higher education within one state, one which has an outstanding record of public support for higher education, i.e., Oregon. It also seeks to complement the study conducted earlier in the year, which recommends further exploration of alternative ways of financing higher education. Briefly,…

A decision model is presented for use in connection with data that are currently available in State departments of education to determine economies of scale for a State system of public school districts. An application of the model to the State of Oregon illustrates how economies of scale information for a State system can be used by policymakers…