SOESD

Kellen Akiyama teaches English language arts and African American studies at Gladiola High School. Read the article.

Free Preschool for 4 and 5 Year Olds

With the assistance of SOESD, starting in the 2024-25 school year, the Grants Pass School District will offer FREE preschool for four and five-year-olds living within GPSD7 boundaries. The new preschool program will accommodate 36 children in its first year, and bring together children with and without disabilities into one inclusive classroom.

Read the article

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The Power of Inclusive Classrooms at Gilbert Creek Child Development Center

In this episode, host Rafael Otto visits Grants Pass, Oregon, to talk with Shannon Bilbao and Susan Peck from Gilbert Creek Child Development Center. They discuss why inclusive classrooms are so valuable for the healthy development of all children and share examples of what they see in their classrooms.

Listen to the Podcast

 

 

 

SOESD’s School Improvement Team serves our 13 component districts in a variety of ways including:

 

Supports for Focal Student Groups

• English Learners
• Migrant Education
• Indian Education
• Southern Oregon Black/African American Student Success (SOBAASS)
• LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success (pending grant funding)

Supports for Educators

• Southern Oregon Regional Educator Network (SOREN)
  • Mentoring/Supports for Novice Educators

 Supports for Partnerships

• Klamath Promise
• Student Behavioral Health and Wellness (collaboratively w/ SOESD Student Services)

Supports for Systems and Conditions

• Student Success and Integrated Planning
  • Attendance and Engagement

Supports for Resources

• Educational Technology and Data Analytics
• Division 22 Library Media

Supports for Career Connected Learning

• STE[A]M Hub
• Southern Oregon Career and Technical Education Consortium (SOCTEC)
• Grow Your Own
• Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching
• Regional CTE Center (in development)

Members of this team also provide service and leadership on a variety of regional and state initiatives, including:

 

Dr. Mark Angle-Hobson, Director of School Improvement Services, serves on

• Oregon Department of Education’s LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Advisory Group
• Coalition of Oregon School Administrator’s (COSA) Equity Board
• Resolve Center for Restorative Justice Board of Directors and Secretary
• Community of Stewards, Region 16 Comp Center (serving Alaska, Oregon and Washington)

Heather Armstrong, School Improvement Specialist, Southern Oregon STE[A]M Hub, serves on

• Oregon Math Leaders, co-chair
• Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM), Area 8 Representative
• Rural STEAM Leadership of Oregon, facilitator
• Oregon Science Leaders

Karla Clark, Program Manager for the Southern Oregon STE[A]M Hub, serves on

• ODE’s STEM/CTE Network State Planning Team
• Statewide CTE Advisory Council
• Oregon STEM
• Rogue Workforce Partnerships and Business Education Partnerships
• Associated General Contractors Workforce Coalition
• Oregon Career Connected Learning Design Team
• Oregon YOUSCIENCE integration Lead
• SOREDI Foundation Board Member
• Josephine County Vocational / Mentor Committee
• Oregon ACTE Board Member
• Oregon Housing & Community Services TeamOregonBuild Think Tank

Aaron Cooke, Program Manager for Data and Integrated Instruction, serves on

• Oregon Department of Education’s Rules Advisory Committee
• Oregon Department of Education’s Remote Learning Advisory Committee
• Southern Oregon Civics Learning Project Educator Advisory Committee
• Josephine County Broadband Advisory Committee
• Rogue Valley Broadband Access Committee
• COSA Student Supports Workgroup
• Oregon Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee Board Member
• Oregon Department of Education’s EDTech Cadre
• Southern Oregon CUE
• Oregon Digital Leaders Coalition, as Board Member
• Oregon Department of Education’s Integrated Technology and Learning Standards Committee
• Southern Oregon Fire Ecology Education Board

Miranda Doyle, Library Media Specialist, serves on

• Oregon Association of School Libraries
• Oregon Intellectual Freedom Committee

Erin Green, Program Manager for Student Behavioral Health and Wellness, serves on

• Resolve Center for Restorative Justice Board of Directors
• Behavioral Health Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) Action Team
• Jackson County Youth Systems of Care Work Group
• Parent Support/Family Preservation Work Group
• SO Health-E Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Work Group
• SOREN Advisory
• ACEs Interface Team
• CASEL SEL Fellowship

Chris Howard, Klamath Promise Specialist

• Cascade Health Alliance – Advisory Committee
• Klamath and Lake Long Term Recovery Group/Community Organizations Active in Disaster COAD – Board Member
• Klamath Youth Serving Cohort
• Klamath Youth Advisory Board
• Suicide, Overdose, and ACEs Prevention Program
• Southern Oregon Family Resilience Project

Jacquie Jaquette, School Improvement Specialist, serves on

• Jackson Care Connect Board Member
• Jackson Care Connect, Community Advisory Committee
• Jackson Care Connect Financial Advisory Committee
• Jackson County Youth Development Work Group
• Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Education Task Force
• Josephine County All Care Systems Of Care Advisory Executive Committee
• Josephine County All Care Systems of Care Committee
• SOREN Advisory Team Member
• Statewide EDM , DEI, SEL/SEB, SSA, HSA, EIIS Collaboration Group Member
• Southern Oregon Success Youth Development Work Group Member
• Southern Oregon Success Network Work Group Member

Jenni Jones, School Improvement Specialist for Mentoring, serves on

• Chautauqua Poets and Writers Board President
• Southern Oregon Computer Using Educators (SOCUE) Board Member
• Oregon Association of School Libraries
• ODE EdTech Cadre

Jessie McClung (DuBose), Program Manager for Klamath Promise, serves on

• Foundations for a Beer Oregon, At-Large Board Member
• Oregon Opt-In Initiative Advisory Committee
• Oregon Opt-In Initiative Flexible Resource Design Committee
• OHSU Research in Oregon’s Community Review (ROCR) System Advisory Board
• Oregon MESA Regional Equity Committee
• SMART Reading Leadership Council for South Central Oregon
• South-Central Early Learning Hub – Professional Advisory Committee
• Klamath County Commissioner Roundtable
• Healthy Klamath Coalition
• Tobacco Coalition (Klamath County)
• Klamath Basin Career Connections Initiative
• Klamath Youth Attendance Taskforce (YAT)
• Klamath County School District School Improvement Advisory Committee
• Klamath Falls City Schools Attendance Team
• Ross Ragland Theater and Cultural Center, board member
• Klamath County Well Water Work Group

Dr. Heidi Olivadoti, Southern Oregon REN Coordinator, serves on

• Oregon Education Association – Region 3 Uniserv Council
• Social Emotional Learning for Oregon (SEL4OR) Statewide SEL initiative
• Southern Oregon Success
• Family Connections
• Transformative Education Leadership Fellow
• Oregon Educator Advancement Council – Region F Educator Network

Brian Robin, CTE Regional Coordinator, serves on

• ODE’s Career and Technical Education State Teachers Recruitment and Retention Team
• ODE’s Career and Technical Education State Communications/Planning Team
• ODE’s Career and Technical Education State Small/Rural/Remote Schools Planning Team
• CTE Program of Study Stateside Standards Review Panel
• CTE Perkins Reserve Grant Managers Panel
• Oregon Housing & Community Services TeamOregonBuild Think Tank
• Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (RAMP)
• Rogue Healthcare Workforce Partnership
• Associated General Contractors Workforce Coalition
• Klamath Basin Career Connections Initiative

Jasi Swick, Facilitator for SOESD Indian Education, serves on

• CEEN: Cultural Ecological Enhancement Network Board
• KODIAC: Keeping Our Diverse Indigenous Ancestry Alive Collective Board
• Southern Oregon Native American Advisory Council
• Cobell Alumni Leadership Council
• Southern Oregon University Raider Advocate
• State of Oregon, Native American/Native Hawaiian/Alaskan Native Professional Learning Community

Andrea Townsend, Coordinator for Focal Student Groups, serves on

• COSA’s Equity Board
• Governor’s Quality Education Commission
• ODE’s Ad-Hoc ELL committees/advisories
• Regional ELL/Migrant /Indian Ed. Meetings
• COSA’s Administrators of Color Attinity Group
• Meyer Memorial Trust Fund EDI Collaborative
• Oregon Equity Directors and Leaders Collaboration Meetings
• USCIS Southern Oregon Partnership Meetings

College is not for everyone, and a high school education geared to preparing for college is likewise not for all students. Federal and state laws in Oregon have expanded the number of career and technical education

(CTE) programs offered in high schools in recent years. Now schools in Southwest Oregon are taking another step, with the creation of Team Oregon Build. A grant shared by Lane Education Service District and Southern Oregon ESD will train CTE teachers to teach hands-on construction projects to their students.

We get details on the TOB projects and the overall vision, in a chat with Karla Clark at SOESD and Jesse Quinn at Lane Workforce Partnership.

Read more.

This project brief maps out how the Oregon Department of Education, with support from Region 16, conceived, developed, and implemented the six Student Success Plans, co-developed in collaboration with the communities surrounding six student focal groups:

• Black/African American students

• American Indian/Alaska Native students
• Latino/a/x students
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students
• LGBTQ2SIA+ students
• Immigrant and refugee students

SOESD Director of School Improvement Services, Dr. Mark Angle-Hobson, was one of the ESD Leaders interviewed for this brief.

Thanks to the guidance of key communities, each plan is tailored to the assets, aspirations, and needs of student focal groups. By transforming the maze of education, these plans forge navigational pathways for students often left behind by the system by creating an environment where many different visions of success can co-exist.

View Project Brief

Lane Education Service District and Southern Oregon Education Service District (ESD) were recently awarded an excess of $2.6 million in grant funding from the Oregon Department of Education through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) fund. With this new funding, Lane and Southern ESDs have partnered with the Mid-Willamette Education Consortium to create and pilot Team Oregon Build, expanding upon the existing Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs already operating in these regions. The expansion encompasses areas impacted by recent wildfires, including the Southern Oregon Education Service District and Mid-Willamette Education Consortium. Team Oregon Build (TOB) is an innovative partnership between education, industry, state, and community to introduce youth to career pathways within high-wage and high-demand construction trades. Education and Community partners from three Oregon regions dramatically impacted by wildfire and homelessness launched this career-connected learning and disaster/crisis response initiative.

On Thursday, May 16^th, educators from across Southern Oregon came together to collaborate, connect, and reflect on their past year of work in partnership with the Southern Oregon Regional Educator Network (SOREN) and BELONG Partners, a community partner and non-profit based in Seattle. Over the past 5 years, SOREN and BELONG have worked together to increase Safety, Significance, and Belonging in the experiences of regional educators, students, and families. One element of this partnership is using a systems lens to support whole schools with trauma informed, culturally relevant and sustaining professional learning, data teams, and tiered staff and student support systems. 

Thursday’s Convening drew school teams from all over the region, from Brookings to Butte Falls, representing nine schools across four counties. The Southern Oregon REN would like to extend deep appreciation for our partner schools and the incredible teachers, leaders, students, and families who are doing this work in schools every day. THANK YOU to Azalea, Bonanza, Butte Falls Charter, Chiloquin, Henley, Kalmiopsis, Lincoln, Mae Richardson, and The Valley School for sharing your wisdom and experience with others!