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To: Superintendents, Principals, Special Education Directors, Charter School Leaders, Public Information Officers and Education Partners
From: Dr. Charlene Williams, Director of the Oregon Department of Education
Date: April 17, 2024
Re: Call for Applications: Oregon 21st Century Community Learning Center Initiative Workgroup (Summer & After-School Learning)
Dear Education Community,
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is excited to announce the formation of the Oregon 21st Century Community Learning Center Initiative Workgroup, established by the Legislature during the 2024 session through House Bill 4082. This workgroup will advise ODE on the development of a study and propose recommendations to enhance educational opportunities for students during summer and after-school, with a focus on closing opportunity gaps for historically underserved students and ensuring equitable access to learning programs for students across Oregon.
We are seeking community leaders who are:
- Passionate about improving educational outcomes for all students while also closing opportunity gaps,
- Have content expertise to support the statewide scaling of promising practices for summer/after-school learning,
- Able to contribute to clear work products in a collaborative manner, have demonstrated experience co-developing statewide initiatives or public policies
- Strong advocates for the belief that each and every child has the capacity to succeed, and
- Eager to help co-design the system for students to succeed in summer and after-school contexts.
As a member of this workgroup, you will work with a diverse team of committed volunteer leaders to provide recommendations for long-term summer and after-school programming. The workgroup will be limited in size. As a result, workgroup members will also be leaders in helping to organize and facilitate breakout sessions of a statewide summit to inform the recommendations.
Key Details
Charge: This workgroup is tasked with advising ODE on the development of recommendations for the study required by HB 4082 (2024). The recommendations must address:
- Ensuring equitable access to programs for historically underserved incoming kindergarten students through outgoing twelfth grade students.
- Identifying funding mechanisms to ensure high-quality out-of-school time learning and enrichment programs are sustained in accordance with research and best practices (includes identifying how the state could leverage existing learning initiatives).
- Streamlining grant administration and reducing administrative burdens for grantees while also maintaining high levels of accountability.
- Proposing quality and oversight standards for the provision of summer and after-school learning and enrichment programs.
- Proposing outcomes and metrics to align programs across the goals (academics, youth development, equitable access/family engagement).
- Incentivizing partnerships amongst school districts, tribes, community-based organizations and other providers, increasing communication and aligning strategies.
- Establishing best practices for the design and administration of a state grant program, including timing, insurance, the application process and review, staff training, data collection and standards for reporting and communicating impact.
Composition: The Workgroup will include no more than 18-20 representatives. We will have at least one representative from each of these groups:
- Licensed Staff
- Classified Staff
- School District Administrator
- School Board Members
- Education Service District Administrator
- Public Charter School Staff or Administrator
- Tribal Nations
- Community Organizations serving small communities
- Community Organizations serving medium communities
- Community Organizations serving large communities
- Local Public Library that offers summer/after-school
- Local Parks Department that offers summer/after-school
- Philanthropic Organization
Meeting Dates: Applicants are expected to participate in all scheduled meetings, which will be conducted through a combination of in-person and virtual formats. Please note that there will be no hybrid option available for these sessions.
- May 21, 2024 - All Day Meeting, In Person
- June 4, 2024 - All Day Meeting, In Person
- June 27, 2024 - Half Day Afternoon Meeting, Virtual
- July 9, 2024 - All Day Meeting, Virtual
- Summer Learning/After-school Summit - Summer 2024
- Additional meetings will be added late summer/early fall
Reporting Requirement: A progress report on the study will be submitted to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to education by September 15, 2024. The work may continue through December 2024.
Expiration: The workgroup outlined in Section 3 of the Act is repealed on January 2, 2025.
Application
Please submit your application at this link by April 30, 2024. If you have any questions about the application process or the workgroup, please don't hesitate to contact us at ODE.SummerLearning@ode.oregon.gov.
Closing
Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a difference in Oregon's educational landscape. We look forward to reviewing your application.
Sincerely,
Dr. Charlene Williams
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