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Oregon Achieves... Together!
A Message from the Director of the Oregon Department of Education, Dr. Charlene Williams
Dear Education Community,
The latest assessment data show that, as a state, we are still behind pre-pandemic performance levels overall. While this reality is not unique to our state, Oregon is still striving to catch up with its peers. Nationally, educators and policymakers are grappling with significant academic setbacks due to the disruptions of the past few years. These data points offer an opportunity to deepen and refine our efforts for continued recovery and growth, using this information as a catalyst to guide necessary reforms and resource allocation. While the data present a complex picture, it underscores the urgency of focused investments, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA), and acknowledges incremental gains in mathematics.
One critical factor influencing these academic outcomes is student attendance. Chronic absenteeism continues to undermine efforts to improve learning, and the link between attendance and achievement is undeniable. As we work toward academic recovery, we MUST prioritize strengthening our statewide effort around attendance.
I want to extend my gratitude to every person, organization, and business that is championing attendance efforts in their local school districts. As I witnessed when I toured Gladstone School District last month, when schools and communities show up for students, students show up for school.
The young scholars in your neighborhood need you. Your community needs you. Our state needs you. Ensuring that Oregon’s students get the most out of school starts with all of us working together—and that begins with creating conditions for students to show up.
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 In an exciting surprise announcement on October 2, Bryan Butcher Jr., a Beaumont Middle School math teacher, was named and celebrated as Oregon’s 2024-25 Teacher of the Year!
“Bryan exemplifies the impact committed teachers can have on students’ lives,” said Governor Tina Kotek. “From helping each of his students learn math in the way that works for them, to creating the Black Student Union at his school, teachers like Bryan go above and beyond to make Oregon schools a place where students not only learn, but feel a sense of safety, belonging, and pride. I’m thrilled to see his hard work being honored.”
Bryan Butcher Jr. is a Portland native and Grant High School graduate. He attended Morehouse College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Following graduation, Butcher joined Teach for America, and thus began a teaching journey which would eventually lead him to Beaumont Middle School, where he has taught math for the past eight years. When visiting Butcher’s classroom, you will see a thriving community of learners who are working together.
More about Bryan...
With Attendance Awareness Month now over, our Oregon Healthy Schools team wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the many strategies that schools are employing in order to strengthen regular attendance and support student health and well-being. As we all know, regular attendance has many benefits for students: higher graduation rates, better academic outcomes, more participation in activities, higher social engagement and better relationships with teachers and staff. We are excited to share a few proven strategies to positively impact student attendance and school culture that are being used in Oregon schools:
Read the proven strategies...
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The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) are teaming up to raise awareness about the importance of Child Nutrition Programs in schools to coincide with National School Lunch Week (October 14-18). We invite school board members and superintendents to eat with students during the week of October 14-18 to experience their nutritious and appealing local school lunches.
Encourage your school board to participate by planning lunch with students that week. All they need to do is reach out to school nutrition staff and building administrators before their visit. They are encouraged to post to social media about their experience using the #NSLW24inOR hashtag and the ODE (@ORDeptEd) and OSBA (@OSBANews) X handle.
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It’s Oregon’s longest running haunted house and it’s back for another season! The Nightmare Factory started in 1987 as a fundraiser for the Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD) and has continued ever since. Held on the grounds of the school and run by current and former OSD students, the Nightmare Factory runs every Friday and Saturday night in October and is also open on Halloween, the night before and special “Pitch Black” editions the Friday and Saturday after Halloween. There are new ways to experience the Nightmare Factory, so check out their website for more information and how to get your tickets!
To keep up with all the latest happenings at the Oregon School for the Deaf, check out the latest Panther Pulse newsletter and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next one!
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Every November and December, public school students, parents, teachers and administrators are presented with the opportunity to celebrate all the various religious and cultural holiday traditions celebrated during that time of year. While there are appropriate educational benefits to teaching about the diverse religious traditions and cultures of our country, school officials must be thoughtful about being inclusive and ensure they do not give students the impression that one set of holidays or beliefs is more important or more acceptable than others. Prominently featuring a holiday symbol associated with a single religious tradition is not an inclusive practice.
Read more about the holidays...
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