Education Week: A Community Unites to Send Low-Income Kids to College

Education Week: A Community Unites to Send Low-Income Kids to College Full Article

                             Matthew Lynch | November 4, 2016

Key Issue:  In the heart of Portland's Rockwood neighborhood sits Alder Elementary, where approximately 20% of students are homeless, 100% of students are on free or reduced lunch, and more than 60% are English language learners. This school has consistently ranked in the bottom 15% in the state. Even in the face of such challenging poverty and language-related barriers, Alder students and staff continue to amaze our community and beat the odds by holding the title of fastest improving school in the Reynolds School District. 

Underachieving Oregon: 3 West Albany High seniors graduate with extra help getting on track

June 5, 2015 from the Oregonian (OregonLive.com)

Written by Laura Frasier

Audience: Public, Parents, Educators, Students, Government

Link to OregonLive.com article

The Oregonian article shows some things that are going well in the Oregon Education system. West Albany seems to have the resources and made the priority to meeting students individual needs. The article didn't seem to indicate that the students received or did not receive Sped Services. The individual stories highlighted in the new article are part of the story of success for West Albany. The backgrounds of the students were varied and needs were different. What was key to their success was a program that gave them extra academic and organizational support. They benefited use of contracts signed with their teachers and use of non-traditional classes and on-line.

Oregon, lowest graduation rates

Oregon Has The Lowest Graduation Rate In The Country. Preschool Could Fix That.

NPR: OPB

By Robert Manning

On June 7th, 2015

Key Points: Oregon has the lowest graduation rate in the U.S. at 67%. The rate has increased but still lowest in country. Advocates recommend starting young to improve these rates by emphasizing on the importance of preschool. Article discusses two brothers, one who went to preschool and one who didn't and their differences in school from social behaviors to desire to learn. The boy who went to preschool performed better overall in school than his brother who didn't. 

Audience: educators, parents. 

Relevance: Shows the importance of early childhood education and its effect in low income areas where preschool has been proven to help increase graduation rates for students living in those areas. 

Graduation Disparities Loom Large for Students With Special Needs - Education Week

Graduation Disparities Loom Large for Students With Special Needs - Education Week

Published Online: January 28, 2014

Published in Print: January 29, 2014, as Graduation Disparities Loom Large

Audience: Educators, Parents, Lawmakers

Key Points: 

The wide graduation-rate gaps in many states between students with disabilities and those in regular education raise the stakes for next year's first-ever federal evaluation of how well states are serving their special education students. By 2015, the Education Department aims to take a closer look at graduation-rate disparities when it evaluates states on their special education performance.  

Relevance:
The results of the evaluation could affect what states can do with their federal aid for special education.  The director of the federal office of special education programs said that "We know there are students with disabilities who can be achieving much more."  The office of special education programs, which is charged with evaluating states on their adherence to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, plans by next year to take into account graduation rates, dropout rates, and other so-called "performance" indicators as it shifts from a focus on compliance to what it calls "results-driven accountability."

Graduation Rates for Students with Disabilities on the Rise

Graduation Rates for Students with Disabilities on the Rise

By Christina Samuels on March 23, 2015 5:11 PM

Audience: Educators, Parents

Key Points:

Graduation Rates for Students with Disabilities on the Rise. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act allows students with disabilities to stay in school at least until age 21, or longer if state laws allow making it difficult to compare one state's graduation rate to another.  States have different definitions for what a "regular high school diploma" is for a students with a disability.

Relevance:
The U.S. Department of Education broke out four-year graduation rates for different student subgroups as of the 2012-13 school year. Even within standardization, there is variability, different definitions in diplomas and student with a disability are just two factors.