An Informed Guide to Quality Education & Reform

Advocacy groups, parents, students, legislators, and policy-makers have been engaged in discussions over education reform. OEA encourages and welcomes this dialogue.

OEA members believe raising student achievement cannot be done in a vacuum. It takes a collective community of educators, administrators, parents, and community members to sustain and improve our public schools. No one entity is the enemy. There is no single solution (like charter schools) to “fix” our education system. And, the system isn’t broken. We face different realities in Oregon than schools in Chicago or New York face, and as a result, we need a different conversation than what the media often provides.

Students in traditional public schools are greeted every day by a caring community of adults who work to improve their academic paths – while overcoming dwindling resources and, at this time, a national recession.

We need to avoid the well-intentioned impulse of many new to our conversation who can be prone to suggest simplistic, silver-bullet solutions. OEA's guides to help inform these discussions:

Investing in Education, Creating Jobs
Related OEA Core Values: Collaboration, Democracy, Lifelong Learning, Integrity
- Funding
- Kicker Reform
- Community Colleges

Professional Excellence & Student Success
Related OEA Core Values: Professionalism, Collaboration, Respect for Diversity, Lifelong Learning
- Professional Pay / "Merit Pay"
- Student Assessment
- Teacher Evaluation

Promoting Local Decision Making
Related OEA Core Values: Collective Action, Collaboration, Respect for Diversity
- Initiative Petition Reform
- Elected Superintendent of Public Instruction

Serving our Students Better
Related OEA Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Collaboration
- Charter Schools
- Concerns About Consolidation of Districts & ESDs
- Virtual Schools & Online Education

Retirement and Health Care Security
Related OEA Core Values: Social Justice, Professionalism
- Health Care
- Retirement Security & PERS

Washington Post: "Five Myths About America's Schools"
Succinctly addresses widespread misperceptions about public education in the United States, including:

Myth #1: Our schools are failing
Myth #2: Unions defend bad teachers
Myth #3: Billionaires know best
Myth #4: Charter schools are the answer
Myth #5: More "effective teachers" are the answer

OEA at the Oregon Premiere & Panel Discussion on 'Superman'
OEA President Gail Rasmussen attended the Oregon premiere of 'Waiting for Superman' and particpated in a post-screening panel discussion. Read her thoughts on the experience. She was the only OEA member and non-administrator on the panel.

NEA in the Media, Resources, and Articles from Experts, not Pundits
Check out NEA's resources on 'Waiting for Superman' which show what strong education practices look like from educators, not pundits. Handy stuff for the community and media conversations this movie is prompting. The site includes:

- Honest critiques pushing back against the film in the media, including The New York Times, Education Week and The Huffington Post
- NEA President Dennis Van Roekel’s statement to the press about the movie
- Excerpts of what educators are saying about the movie
- Video clips of NEA leaders on MSNBC, FOX and other programs talking about meaningful education reform
- Links to NEA sites (Priority Schools, Education Votes) and to external organizations dedicated to honest discussions of the movie
- A list of "Super Myths" NEA released about 'Waiting for Superman'

If you need materials for your local communications, please contact OEA’s Communications department at webadmin@oregoned.org.

Educators are the true super heroes. Your commitment, dedication, and expertise makes the difference each and every day.