June 2025: Educators are fighting for more money at the district, state and federal levels for students with disabilities. When the money comes through, students reap the rewards. Read and listen to the full story here.
Six things Oregonians should think about as they vote in local school board races
May 2025: Know the issues. Follow the money. Ask lots of questions. An in-depth guide to help voters navigate their local school board races on the May 20 ballot. Read and listen to the full story here.
National: How federal funding cuts are affecting one small school district in an Oregon community that voted heavily for Trump
March 2025: Grant School District is hundreds of thousands of dollars into a project that is supposed to be reimbursed by the federal government. Now, it’s not clear whether the feds will pay. Read and listen to the full story here.
Woodburn School Board narrowly approves ‘Safe and Welcoming Schools’ resolution at tense board meeting
March 2025: The board rejected a resolution late last month that would have emphasized protections for immigrants, planning to revist it in March. The vote was met with strong pushback from staff, families and students. Read the full story here. Read the original story about the board's surprise rejection here.
Hundreds of educators and parents want to eliminate Oregon’s special education funding cap. Here’s why
Oregon law restricts how much money schools can get from the state for students with disabilities. Lawmakers are considering raising the decades-old cap. A bill to eliminate the cap entirely is gaining traction. Read the full story here.
New group supports Oregon grandparents raising their grandchildren
Feb. 2025: Millions of grandparents across the country are being pushed into parenthood again. A new peer support group in Salem helps them through it. Read and listen to the full story here.
Test the river, teach the children: Students and salmon pay a fall visit to the Alsea River
Dec. 2024: For decades, the Benton County Salmon Watch program has helped students learn about one of Oregon’s key migrations with hands-on experience. Read and listen to the full story here.
St. Helens case forces Oregonians to face unsettling truth: Teacher sexual abuse is more common than you may think
Dec. 2024: An estimated one in every 10 students nationally will experience some form of educator sexual misconduct by the time they complete high school. That’s roughly two children in every Oregon classroom. Read and listen to the full investigation here.
Washington school for deaf students expands, cultivates belonging and courage to ‘take the world by storm’
Nov. 2024: Walls, carpet, lighting and windows: Every detail in Vancouver’s new learning and athletics facilities was picked with deaf and hard-of-hearing students and staff in mind. Read the story here.
Oregon program helps incarcerated youth and adoptable dogs alike. It’s called Project POOCH
Sept. 2024: The youth development program, housed at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, teaches its participants specific skills and broader life lessons, all while finding homes for dogs in need. Read the story here. Listen on NPR here.
Natalie Pate 