Oregon

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Did you know that in Oregon:

32 percent of Oregon high school students fail to graduate on time.

Seven of every ten new jobs created in Oregon between 2008 and 2018 will require some type of formal education beyond high school.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) jobs will grow by 13 percent in Oregon between 2008 and 2018, and 94 percent of STEM jobs will require post-secondary education by 2018.

Click here to view the Oregon Child Fact Sheet.

Developing Necessary Skill Sets

To overcome the challenges of the skills gap, we must train and re-train our current workforce. We must also develop skills in young people to ensure that they enter the workforce better prepared. To be equipped with the knowledge and abilities businesses now require, students must:

Master Core Academic Content

Think Critically and Solve Complex Problems

Work Collaboratively

Communicate Effectively

Learn How to Learn

Click here to read a description of these skills.

Bringing Career Relevance to High School Classrooms

An innovative education approach, often called “smaller learning communities,” integarte career relevance with a rigorous academic curriculum, equipping students with important skills highly valued by employers. This education approach:

Is comprised of a group of students who take classes together for at least two years and are taught by the same group of teachers

Provides a college preparatory curriculum based on a career theme that helps students see relationships and connections between academic subjects and their application in the real world.

Develops partnerships with employers, the community, and colleges.

One model known as “Career Academies” is being implemented in high schools across the country. Click here for more information about how the Career Academies model can be a solution.

Our 2013 Policy Priorities

Education policy at the federal and state levels needs to address the range of knowledge and skills needed for all students to be fully ready for college and careers. Policy opportunities include:

Skill Development

Measurable Results

Accountability

Professional Development and Teaching Practice

Click here to view a description of the policy actions in support of increased workforce skill levels in Oregon.

America’s Edge members will be urging their Congressional delegation to do the following:

Federal Policy Priorities:

Strengthen our nation’s education system through federal education reform to:

Provide incentives for States to shift away from the traditional K-12 approach towards an educational system that incorporates early learning into the educational structure so kids are ready to learn and succeed when they enter kindergarten;

Promote and mobilize for innovative high school models, which promote deeper learning” through models such as “Career Academies,” “Career Pathways,” etc. to help vulnerable youth develop critical skills and be prepared for careers and/or post-secondary eduction;

Improve graduation rates measurement and accountability, including supporting both data systems that can serve as an “early warning system” for kids headed towards dropping out, as well as the use of evidence-based programs to keep kids in school and on the path towards graduation;

Provide the support of K-12 programs which enhance academic outcomes;

Create a system of recruitment, professional development and retention for teachers so that more students – especially those most at-risk for adverse academic outcomes– have access to high-quality teachers; and

Ensure that, to the maximum extent possible, funds are directed toward evidence-based approaches in the highest-need communities.

Oregon Members Release Report

Erinn Kelly-Siel, Professor Katie Riley, Michael Harper, Martha Brooks, Dick Withnell, and Dr. Samuel Henry at the Portland report release

On April 2, 2013, America’s Edge Oregon members released a report discussing the skills gap currently experienced and expected to continue in the future. (Click here to view the report.) On the upside, Oregon can look to significant growth in well-paying jobs requiring post-secondary education, particularly those in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. On the downside, the state won’t have nearly enough workers to fill them without a substantial shift in current education trends.

The solution: innovative high school education models that prepare students to be college- and career-ready. The business leaders are urging support for a $14 million increase in the Governor’s Recommended Budget for funding for career and skill academies.

Click here to view the report.