Oregon Senate committee approves plan to ban preschool suspensions by 2026 over childcare providers’ objections OregonLive.com 1 hr ago Hillary Borrud, oregonlive.com
Private daycare and preschool programs in Oregon that receive public funds would no longer be allowed to suspend or expel students starting in 2026, under a proposal headed for a vote in the state Senate.
Nationally, toddlers and preschool students of color face disproportionately high rates of suspension and expulsion from early childhood programs, and advocates want Oregon to stop allowing those practices. For young children, being expelled from care can be traumatizing and negatively shape that child’s view of their self for years to come, supporters said.
Education in Oregon is in a moment of urgent challenges and rapid transformation, as the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic and uprisings for racial justice have compounded longstanding issues related to economic and racial disparities.
Portland charter school KairosPDX opened in 2014 with a mission to close socioeconomic and racial achievement gaps through a comprehensive curriculum that focuses on social, emotional, and cultural development in addition to academics. Cofounder Kali Ladd, who currently serves on the board of Portland Community College and the Oregon Early Learning Council, spoke to us about her vision for education in Oregon over the next fifty years. Here are eight changes that Ladd would like to see.