From birth to career, Illinois students deserve an equitable and adequate education system
Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois; April Janney, acting president and CEO of Illinois Action for Children; Mimi Rodman, executive director of Stand for Children Illinois; Kyle Westbrook, executive director of Partnership for College Completion; and Diana Mendley Rauner, Ph.D, president of Start Early
COVID-19 has upended the lives and education of children and young people throughout Illinois. As we enter 2021, we will need new ways of thinking and working to ensure our state’s education system emerges from the pandemic able to serve kids better and more equitably.
House Democrats recognize the state s long, painful, racist history as well as the many ways that bias and racism are threaded through everyday life and institutions. Dismantling these longstanding systems and building a more equitable future will require intentional effort to center the voices and leadership of BIPOC communities and low-income Oregonians in all of our decision making. We will take on urgently needed reforms to policing and criminal justice systems so that everyone is able to feel truly safe.
Economic recovery for every part of Oregon
Small businesses across Oregon have been hit hard by the pandemic many have shuttered permanently or are on the brink of closing. Workers, especially in service, retail and low-wage industries, have struggled to pay their bills, and those in essential industries risked their health on the job. Women and BIPOC communities have been disproportionately impacted, further widening the wealth gap. We will advocate for economic recovery
Oregon graduation rates reach new high in 2020, with almost all students improving
Oregon s high school graduation rate increased for the 2019-2020 school year, even as the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic derailed students plans for the last few months of the school year, new data from the Oregon Department of Education shows.
The four-year graduation rate reached a new high of 82.6%, topping the previous year s rate of 80%. It s the highest rate ever recorded in the state, according to ODE. But while every student group improved or stayed about the same, some students such as those who were homeless still had low rates statewide.
January 03 2021
OPINION: Tigard and Southwest Portland s state representative reflects on 11 years in the Oregon House.
As my time as your state representative for House District 35 winds down, I want to express my sincere thanks to all of the citizens who sent me back to Salem for the past 11 years. It has been an honor to represent you.
When I was appointed in August of 2009, I felt that I could make a difference for the citizens in Tigard and Southwest Portland.
I was raised in Southwest Portland. Went to grade school in Multnomah and graduated from Wilson High School, so I knew the area. I have lived in Tigard since 1989 and been involved in the community for the past 20 years. Little did I know that what I did in Salem would make what I coin as a quiet difference.