Today, the Oregon Rising project launches across the state of Oregon. Oregon Rising is a public outreach effort that asks what Oregonians want for their children and their schools.
At the heart of the work is the prompt to “dream big.” In the first phase, people are asked, if it were up to them, to describe the education Oregon students would receive.
To kick off the project, the coordinators traveled around Oregon and videotaped students and superintendents from every corner of the state, including Dr. Maryalice Russell and students from Sue Buel Elementary, Duniway Middle School and McMinnville High School.
The videos are intended to spark conversation and solicit feedback on what Oregonians think their public education system should be. People will be asked to complete a survey about their dreams for education and results will be shared widely. For participants who provide email addresses, results will be shared in late summer or early fall.
The project sponsors will also use the results to build a plan for the future of Oregon’s public schools, and will take that plan to the 2017 legislative session.