Chalkboard News

Shifting Our Thinking: How Community Members Can Bring New Insights To The Table

Jefferson County School District 509-J is located in Central Oregon’s rural high desert and serves the towns of Metolius, Antelope, Big Muddy Ranch, and the Warm Springs Reservation. Major industries in the area include ranching and farming, but the 509-J district’s poverty level is among the highest in the state. At least three of four school children in the district qualify for free or reduced school lunch. Such conditions create a challenging environment for teaching and learning, and the district’s academic student outcomes trail state and national benchmarks.

Teachers and Students Together Create a Welcoming Environment for Immigrant Students

While Betsy Devos threatens to close the Federal English Language Learners (ELL) office, students across Oregon rely on ELL programs to ease their transition into our public schools. Such is the case with immigrant students enrolled in Centennial School District. Ms. Sabin Rouffy is an 8th grade English teacher at Centennial Middle School who instructs immigrant students in her classroom.

How One School Reduced Discipline Referrals by Nearly 55 Percent

I love my job as an educator. I work alongside incredibly committed teachers who are passionate about their jobs and interact daily with amazing students. We are all in this in spite of the challenges we face.

Our school district is located in Sheridan which is a small, rural town in the western part of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. We are a former logging community that has been greatly impacted by the loss of jobs in the timber industry. Today, our largest employers are the Spirit Mountain Casino, the Federal Correctional Institution, and the school district.

How to Support Black Students: An Interview with Dr. Joy DeGruy

Dr. Joy DeGruy calls herself an “ambassador for healing.” When the widely-traveled author and speaker delivered the keynote address to the event “Supporting Black Student Success” which was co-sponsored by Chalkboard Project and KairosPDX, she shared a wide-ranging view on racism and education.

Getting to Know Whitney Grubbs: An Interview with our New Executive Director

Whitney Grubbs joined Chalkboard Project as executive director in May. We are thrilled to have her, not only does she hold vast education and policy expertise but she has a great sense of humor and an infectious laugh. We recently sat down with Whitney to learn more about her background as well as Chalkboard’s immediate priorities.

You were born and raised in Montana. How did you find your way to Oregon?

When you grow up in Montana, the closest big cities are Seattle and Portland, so if you dream of an urban experience it usually means going west.