Sounding Boards Podcast
OSBA Sounding Boards is an occasional exploration of school system issues with education experts and passionate advocates. You can listen to episodes by clicking on the titles below or through your favorite podcast app.
ODE Director Charlene Williams: “Accountability matters”
The wide-open spaces of Malheur County impressed upon Oregon Department of Education Director Charlene Williams some of the differences between Oregon’s rural and urban schools, shaping her agency leadership. As she approaches her second year as director, she wants to change the narrative about public Oregon education while taking into account the state’s varied needs.
Protecting a town’s heart
The Oregon Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program supports school district projects to make old buildings safer in an emergency. The Powers School District is using $1.5 million from the program to protect and restore a century-old town landmark. To read more about the work, visit OSBA’s News Center.
End of naming, shaming and blaming
The Oregon Department of Education is here to help school districts and education service districts as the Student Success Act adds public education program funding and puts new demands on school leaders, says Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Colt Gill.
Preventing threats before students are lost
John Van Dreal, an internationally recognized school safety expert, explains how the Salem-Keizer Threat Assessment System he helped pioneer can be used to guide educators to identify potentially dangerous situations and intervene before they escalate to tragedy.