Although there has been reluctance to support direct methods of teaching moral values and character traits, due in part to lack of consensus about whose values should be taught, a national call to rethink that trend has begun to be heard. An up-to-date account is provided of the recommendations of the Oregon State Board of Education to mandate…

The purpose of this bulletin is to examine general policies and principles of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) education, to assess the status of the ESL program at the state level in Oregon, and to examine ESL programs in two Oregon school districts. The study is concerned with both the quantitative (demography, budget allocations) and…

This bulletin examines wellness programs and what they mean to Oregon educators. The opening sections describe what is meant by "wellness" and trace the growth of wellness programs in Oregon to the annual Seaside Health Education Conference. To illustrate how wellness programs operate, the next two sections describe how two Oregon school…

Oregon Senate Bill 354 has required each school district in Oregon to develop a teacher evaluation plan that would include job descriptions, performance standards, observations, postevaluation, and a written program of assistance, if needed. The Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study (BTES) has drawn some conclusions about teacher effectiveness that…

This bulletin highlights elements of the music programs in two Oregon school districts--David Douglas School District 40 and Salem School District 24J--that have kept these programs viable in spite of financial constraints. Ingredients for success of the overall music program at David Douglas are first described. Important elements include hiring…