Chalkboard funds Forest Grove CLASS Project
Contact:
Colin Fogarty
Chalkboard Project
503.841.0045
cfogarty@pyramidcom.com
Connie Potter
Forest Grove School District
503-359-2420
cpotter@fgsd.k12.or.us
Chalkboard Project funds another effort to raise student achievement and elevate teaching profession
FOREST GROVE, OR – May 21, 2008 – The Chalkboard Project announced today that it’s investing $76,200 in new and expanded career paths for teachers in the Forest Grove School District. The grant keeps momentum building for the CLASS Project (Creative Leadership Achieves Student Success), which is now transforming the teaching profession in three school districts. The aim is to enhance student achievement.
Last month, the Chalkboard Project announced its largest series of grants to date in the Sherwood and Tillamook school districts. All three districts have spent more than a year designing their CLASS Projects with input from local teachers, administrators, school board members, and parents. Each CLASS Project is unique because each district has different needs, but all CLASS Projects have four elements in common:
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New career paths with opportunities for advancement
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Comprehensive and fair performance evaluations
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Expanded professional development opportunities
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Enhanced compensation for new leadership roles
Forest Grove School District teachers and administrators expect to complete work on the compensation blueprint of their CLASS Project in Fall 2008, after separate contract negotiations are complete.
“We know the quality of the classroom teacher is the single most important factor influencing student achievement. That's why the CLASS Project is so important,” said Sue Hildick, Chalkboard Project president. “We’re confident Forest Grove will succeed in this important work to transform the teaching profession in their district,”
“This is critically important and exciting work,” said David Willard, assistant superintendent of the Forest Grove School District. “Our teachers are very excited about defining and expanding more leadership roles.”
As in Sherwood and Tillamook, researchers at Portland State University’s Center for Student Success will be monitoring the progress of the districts engaged in the CLASS Project.
Read a summary of the CLASS Project and key district information
Forest Grove School District
About Chalkboard Project
Launched in early 2004, Chalkboard Project exists to inspire Oregonians to do what it takes to make the state’s K-12 public schools among the nation’s best, while strengthening our school system’s financial accountability to taxpayers. Chalkboard aims to help create a more informed and engaged public who understand and address the tough choices and trade-offs required to build strong schools, and to enable statewide programs that can be applied at the local level to improve school quality, accountability, and funding. To date, Chalkboard has connected with about 100,000 Oregonians, asking for their best ideas to strengthen the state’s K-12 public schools. It also has partnered with other education organizations to create the Open Book$ Web site (www.openbooksproject.org) to track school district spending.
Chalkboard – an initiative of Foundations For A Better Oregon – is sponsored by a growing list of independent Oregon foundations. The foundations providing major support are: The Collins Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation, Jeld-Wen Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation and The Oregon Community Foundation. For more information about Chalkboard and to learn how to get involved, call (877) YOUR-K12 or visit www.chalkboardproject.org.
