PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN LOW-POPULATION DENSITY EASTERN OREGON: SMALL DISTRICTS - NEAT OPPORTUNITIES

Professional development in low population density eastern Oregon requires diverse approaches that match the context of school districts and needs of teachers in their local communities. The partnership consists of thirty-one school districts including one- and two-room K-8 districts, K-12 districts with fewer than 60 students, and larger districts with a few thousand students. All are characterized by remote location and financial pressures driven by declining enrollment linked to limited economic opportunity. Attracting and retaining highly qualified teachers and administrators is a challenge. The partnership is in its eighth year of operation.

The over-arching goal is to encourage students and teachers to learn in the context of communities. To this end, place-based strategies are practiced during summer workshops, in-service days, individualized programs of study, and collaboration with informal education providers and community resources. The partnership supports teachers by providing access to quality programs that address individual needs and interests and by providing resources to implement classroom and field-based strategies for teachers and their students. Strategic, low cost investments allow teachers to access technology and provide opportunities for their students.

Currently, the partnership provides support for districts exploring project-based learning strategies that organize learning around a problem identified by students, teachers, and the community, provides on-site workshops modeled after lesson study to increase capacity for inquiry-based learning in elementary classrooms, and provides professional development that explores the use of greenhouses (several recently installed by districts) in curriculum, school lunch programs, and community partnerships.