Past Engagement
Fall 2024
In 2024, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 1532, which directed the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to develop and carry out a statewide plan to improve the learning and experiences of immigrant and refugee students at school. ODE partnered with Oregon’s Kitchen Table to hear from refugee and immigrant communities across Oregon about what they would like to see in the plan.
Between September and November of 2024, OKT used the following methods to reach people and hear their thoughts, experiences and perspectives: individual interviews, community events led by community organizers and partners, and Zoom conversations with community organizations and groups who serve immigrant and refugee families.
Over 450 people participated in the different forms of engagement activities. People participated in six languages.
The report from Oregon’s Kitchen Table consists of an Executive Summary followed by the full report, which includes the following sections:
- Engagement Goals and Participation
- Overall Observations
- Student Success
- Welcoming Schools
- Opportunities for Future Engagement
A summary of the report is available in English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, French, Nepali, Spanish, Somali, and Ukrainian. Translations coming in January 2025.
Outcomes
Here are a few strategies that were included in the Interim Immigrant and Student Success Plan specifically because we heard them from community members:
- Recruit parent volunteers and equip them with information about the school and district to share with their communities;
- Make it easier for parent volunteers to become employees;
- Make it easier for parents to navigate the school system;
- Communicate more positive things to families to shift the perception that any communication from the school is negative;
- Provide a welcome packet that informs families about parental responsibilities, what to expect at parent-teacher conferences, how to fill out school forms, and how to monitor progress;
- Convey basic information about graduation requirements in an easy to understand, visually appealing format in multiple languages; and
- ODE and school districts are learning and will need to partner with communities.
If you would like to stay up to date about the Immigrant and Refugee Student Success Plan, you can subscribe to ODE’s email listserv here.