TRI Receives $1 Million ODE Grant to Develop Elementary Math Instructional Leaders in Oregon

On January 15-16, 2015, the Center on Early Learning at Teaching Research hosted over 20 agencies from across the state to support efforts to improve the care and education of children in Oregon. Staff from three states funded projects at TRI, along with professionals from 12 Child Care Resource & Referral agency and partners from the Oregon Early Learning Division, the Oregon Center for Career Development (OCCD), the Inclusive Child Care Program (ICCP), Oregon Ask, and Teen Parent Programs, among others.

Participants, who are all involved with implementing the field test of Oregon’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), spent the day reviewing the QRIS process and providing feedback on making the system work more efficiently and effectively for early childhood programs seeking QRIS designation.

Learning and Celebrating Latino Culture

To facilitate the sharing of information in the area of post-secondary outcomes, TIMS has created a collaborative work space for educators working with issues relating to successful transition from school to adult life for students. 

For the past decade, the Teaching Research Institute and the Qigong Sensory Training Institute have been researching the effectiveness of using a daily massage program with children ages 2-6 with autism. The program of massage given by trained parents has been shown in research studies to be effective in reversing sensory difficulties and improving behavior.

The program is now extending the research to older children. Enrollment is currently open for children with autism ages 6 to 11 to participate in a research study that will allow families to receive training and support in the intervention. Families enrolled in the study receive more than $1,500 worth of services for free, including training, treatment and assessments. See the Qigong Research Press Release for enrollment information and details.

A major component of this endeavor is support for Abby’s House Center for Women and Families, a resource and referral service located on the Western campus. Abby’s House currently has 18 trained advocates and 3 interns. In addition to educational programs and outreach presentations, students receive referral services for everything from child care, substance abuse, and sexual assault.  Overall, Abby’s house reached a total of 2,298 people in our community with some type of service in the past year.

In order to improve and expand the support offered, Abby’s House is currently working on an app designed to refer people to local resources and information regarding sexual violence.  The app will contain informative articles, contact information for local agencies that can provide help or further information, a map of these agencies, and information about Abby's House services specifically.  

Amy Parker, Ed.D., Jay Genze, Ed.S., Peggy Malloy, M.L.S., and Patricia Blasco, Ph.D., are presenting at the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Directors' Meeting in Washington, D.C. - 7/23 - 7/25

Amy Parker also presented at the National Deaf-Blind Summit in Washington, D.C. - 7/20

Tom Udell, Robyn Lopez Melton, and Pat Aldrich will be presenting at the QRIS National Meeting in Denver, CO - 7/23-25

Dr. Patricia Blasco                             Watch the TRI Blog pages for a debrief from these important conferences

Together, NFADB and NCDB feel that this endeavor will advance their shared goals of empowering parents and increasing recognition and acceptance of the use of intervener services for students with deaf-blindness.

Mid-Valley Parenting, a hub for partners that support parenting in Polk county, has partnered with the TRI-CDC to offer two series of Parenting Now classes in Monmouth/Independence. The first one took place in Fall, 2014 and the second is coming up in Spring, 2015. Parenting Now is a series of 7 sessions which bring parents of young children together to:

• share parenting experiences
• increase their knowledge of early childhood development
• learn about community resources
• create support networks among themselves

 Check back soon for exact dates.

"As in the story of the 'Little Engine That Could' (Piper, 1954), with scaffolding and resources, young children can attempt difficult tasks through planning and setting goals. Professionals and parents can be the team reminding the child 'I think I can, I think I can,' until he or she reaches 'I know I can!' This story parallels the important journey during the preschool years as the child develops and integrates [Executive Function] capacity."

Dr. Louisa Silva will present the most recent research information on massage therapy with children who have autism and sensitivity to touch. Parents and family, caregivers and other professionals who are with children six years of age or younger are invited to to attend the free presentation and learn about resources and how to give their children the massage.

Where: Community Health Education Center on the Salem Hospital Campus, building D, 939 Oak Street

To register: Call 503-814-2432 (CHEC) or register online.

Oregon’s QRIS is an integral part of the Governor’s 40/40/20 plan that aims for a 100% high school graduation rate by the year 2025. Developing high quality early learning programs throughout the state is seen as an essential element to reaching that goal. Read More

Based on the largest-ever survey of U.S. companies, Workplace Dynamics, LLP has named Teaching Research Institute (TRI) as one of the top workplaces in Oregon for 2014. In the category of not-for-profit organizations with fewer than 150 employees, TRI made the list of the top 45 (ranking at 33).

Gary Glasenapp Presents on QRIS in Columbia County

Child care providers, Head Start staff, and early intervention and early childhood special education providers attended an Oct. 4 training to learn more about Oregon’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and supporting children with disabilities. Gary Glasenapp, from Western Oregon University’s Teaching Research Institute, presented QRIS and how it addresses supporting children with disabilities (and their families) in family- and center-based care and education programs. See local coverage.

The 2013 National Child Count of Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind, published by the National Center on Deaf-Blindness in September 2014.

The Center on Educator Preparation and Effectiveness (CEPE) was recently awarded two Oregon Department of Transportation grants totaling $415,000 to increase the number of qualified driver education instructors in Oregon. The grants will focus on coordinating traffic safety education classes, certifying over 300 driver education instructors, and providing support for curriculum, policy and a web presence.

In addition, the $415,000 will be used to plan and host the annual Pacific Northwest Driver & Traffic Safety regional conference and revise the curriculum which is used to teach teens in driver education classes, candidate instructors in TSE classes and online continuing education courses offered by Chemeketa Community College. 

TRI is excited to welcome new staff members.

Kathleen McDonnell has joined TRI's Center on Early Learning as an Early Childhood Specialist.  Kathleen comes to TRI from the OSU Child Development Center where she was Acting Director during the summer months. She earned a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Oregon State University and an Oregon Initial Teaching License with an ESOL endorsement in Early Childhood/Elementary. Kathleen has both U.S. and international teaching experience focusing on special needs and disadvantaged students. Her academic interests include mathematics, science, English, geography, and reading. She has been a teacher and a guest lecturer in early childhood development and education courses at Oregon State University.

Patricia Blasco, Ph.D., will serve as the Principal Investigator in a collaboration between TRI and the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to study the effects of low birth weight on the development of executive function in the first three years of life.

Executive Function (EF) is the collection of mental processes in the brain that allows for self-regulation, working memory, attention, and organization and planning, all necessary skills for school-readiness.

“To date, there is no single comprehensive measure of executive functioning for children ages 6 months to three years,” says Dr. Blasco. “In fact, many studies of EF in the Low Birth Weight (LBW) population have been retrospective once the child is school-age and already experiences learning difficulties. If EF deficits are identified earlier in life, interventions can be put in place earlier to bolster skills and buffer deficits, leading to better success in school and day-to-day activities.”
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Drs. Carol Leitschuh and Patti Blasco presented on Early Motor Development at Chemeteka Community College on November 5, 2014, to an Early Childhood class. . . .

Dr. Ketcham is joining the Evaluation & Research Group (ERGo) working on projects that intersect higher education and K-12 education. She has authored and co-authored numerous publications including “Development and Psychometric Properties of a Theory-Guided Prescription Stimulant Misuse Questionnaire for College Students” in Drug & Alcohol Dependence (2014), “Illicit use of prescription stimulants in a college sample” in Drug & Alcohol Dependence (2013) and “Assessing the Climate for Overweight/Obese Students in a Student Health Setting” in American Journal of College Health (2009). Pat currently serves as the chair of the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment Advisory Committee and is the past-President of the American College Health Association.

Pat received her Ph.D. in Public Health from Oregon State University. She comes to TRI from OSU’s Student Health Services where she served as the Associate Director of Health Promotion.

When TRI hired Hannah Anonson to be part of the Center on Early Learning, we knew she brought with her a wealth of firsthand experiences working with Child Care providers. Hannah's time coordinating the Focus Family Child Care Network in Yamhill County allowed her the opportunity to understand the day-to-day challenges and successes of providing care and nurturing to Oregon's youngest residents. Her experience and knowledge now benefits Child Care providers across the state through Oregon's QRIS and Central Coordination of the CCR&R - run through the Center on Early Learning at TRI.

The theme for the 2014 Center on Early Learning Fall Conference was "Early Learning System: Stronger Together." The event, which was held in October at the Western Oregon University campus, focused on the partnerships in early learning and child care across Oregon, from the state level all the way to individual child care programs. Attendees included 121 early learning professionals, 26 early learning agencies/organizations, and 45 presenters and session leaders.

The opening key note speech was delivered by Megan Irwin, acting director of the Early Learning Division of the Oregon Department of Education. During the two day event, participants attended a number of sessions conducted by presenters from multiple state, local and private agencies that all aim to improve the care and education of young children in Oregon.

Watch videos from the conference here...

Online parent training: The role of interveners in educational settings, written by Patti McGowan and Peggy Malloy,  describes an online training effort for parents and families. The training, co-sponsored by the National Family Association for Deaf-Blind and the National Center on Deaf-blindness, is on the role of interveners in educational settings. 

Using evidence-based strategies and technical assistance to improve identification of infants and toddlers with combined vision and hearing loss was written by Barbara Purvis and Mark Schalock. This article describes the work of the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) to increase the numbers of children birth through two years old identified as having both vision and hearing loss, improve understanding about how such a loss impacts early learning and ensure that children are referred for appropriate early intervention and family support services as soon as possible. Read more...

Congratulations to the team for raising $115 in sponsorships!

The National Center on Deaf-Blindness will host a live Deaf-Blind Summit meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 21-22, 2015. The tentative meeting location is Salt Lake City, UT.

A planning committee, including representatives from several Deaf-Blind Projects, will assist in crafting an agenda that offers an opportunity for identification and implementation of concrete strategies for moving our National Deaf-Blind TA Network forward toward improved service for children and youth who are deaf-blind. Planning will begin early in 2015.

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Ayres from the Education Evaluation Center (EEC) at TRI for receiving a WOU Skunkworks award in collaboration with the Office of Disability Services (ODS) here at Western. What is skunkworks? A skunkworks (also known as Skunk Works) is a small group of people who work on a project in an unconventional way. The group's purpose is to develop something quickly with minimal management constraints.

Funding from this award will enable the EEC and ODS to develop, field test, refine and implement a screening and referral protocol for WOU students who are struggling academically and are concerned they may have a learning disorder. The evaluation services which are currently provided on campus through the Education Evaluation Center help students with diagnosis and obtaining support services from the Office of Disability Services. The aim of this protocol is to impact student’s persisting in their efforts to complete their academic goals by supporting students before they fail academically.

For Additional information on the EEC see: http://teachingresearchinstitute.org/blog/post/38

Over 250 driver education instructors from throughout the Pacific Northwest will be attending the 2015 PacNW Driver & Traffic Safety Conference in Portland on February 27-28 and March 1. TRI’s Traffic Safety Education program organizes the conference and co-hosts it with the Transportation Safety Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The conference features keynote sessions by nationally acclaimed speakers and numerous workshops and presentations by regional experts in driver and traffic safety education. Attendees will gain new information and insights on topics pertinent to the field, interact and exchange ideas with fellow driver education professionals, and earn continuing education credits toward renewing their certification. The 3-day conference offers opportunities for professional growth as well as time for networking with colleagues throughout the region. More.

The Teaching Research Child Development Center (CDC) was awarded $250 to continue providing an inclusive and culturally and linguistically responsive environment for all children, families, CDC staff, University faculty, staff, students, and volunteers.  

The award money will be used to purchase new materials such as children's books in the four different languages spoken by children in the program.  In addition, the program will replace outdated materials such as dolls and play kitchen items to reflect authentic, non-stereotypical roles.

The children, families, and staff of the CDC wish to thank the University Diversity Committee at WOU for allocating grant funds toward achieving our goals of an inclusive and welcoming environment.

The Research Institute at Western Oregon University, in partnership with the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), has begun recruiting babies, age 6-8 months, born low birth weight and those born full term. These babies and their families will participate in a study on Executive Function in infants and toddlers born Low Birth Weight (LBW). Here's the recruitment information.

"It is so exciting to have cutting-edge research happening at TRI," says Dr. Ella Taylor, Director of TRI. "Since it was founded, more than 50 years ago, TRI has conducted research studies that have dramatically changed the face of education in America." For example, Dr. Edward Palmer's research on what holds the attention of pre-school children to television, that took place at TRI back in the 1960s and 70s, became the foundation for the Children's Television Workshop that created Sesame Street. “This new study on Executive Function in babies born Low Birth Weight has the potential to transform the field as Dr. Palmer's research did in education,” Dr. Taylor stated.

TRI's Robyn Lopez Melton (QRIS Coordinator) and the work being done through TRI's Center on Early Learning, are featured in an Oregonlive article that reflects on the first full year of Oregon's Quality Rating and Improvement System.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Oregon has devoted just two full-time employees to the system and is keeping other administrative costs down by having providers submit portfolios, instead of sending observers to each site. Teaching Research Institute staff say this approach has earned them national recognition.

"'We have a small amount of money to spend on this," said Robyn Lopez Melton, QRIS coordinator at Western Oregon. "We want to make sure that most of that money goes to the programs that are serving children.'"

To read the Oregonlive article online, click here.

21^st Century Community Learning Centers (CLCs) give students in high-poverty and low-performing schools the support they need to be successful in school and life. The before and after school programs help students by providing one-on-one adult support as well as a wide range of group activities in areas such as reading, math, and science. In addition, the programs offer literacy and other educational services to families.

TRI proudly announces the Center on Research, Evaluation & Analysis (CREA), formerly the Evaluation Research Group office (ERGo). The new name reflects a more defined and robust mission to conduct research and evaluation studies that are rigorous and successful, and provide useful, timely, and accurate results, reports, and materials.

“We are very excited about this change and feel it better reflects the work and services we offer,” said Dr. Sybille Guy, CREA’s director.

The 11 CREA team members represent a wide range of educational backgrounds and research experience, as well as a large and growing number of publications. The team brings experience and expertise to a variety of content areas, supporting work within TRI and with outside clients and projects. Learn more about what CREA has to offer.

Thanks to the support and guidance of the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), TRI’s Education Evaluation Center (EEC) has, for more than 50 years, conducted comprehensive assessments of Oregon students referred to the EEC because of concerns that they may have a learning disorder. The EEC's approach to these assessments includes viewing the student within her or his context, both at school and at home. For culturally and linguistically diverse students in particular, it is critical that their diverse contexts be considered when determining if they have a learning disorder.

Hannah joins us from the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency where she served as a Focused Family Child Care Network Coordinator.  

She is a WOU alumni having graduated with a BA in geography with a minor in communication.  Hannah has experience as a classroom assistant and substitute teacher at the Corvallis Montessori School.  

Western Oregon University's Division of Teacher Education (in coordination with Teaching Research Institute and the Project High Five Grant) is pleased to welcome award-winning children's author, Monica Brown, for an evening workshop on April 9, 2015 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Monica will speak about her writing and work, through the lens of examining social justice issues in children's literature.  Workshop attendees will also have opportunities to examine multiple international and multicultural children's literature titles and consider ways for integrating such literature in the classroom and at home. Classroom teachers, librarians, parents, and readers are all welcome to attend.  

Spanish translation services will be provided.  A select number of Monica's books will be available for purchase at the event.  An author signing will follow the evening's events. Please see the attached flyer for further details.

On February 16, 2015, just two weeks after her arrival at TRI, I sat down with Dr. Linda McDowell to learn about the woman who now serves as the Director of TRI's Center on Deaf-Blindness (CDB). Housed within the Center on Deaf-Blindness are the Oregon Deaf-Blind Project and the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB). Included in her position as Director of TRI's CDB is the responsibility of serving as Executive Director of NCDB - which coordinates and serves deaf-blind projects in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Island nations.It was fascinating to learn how she found her passion in the field of Deaf-Blindness.

It was fascinating to learn how she found her passion in the field of Deaf-Blindness.

Here is the 16-minute video interview with Dr. McDowell. Below the video, you will find a full transcript of the interview, for those who prefer to read the content, and the video is Closed Captioned. Please help us welcome Dr. McDowell. Enjoy!

Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children (OAEYC) has honored TRI's Robyn Lopez Melton with an invitation to deliver the Saturday Keynote at their Spring Conference (April 17 and 18) at Lane Community College in Eugene. The keynote is titled, "Eyes on the I - Exploring the role of Improvement in QRIS." According to the OAEYC website: The I in QRIS isn’t just for programs, Oregon’s Quality Rating and Improvement System is continually working on its own Quality Improvement Plan, written by you. Join Robyn Lopez Melton, Coordinator for Oregon’s QRIS at The Research Institute at Western Oregon University in exploring how program participation has influenced the QRIS and how continued engagement in the improvement process is essential to the future success of our QRIS. Ms. Lopez Melton will facilitate an interactive discussion with a panel of QRIS programs focused on the most essential component of the QRIS, Improvement.

Jennie has been involved in community volunteer work for 20 years and is currently working in the morning at Monmouth Elementary School as a classroom aide. 

The Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children (OAEYC) honored TRI's Robyn Lopez Melton with an invitation to deliver the keynote speech at their Spring Conference on April 18^th. Robyn serves as the director of Oregon’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS).

Her speech, "Eyes on the I - Exploring the role of Improvement in QRIS" stressed the focus on continuous improvement that belongs to both the child care programs participating in the QRIS process as well as the project itself. Oregon’s Quality Rating and Improvement System is continually working on its own Quality Improvement Plan, with the help of feedback from partners and participants.

Robyn Lopez Melton also facilitated an interactive discussion with a panel of three child care program directors who had successfully gone through the QRIS process. The panel described their experiences, including both the challenges and the rewards of becoming QRIS programs.

How Massage Can Help Children with Autism

Chances are, you know someone who has a child with Autism. In fact, the number of new cases has almost doubled in the past 20 years, from 1 in 150 children born in 1992 to 1 in 68 children born in 2002.

Many parents fear they might never get to hug their child again. They fear that their child will live a lonely life, and may have to suffer from the negative side effects of necessary medications.

For many families, message therapy can bring surprising results – and a new sense of hope.

TRI Child Development Center (TRI-CDC) was awarded a $50,000 grant by the Ford Family Foundation to assist in creating an infant/toddler child development center in collaboration with the Central School District (CSD), Polk County Family & Community Outreach, and Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency Early Head Start (EHS). The grant award will support the renovation of a building owned by the Central School District to create a model early learning center primarily for teen parents and their children ages 6 weeks to three years. TRI-CDC will provide expert early childhood professionals to ensure the development of an inclusive, high quality, nurturing environment for young children.

The Learn - Grow - Thrive Conference

TRI is a proud co-sponsor of the Learn - Grow - Thrive Conference, May 30, 2015, on the campus of Western Oregon University. This free event is for parents, caregivers, and early childhood professionals. Free child care will be provided.

Morning Session: 9am to 12:30pm - Parenting skills and early learning workshops for parents, caregivers, and child care providers in both English and Spanish with FREE Child Care (8am to 12:30pm)

FREE Lunch
12:30pm

Afternoon Session: 1pm to 3pm - Enjoy fun activities with your family while connecting with various resources throughout Marion and Polk counties at the Build Family Fun Activity & Resource Fair.

The goal of this federally funded project is to improve the outcomes of students in before and after-school programs by providing academic enrichment in core academic areas such as reading, science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, in addition to services such as counseling, parent education, recreation, and drug and violence prevention. TRI has partnered with ODE to provide technical assistance, training, and web-based support for 21st CCLC programs throughout the state.

“It’s important in my work to continually be connected to what teachers are doing in K-12 schools,” she said.

According to the May 6, 2015 article in the Polk County Itemizer-Observer, "Thomas Gentle, for whom the endowment is named, came to Western’s campus more than 100 years ago to revitalize the teacher preparation program, and built programs and a faculty committed to excellence in this area."

We at TRI are very excited for Marie, and congratulate her on the well deserved honor.

When you think of New Orleans in June, you might imagine jazz saxophones being played on the street corners and great seafood soaked in butter. In early June, 2015, another kind of rich experience filled the air of The Big Easy – the voices and experiences of early childhood education professionals from across the country.

The NAEYC* 2015 National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development gathered together the most cutting-edge, creative thinkers in the field of early childhood education, and TRI was proud to have provided seven of those voices.

(*National Association for the Education of Young Children)

TRI’s Robyn Lopez Melton received another national honor, and we at TRI couldn’t be prouder.

Last year, Robyn was appointed to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Nominating Panel, to help this nationally recognized organization choose its leadership for the next three years. Now, Robyn has been recognized by Exchange Press as an Exceptional Emerging Leader in the field of early childhood education.

A dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Thursday, June 25, on the property of the Central School District – 1601 Monmouth Street in Independence.

The Research Institute (TRI), in partnership with the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), is hosting the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) 2015 Fall Conference at Western Oregon University on November 19th and 20th.

The conference theme is "Meeting Every Student's Needs", and the keynote speaker is Heidi Sipe, superintendent of Umatilla School District, who will address culturally respectful family and community engagement. Representatives from 22 school districts across Oregon will be attending this bi-annual conference at the Werner University Center, engaging in a variety of professional development activities, including Facilitated Networking Discussions, Program Planning, and Breakout Sessions on a variety of topics.