April 22, 2015 Update

Oregon Traffic Safety Education Teachers Get Certified 

by Taylor Leech 

Beginning in January 2015, three groups of new candidate instructors (in Oregon City, Redmond, and White City) eagerly awaited the first day of their Traffic Safety Education classes. For ten weeks, the instructors-in-training attended a series of in-class, online, and behind the wheel trainings. 

Upon completion of their training this past March, fifteen instructors emerged as Oregon Department of Transportation, Traffic Safety Division-approved driver education instructors. 

Once graduates are certified, they are given two years to complete fifteen continuing education hours before re-certification. The 2015 Pacific Northwest Driver and Traffic Safety Conference provided a perfect opportunity for these new instructors, along with other TSD-approved instructors, to gain fourteen of their education hours if they attended all three days. 

Aaron East and Bonnie Morihara of The Research Institute's Traffic Safety Eduction Program organized the event and co-hosted it with the Oregon Department of Transportation, Transportation Safety Division. 

Read more. . .

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My Long Journey to the Answer, Part 3: Why Should it Have to Take Courage?

by Carol Dennis 

I've had a full month to digest the report that came out of my learning assessment at the Education Evaluation Center (EEC). That time has been filled with questions, self-reflection, and new insights. 

There were so many thoughts going through my mind all at once. I'll try to sort them out and put them into words... 

It was a funny process, more than twenty years ago, to get to the point of surrendering to the idea that I needed glasses. But no one told me how brave I was to get my eyes examined and to wear glasses in public. Why should finding out I need extra time to do exams or reading assignments, and then sharing that, take courage? What is it in our culture that makes it so scary to admit that we are less than perfect and might need help with some things? 

I have always been taught that it is human to be less than perfect, yet we are afraid to show our humanness for fear of -- what? Why should it take courage to admit we have limitations? This is the question I'm left with. 

Read more. . .

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Robyn Lopez Melton Delivers Keynote Speech at OAEYC Conference 

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. 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. 

Read more. . . 

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TRI Welcomes Jennie Smith 

TRI welcomes Jennie Smith, who will work part-time in the Grants Management Office. Jennie previously worked in the Western Oregon University Business Office and Payroll Office. She comes to TRI with 16 years of accounting experience, including three years of grant management. 

Read more. . .

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QRIS Data Facts

Oregon's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) is a program designed to raise the quality and consistency of early learning programs across the state. The system provides a framework that helps child care programs improve their quality, and also serves as a reference tool for parents looking for early learning and care options. 

Each month, TRI staff compile the QRIS Data Facts. This report is designed to make important QRIS data available to the public, and to provide updates on the QRIS process evaluation being conducted at the Teaching Research Institute. 

View the QRIS Data Facts. . . 

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Mentoring Program Fast Facts 

Oregon is committed to an educational system that recruits and retains educators of the highest quality in order to provide all children with effective teachers and administrators. The Beginning Teacher and Administrator Mentoring Program was established in Oregon in 2007 and expanded in 2013. It is administered by the Center on Educator Preparation & Effectiveness at TRI. 

The Fast Facts provide a monthly snapshot into the impact of the Mentoring Program. This report is based on data collected, summarized, and analyzed from various dara sources, including annual surveys sent to six groups involved with the school district mentoring programs. 

View the Fast Facts. . .

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