ORS 329.846 Statewide education plan for students who are asylum seekers, refugees or other immigrants; advisory group; report; grants; rules

As used in this section, “plan student” means a student enrolled in early childhood through post-secondary education who:

Is an asylum seeker, a refugee or any other immigrant, regardless of status and as identified by the State Board of Education by rule; and

Has experienced disproportionate results in education due to historical practices, as identified by the State Board of Education by rule.

The Department of Education shall develop and implement a statewide education plan for plan students.

The Department of Education shall form an advisory group consisting of:

Plan students;

Parents or legal guardians of plan students;

Educators who work with plan students; and

Individuals who work with plan students and who may represent:

Rural populations;

Asylum populations;

Refugee populations;

Immigrant populations;

Multilingual populations;

English language learner populations;

Populations with special learning needs;

Populations who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, intersex, asexual, nonbinary or another minority gender identity or sexual orientation;

Community-based organizations serving youth and families that are asylum seekers, refugees or immigrants; and

Education stakeholders, including representatives of the Department of Early Learning and Care, the Youth Development Division and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

The advisory group formed as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection shall advise the Department of Education regarding:

Development and implementation of the plan;

Eligibility criteria, applicant selection processes and expectations for recipients of grant awards described in this section; and

Adoption of rules by the State Board of Education for the implementation of the plan.

The plan developed under this section must address:

The disparities experienced by plan students in every indicator of academic success, as documented by the statewide report card and other relevant reports related to plan students;

The historical practices leading to disproportionate outcomes for plan students; and

The educational needs of plan students from early childhood through post-secondary education as determined by examining culturally responsive best practices in this state and across the nation.

The plan developed and implemented under this section must provide strategies to:

Increase parental engagement in the education of plan students;

Increase the engagement of plan students in educational activities before and after regular school hours;

Increase early childhood education and kindergarten readiness for plan students;

Improve literacy and numeracy levels among plan students;

Support plan student transitions to elementary and middle school and through the middle school and high school grades to maintain and improve academic performance;

Support culturally responsive pedagogy and practices from early childhood through post-secondary education;

Support the development of culturally responsive curricula from early childhood through post-secondary education;

Increase attendance of plan students in early childhood education through post-secondary education by creating affirming and welcoming environments;

Increase attendance of plan students in community colleges and professional certification programs;

Increase attendance of plan students in four-year post-secondary institutions of education; and

Align the plan with other statewide education plans developed and implemented by the Department of Education.

The Department of Education shall submit a biennial report concerning the progress of the plan developed and implemented under this section to a committee of the Legislative Assembly related to education at each even-numbered year regular session of the Legislative Assembly.

The Department of Education, in consultation with the advisory group, shall award grants to Early Learning Hubs, providers of early learning services, school districts, education service districts, post-secondary institutions of education, tribal governments or community-based organizations to implement the strategies provided in the plan developed and implemented under this section.

A grant may be awarded to any of the entities identified in paragraph (a) of this subsection or to collaborative partnerships among the entities.

A grant may not be awarded to a community-based organization that has a representative on the advisory group established under subsection (2)(b) of this section.

To qualify for and receive a grant described in this section, an applicant must identify and demonstrate that the applicant meets the eligibility criteria established by the State Board of Education by rule.