Learning With Less
OPB's Rob Manning reports on the challenges faced by parents, teachers and students in an era of budget cuts.
Learning With Less: Beaverton Teachers Weather 'Domino Effect'
OPB | Nov. 08, 2012 6:46 a.m.
After the Beaverton school district cut $37 million from the budget this year, officials triggered a massive domino effect when 365 teachers were moved.
Learning With Less: Making Computer Classes More Than A 'Parking Lot'
OPB | Oct. 16, 2012 5:58 a.m.
Rob Manning explores how the state's third largest district is teaching technology skills to 20,000 children without turning computer classes into "parking lots."
Successful Seniors Start Out As Playful Preschoolers
Sept. 27, 2012 7:25 p.m.
Oregon’s latest education reform effort is focused on making sure all seniors in the Class of 2025 graduate from high school. Those are today’s kindergartners.
Beaverton Teachers Have More To Complain About Than Class Size
Oct. 15, 2012 6 a.m.
Oregon's third largest district slashed 340 jobs last spring. Teachers wound up in new classrooms teaching different courses. But those weren't the only big changes.
Learning With Less: Keeping The Spotlight On Education
OPB | Sept. 17, 2012 5:01 p.m.
A new superintendent talks about keeping the spotlight on education despite year after year of funding cuts.
Learning With Less: Rising Pension Costs Worry Lawmakers, Retirees
Aug. 30, 2012 10:58 p.m.
In the latest installment of our series, Rob Manning takes a closer look at a key cause of rising education costs: teacher pensions.
Summer's Slide Puts Kids Behind When School Starts Again
OPB | July 16, 2012 11 p.m.
It’s been more than a month since most Oregon students have sat down in a public school classroom. Time away from the classroom brings what some have called the "summer slide."
Learning With Less: At Some Point It Just Means Less Learning
OPB | June 13, 2012 5:14 a.m.
Rob Manning explores what happens when the state's "lower funding" meets "higher expectations" for public education.
Learning With Less: Many Stories, One School Year
OPB | June 13, 2011 3:37 a.m.
How do budget cuts to education play out for schools, teachers, students and administrators? Reporter Rob Manning has been tracking teachers, students, and administrators over the course of the 2011-12 school year to highlight the challenges (and in some cases, opportunities) that come with statewide budget cuts.
Learning With Less: A Look At The Numbers
OPB | June 11, 2012 3:56 a.m.
Here's the total amount of education funding provided by the state of Oregon from 2001-2012.
Learning With Less: A Family Struggles With Cutbacks And Finances
OPB | May 21, 2012 11 p.m.
All this school year, OPB has been tracking a few teachers, families, and administrators in a series we’re called “Learning With Less.” As the end of the school year approaches, districts and parents alike are looking at budget cuts for next fall.
Learning With Less: How The 'Domino Effect' Helped One Teacher
OPB | April 26, 2012 11:03 p.m.
In our Learning with Less series, Rob Manning catches up with one teacher we've been following for the last year and recaps the budget situations in several of the state's districts.
Learning With Less: Schools Try Fees To Balance Budgets
OPB | March 23, 2012 10:03 a.m.
As families pack up for Spring Break this weekend, are kids taking their homework? How about a basketball? Or trumpet? Sports and bands are part of school, and part of school budgets.
Learning With Less: Can Teachers Afford To Assign Essays?
OPB | Feb. 22, 2012 11:05 a.m.
Many Oregon high school teachers found themselves in a bind, recently, as first semester ended. The problem? Teachers have more students, and tight deadlines to get grades in. Today, OPB's "Learning with Less" series asks this question: should teachers still require long essays, that take a long time to grade?
Learning With Less: As Tests Grow In Importance, Do Students Improve?
OPB | Feb. 21, 2012 8:19 a.m.
Oregon's governor is pushing a bill this legislative session that could put even greater emphasis on graduation rates and test scores. Some education advocates say schools are already focusing too much on tests, in response to shrinking resources.
Learning With Less: Making The Best Of Free Time
OPB | Jan. 26, 2012 1:12 p.m.
When Oregon school districts cut their budgets for this school year, it was generally understood that larger class sizes and fewer elective options would result. But some consequences were less obvious.
Learning With Less: Too Small, Too Big, Schools Seeking 'Just Right'
OPB | Nov. 30, 2011 7:08 a.m.
OPB's series on school budget cuts called "Learning with Less," has introduced us to educators, students, and families adjusting to bigger classes in the public schools. But dealing with budget cuts is complicated.
Learning With Less: Even Teachers Want To Spend Less Time On Homework
OPB | Nov. 17, 2011 10 p.m.
Budget cuts to education have meant fewer teachers. That means classes packed with more students. And all those students are handing in homework –- that teachers need to review.
Learning With Less: As Schools Cut Back, Parents Step In
OPB | Sept. 27, 2011 11 p.m.
Oregon schools have cut back teachers and programs in the wake of state budget reductions. OPB is tracing the effect those cuts are having in a series we're calling "Learning with Less."
Learning With Less: Families Feel Pain Of Budget Cuts
OPB | Sept. 14, 2011 11 p.m.
Oregon's teachers and principals are not the only ones adjusting to leaner school budgets, this fall. The changes have a direct effect on students – and their parents.
Learning With Less: Fewer Teachers Times More Students Equals Many Changes
OPB | Sept. 12, 2011 9:09 a.m.
Schools across Oregon are running classrooms with tighter budgets, as the new school year starts. Over the course of the year, OPB is looking at what effect budget cuts are having in the classroom. We're calling our series "Learning with Less."
Beaverton Schools Push Reforms With Reduced Funds
OPB | Dec. 04, 2012 5 a.m.
Despite dozens of layoffs and a $37 million budget gap this school year, the Beaverton School District is still pushing ahead with academic reforms.
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