OPB’s First Look: Quality and quantity

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Good morning, Northwest.

Oregon has gotten a lot of attention for its relatively short school year.

As another one begins, some educators are focused on getting kids to school and ensuring high-quality instructional time when they get there. OPB education reporter Elizabeth Miller has the story to start today’s newsletter.

Also this morning, a worsening botulism outbreak in the Klamath Basin brought together disparate water users to help ailing birds.

Here’s your First Look at Tuesday’s news.

— Bradley W. Parks

Top story

The length of Oregon’s school year isn’t everything. Why attendance and instruction matter too

Gov. Tina Kotek’s executive order to keep school districts from cutting school days earlier this year shined a light on Oregon’s short school year.

But education advocates say instructional time is just one key to helping students succeed.

They point out two other critical components: getting students to come to school and making sure they get high-quality instruction in class.

They’ve been the focus for some teachers as another Oregon school year begins. (Elizabeth Miller)

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3 things to know

• Nearly 14,000 birds have died in a Klamath Basin botulism outbreak this year, prompting cooperation and renewed interest from competing groups in creating a long-term water strategy. (Juliet Grable, JPR)
• For decades, Idaho laws have allowed parents who belong to the Followers of Christ and other faith-healing sects to pray rather than seek medical care. Since 2015, at least 15 children have died of treatable conditions. (Audrey Dutton, ProPublica)
• Washington state officials are keeping a longstanding program seen as vital to parents of children with developmental disabilities but cutting its funding, ending weeks of unease about its future. (Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard)

Northwest headlines

• Oregon, Washington plan to defend in-state tuition for immigrant students (Tiffany Camhi, OPB; Noel Gasca and Sami West, KUOW)
• Drain farmstand hopes to provide fresh option in ‘food desert’ (Hannah Bush, KLCC)
• RCC plans Southern Oregon manufacturing training hub (Peyton Gast, JPR)
• The Plaza brings new businesses, community space to downtown Corvallis (Macy Moore, KLCC)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• OSU’s master gardener program has provided gardening advice throughout the state since 1976
• Journalist shares perspectives from Josephine County residents living with hazardous wildfire smoke
• Wave energy testing facility opens off Oregon Coast near Newport

One more look

Coastal Oregon landowners aid conservation efforts for endangered butterfly

The Oregon silverspot butterfly is a relatively large, orange and black butterfly with silvery patches on the undersides of its wings.

It’s also threatened.

That’s why staff at the Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District have been working to increase its habitat for five years, said Executive Director Tyler Clouse. But the work isn’t easy.

“During the larval stage, they only eat the early blue violet,” Clouse said. “And they can eat about 100 leaves, each larva. So they need a lot of blue violets and good density. Unfortunately, to keep that habitat and to keep those violets, you need a lot of management.” (Karen Richards, KLCC)

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Subscribe to OPB’s First Look to receive Northwest news in your inbox six days a week.