The Oregon School Administrator

As we conclude the short special session of the Oregon Legislature, I want to extend deep appreciation to our extraordinary COSA Policy and Advocacy Team—Parasa Chanramy and Morgan Allen—for their steady, strategic leadership on behalf of Oregon’s education leaders. Their work during this fast-moving session ensured that the voices of school and district leaders were present, informed, and influential. In particular, the Legislative Advocacy Day they coordinated in partnership with our education partners brought nearly 100 Oregon education leaders to Salem to engage directly with lawmakers. Your presence, your stories, and your expertise continue to elevate the conversation about what Oregon students need and deserve.

As we look ahead to April, we will begin the important work of shaping and prioritizing our advocacy platform in clear 1-, 3-, and 5-year increments. This next phase will focus on sequencing the work—identifying what must happen now, what can be built over the next biennium, and what longer-term structural changes are required to truly transform our system. We will prioritize actions that are bold, student-centered, and achievable, while remaining grounded in the realities of Oregon’s fiscal and policy landscape. Our aim is coherence, clarity, and collective impact.

This work is grounded in what we heard from nearly 400 COSA leaders across 12 regions during our fall meetings when we asked, “What would it take to make Oregon’s public K–12 system the best in the country?”

Ten clear priorities emerged:

1. Astable, multi-year North Star vision for Oregon’s education system;

2. A deep commitment to high-quality instruction;

3. A modern and consistent system for measuring student achievement;

4. A coherent statewide professional learning structure;

5. Multiple pathways for teacher preparation programs;

6. Stable and responsive funding;

7. Adequate funding and support for special education;

8. Comprehensive behavioral and mental health supports;

9. High-quality early learning for all;

10. A redesigned and coherent statewide system.

These are not abstract ideas—they are the lived realities and professional judgments of Oregon’s leaders.

Together, we will translate these 10 priorities into an actionable roadmap that moves Oregon steadily toward becoming the best public education system in the country

The 2026 Legislative Session is scheduled to wrap up on March 8th, 2026. Once the session officially wraps, we will co-author a 2026 Legislative Report with our colleagues at OSBA that summarizes all of the key bills that passed that will impact students and schools. Be on the lookout for that report in April.

On February 17th, we co-organized an Education Advocacy Day at the Capitol with our partners at OSBA, OAESD, and OASBO.

Over 75 students, principals, business managers, administrators and superintendents traveled from all over the state to Salem to meet with lawmakers and their staff. They shared their stories about how potential state budget cuts would impact students, schools, and communities. They urged lawmakers to tap the Education Stability Fund to prevent cuts to critical services and programs that serve students across our state.

Our collective advocacy leading up to – and throughout – this session is making a difference.

Shortly after session wraps, the COSA Policy and Advocacy Team will send out a quick email summarizing key bills and budgets to be aware of to all superintendents, and COSA board and executive committee members.

Thank you again for your continued advocacy, leadership, and service for Oregon students.

Join us for the last installment of the HR Leaders Convening with opportunities to breakout into sessions on:

• Leave Management in the Real World
• Progressive Discipline Without Regret
• Bargaining & Union Dynamics That Don’t Drain You
• RIFs, Right-Sizing & Staffing Reality

There's still time to register for the 2026 Multilingual and English Learner Conference! With keynotes from National Teacher of the Year, Juliana Urtubey and nationally recognized author Olivia Abtahi, plus student performances from Woodburn Mariachi, you won't want to miss this event.

This year, you'll find new ways to engage authentically through bilingual strands of breakout sessions, a virtual participation option and more.

Join us as we collectively and unwaveringly lead for multilingual learners.

Date: March 10

Time: 2:00 PM PST

Click here for Zoom Link

Attendance Starts with Belonging: Using SEL to Strengthen School Climate and District Outcomes

Rista Plate, Assistant Director of Research and Learning at CASEL, and Kyla Krengel, the Director of SEL Implementation at CASEL.

Session Description: Chronic absenteeism remains a pressing challenge for districts nationwide, with significant implications for student learning. This session explores the research linking attendance, social and emotional learning (SEL), and school climate, highlighting why attendance is not just a logistical issue but a culture issue. We will share evidence-based strategies that districts can use to strengthen school climate through SEL and, in turn, improve attendance. Participants will leave with practical insights for aligning SEL efforts with attendance goals.

Presenters:

Rista Plate, PhD, is the Assistant Director of Research and Learning at CASEL. She earned her PhD in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work at CASEL bridges research, policy, and practice to show how evidence-based social and emotional learning can address real challenges and create meaningful, lasting change in student outcomes.

Kyla Krengel is the Director of SEL Implementation at CASEL, where she partners with districts, states, and organizations to advance high-quality, systemic social and emotional learning. She previously served as Director of Social and Emotional Learning for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and has worked as a teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, and national trainer. Kyla holds degrees in sociology, elementary education, and educational leadership and is passionate about advancing learning environments where all students thrive.

This will be a valuable opportunity to learn about current research and practice in improving the sense of belonging that results in improved attendance.

Hosted by Doris Bowman, M.S., Director of Professional Learning & Public Engagement and Rick Bowman, M.A., Director of Systemic Coaching and Strategic Consultation of Bowman Consulting, COSA is excited to offer a 3 part series tailored specifically for Oregon education leaders.

Administrators are navigating rising behavior escalation in general education settings and increasing OTIS investigations — often without clear legal guidance or practical tools. This series brings neuroscience, Oregon restraint/seclusion law, and evidence-based de-escalation strategies together in one cohesive learning experience. Participants will leave informed and equipped with compliant crisis protocols, staff training plans, and practical techniques they can implement immediately.

To meet the needs of busy leaders, participants may register for the Virtual Series Only (two 90-minute online sessions), the Seaside Integration Day Only (a full in-person implementation workshop), or the Full Series Package, which includes all sessions plus materials and bonus resources.

Whether attending virtually, in person, or both, administrators can choose the level of engagement that best fits their schedule and district needs — while ensuring access to aligned, practical support.

Series Dates:

• March 16 (virtual 4-5:30 pm PST)
• April 13 (virtual, 4-5:30pm PST)
• June 17 (in-person at Seaside Conference 8:30am - 3:45pm PST)

COSA partners with OSBA to feature good news in the OREd newsfeed. Have a story you'd like to share? Send it to communications@osba.org and use #OregonStrong in the subject line.

Here's what you missed last month:

• St. Helens School District: Early Learning Family Night Brings Learning, Creativity, and Community Together
• Northwest Regional Education Service District: Play, Explore, Connect: Free Sensory Playtimes for Families in Hillsboro
• Central Point School District: The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education features Central Point Elementary’s work teaching reading
• St. Helens School District: St. Helens celebrates increasing its graduation rate more than 12 percentage points
• Tigard-Tualatin School District: Glad You’re Here campaign celebrates strong attendance
• Umatilla School District: Umatilla High School Receives $8,000 Grant from the Wildhorse Foundation to Expand Student Journalism Program
• North Bend School District: North Bend High School Students Launch 'Hesperia' Mini-Boat on International Scientific Voyage
• Milton-Freewater School District: Diversity is one of the pillars of Milton-Freewater’s strategic plan. The McLoughlin High School Perspective
• South Umpqua School District: South Umpqua Future Farmers of America partners with Food for All to support local families
• Gervais School District: Gervais High School Shines at University of Oregon Media Day
• InterMountain Education Service District: Regional TSA Event Highlights Student Leadership and Career-Ready Skills

COSA, in partnership with Lexia, is proud to spotlight Science of Reading Week — a statewide opportunity to elevate what’s working in early literacy across Oregon.

The Science of Reading reflects decades of interdisciplinary research in cognitive science, linguistics, and education. It emphasizes explicit, systematic instruction in foundational skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension — ensuring that every student has access to evidence-based literacy practices grounded in data and proven research.

This week is not about a specific curriculum. It’s about celebrating strong instruction, highlighting district leadership, and sharing how schools are aligning practice with research to accelerate early literacy outcomes.

We invite district leaders to participate by sharing how your district is advancing early literacy through research-aligned strategies. Add your voice and help us showcase the powerful work happening across Oregon.

Complete the brief survey here!

Cyber Threats to Schools Continue to Surge in 2026

Cybercriminals will continue to target attacks on educational institutions. Recent data from early 2025 through early 2026 shows that schools remain one of the most targeted sectors for ransomware, phishing, and datatheft campaigns.

Ransomware attacks continue to inflict some of the most severe damage on school operations, and there is no indication this trend is slowing. Attackers routinely encrypt critical data and demand high ransom payments, forcing some schools to operate at reduced capacity. The exposure is not limited to finances. Past incidents such as breaches of student medical records can instill distrust in a school’s operations.

Phishing, QRcode scams, and credentialharvesting campaigns remain frequent ways hackers disrupt school operations. Phishing attempts maintain high frequency as attackers frequently impersonate administrators, or contractors to capture passwords or convince staff to send funds to different bank accounts.

Thirdparty educational apps or contracted services software increases the chances of such breaches. Just because a third-party software company contractually agrees to handle breaches due to their failures doesn’t mean they have the capacity to.

Why are schools attractive targets?

• Highvalue data: student identities, medical records, payroll and financial information, behavioral data, and more.

• Underresourced IT teams: A good percentage of schools report being underprepared for ransomware and few have a dedicated cybersecurity specialist.

• Legacy systems & fragmented infrastructure: Many districts run outdated software or lack full multifactor authentication (MFA).

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What can be done to combat this?

• Adopt MFA (Multi Factor Authentication) across all systems to reduce credential theft.

• Establish a dedicated incident response plan, with regular tabletop exercises.

• Increase cybersecurity staffing or use managed security services to offset resource constraints.

• Conduct regular vulnerability assessments and phishing simulations to keep staff alert.

What to do if you discover a breach?

• If you are covered by PACE, contact the claims team at claims@sdao.com as soon as possible. If you are not covered by PACE contact your Cyber Coverage Provider as soon as possible. Starting a response and plan to address these issues quickly is paramount to the successful resolution here.
  

• Be honest with your provider. The breach has happened, now is not the time to determine where the shortcoming was, that can be unwound later. Now is the time to help your provider with the most accurate information so they can devise a plan to help fix this.

The 9 Pillars of Leadership Excellence

Janet Pilcher, Ph.D. is the President and Founder of Studer Education, and former college dean of education.

Today, education is experiencing profound change, more than ever. Yet amid complexity, research is clear: organizations thrive when leaders remain steady, strategic, and improvement focused. Great leaders focus constantly on “getting better at getting better.” They ask, how can I get 1% better every day, and how can I help my teams do the same. Great leaders are never satisfied and continually strive for excellence. These same leaders lead great organizations; even the best organizations want to get better.

Our Studer Education coaches have been honored to work alongside passionate and driven leaders at some of the best organizations and many of those are in Oregon school districts. Together, they’ve applied the 9 Pillars of Leadership Excellence. The 9 Pillars help leaders shift from episodic actions to continuous improvement, ensuring progress is not dependent on circumstance but on intentional leadership actions executed with fidelity. Review the 9 Pillars of Leadership Excellence (listed below) and assess yourself on the leader outcomes associated with each pillar. Where are you strong and skillful? What areas could you improve? Apply this scale to assess your leadership capabilities.

5: Applying as a Habit of Practice (execute at least 98% of the time)

4: Making Good Progress (execute about 80% of the time)

3: Improving Skills (execute about 50% of the time)

2: Occurring at Times (execute 20 to 30% of the time)

1: Not Applying with Focused Attention (execute less than 20% of the time)

Pillar 1: Aim High to Achieve Excellence

o Set high expectations to achieve results while living out the mission and values.

o Cultivate a strategic vision to frame a future path.

o Design a strategic plan to outline aligned goals and priorities.

o Operationalize values to define workplace expectations.

Pillar 2: Measure What’s Important

o Measure what needs to be improved.

o Drive key strategic actions and progress measures to achieve important outcomes.

o Set the stage for engaging in improvement conversations that focus on what’s working and what’s not.

o Spend time on what truly matters and stop doing things that don’t.

Pillar 3: Communicate for Alignment

o Show how individual roles align to a shared vision and clear goals.

o Facilitate engaged, data-focused conversations while actively listening to input.

o Carefully consider how to align key words to help audiences gain insight and understanding.

Pillar 4: Recognize the Bright Spots

o Recognize and celebrate what’s working.

o Dig into the details to determine the behaviors and actions that lead to success.

o Engage in conversations about lessons learned from the bright spots to encourage more people to adopt them.

Pillar 5: Value Employees to Show They Matter

o Cultivate a positive, supportive, and trusting work environment where employee contributions are valued, recognized, and celebrated.

o Develop strategies for gathering input on areas working well and those that need improvements.

o Develop employees to continuously get better at their craft.

Pillar 6: Exceed Customer Expectations

o Serve others with great care and concern.

o Create positive, memorable experiences that lead to increased customer loyalty and satisfaction.

o Proactively anticipate needs and gather feedback to provide value beyond what is promised.

Pillar 7: Align Goals, Behaviors, and Processes

o Apply an execution framework to implement a system for continuous feedback to help teams stay on track and adapt as needed.

o Periodically review progress measures and aligned actions to determine areas to adopt, adapt, or abandon.

o Where needed, solve for complex problems that impede progress.

o Align resources to priorities.

Pillar 8: Develop People to Improve and Perform

o Develop people to achieve positive results and high performance.

o Give regular, specific, and actionable feedback on performance and behavior to help employees understand how they can improve.

o Address low-performing behaviors that impede progress.

Pillar 9: Continuously Improve to Achieve Success

o Lead with an improvement mindset, scaling accomplishments, facing challenges as learning opportunities, and building a sustainable system.

o Apply feedback loops as a habit of practice.

o View setbacks as growth opportunities and persevere to achieve better outcomes.

Leaders are not expected to transform everything at once. True leadership growth begins with intention – choosing a single area to strengthen, a habit to refine, a belief to reaffirm. The 9 Pillars of Leadership Excellence are designed to guide leaders on this journey, serving as a compass that reconnects purpose with practice and vision with daily action. As leaders commit to the 9 Pillars, they cultivate environments where trust deepens, excellence is recognized, and people are inspired to give their very best. When one educational system embarks on this journey and others follow, the impact expands. Together, leaders shape a profession defined by meaning, pride, and possibility – one that attracts, develops, and retains exceptional talent and ensures every student benefits from leadership grounded in clarity, courage, and unwavering belief in what education can become. The work you do to lead the way makes a difference in the lives of students, families, and employees. That’s what getting 1% better every day is all about.