Drazan: Kotek class time promise fails by 75%

Tina Kotek Promised More Time in the Classroom. 75% of Oregon Students Won’t Get a Single Minute More.
By Christine Drazan for Governor campaign,

WILSONVILLE, Ore. – Governor Tina Kotek promised to address Oregon’s instructional time crisis. New reporting shows her executive order will leave the vast majority of Oregon students right where they started.

According to an analysis by The Oregonian/OregonLive, 137 school districts serving three-quarters of Oregon students will not have to add a single minute of instructional time to comply with Kotek’s order. Only four districts could be directed to add a week or more to their calendars.

“Tina Kotek’s failure to lead is shortchanging our kids. They deserve better. As governor, I will increase instructional time and improve academic outcomes. I will put students first and deliver the results Oregon families expect from their governor,” said Senator Christine Drazan.

Oregon students already receive significantly less instructional time than students in other states. A study commissioned by Stand for Children Oregon found that Oregon students receive the equivalent of 1.25 years less classroom time over the course of their K-12 education than students in neighboring Washington.

Oregon students also rank near the bottom nationally in key academic measures. Just 27% of Oregon fourth graders are proficient in reading and 24% of eighth graders are proficient in math. Research has shown that additional instructional time can improve academic outcomes, particularly when paired with reforms that strengthen the quality of classroom instruction.