A moment of pause

by Aditi Sharma | Jun 5, 2026 | Educators and Workforce, Early School Success

“What gave you pause?”

A question we have often asked our partners involved with the Children’s Institute’s Early School Success work.

Again and again, we heard: This was a year of change, uncertainty, and unexpected turns. Tight budgets. Tough decisions. Predictability was not part of the formula.

But even so,

Resilience stayed. Determination persisted. As one of my favorite poets, Tupac Shakur, reminds us, life still rises from the concrete. Not to diminish the weight of the challenges, but to honor the hustle within them. Because even here, community was still present, innovation was still present, and yes, joy was still present!

Amid transitions and changes, educators still showed up in big and small ways, with warm, gentle tones and strong, resilient spirits. They continued to reimagine the future while staying rooted in the boundless potential of children.

So, we pause.

A moment to recognize.

A moment to reflect.

A moment to honor the adults shaping the next generation: steadfast, creative, and deeply committed.

Thank you, educators!

Julio Bautista
Continuous Improvement Specialist
Children’s Institute

The End of School Year Forecast: Inside the ESS Spring Convening

by Aditi Sharma | Jun 1, 2026 | Educators and Workforce, Teacher Voice, Early School Success

“If your school year were a weather pattern, what would it be?”

At the ESS Spring Cross-Network convening on May 20th, educators from across Oregon answered with little hesitation.

“Turbulent.”

“Foggy with moments of clarity.”

“A mix of storms and sunshine.”

Laughter spread across the room, but the reflections carried weight. After a school year shaped by shifting priorities, problem-solving, and constant adjustment, educators finally had time to pause and reflect on what the year had actually felt like.

One of the teams described how community partnerships helped strengthen support within the school during a particularly turbulent season. Another team highlighted how aligned practices across classrooms and grade levels can help students feel more supported as they progress through school.

Those conversations grounded the day in the realities of the work.

Cross-district conversations also gave educators the opportunity to step outside their own systems for a moment. Teachers exchanged ideas across roles and grade levels. Team leads compared strategies and reflected on planning challenges. Administrators talked through the challenges of creating consistent learning experiences for all students.

Again and again, people returned to the importance of having time to learn from one another, emphasizing that ongoing collaboration is key to professional learning and improved student support.

The convening also made room for joy alongside reflection.

Markers squeaked across paper as educators created hand-drawn trading cards during the Joy Lab activity, inspired by strengths, humor, and memorable moments from the year.

(Hover over the images to read more about the trading cards)

After lunch, Educator LoterÍa shifted the energy in the room again. Participants laughed through cards inspired by familiar moments from school life. For a while, the room felt like a collective exhale at the end of a long school year. The activity reinforced a key takeaway: joy helps sustain the work of education and is an integral part of the process.

By the end of the day, attention shifted towards the year ahead. Teams filled chart paper with things they wanted to carry forward and what they wanted to leave behind.

Many conversations centered on protecting collaboration time, creating more welcoming learning spaces, and continuing to build systems that support both students and the adults doing the work alongside them.

Then, the facilitators gave the final instruction: tear off the “leave behind” side of the chart paper and throw it away.

Some teams laughed before doing it. Others paused at first.

By then, the weather question from the morning felt different.

The school year was still ending, the way many seasons do – with growth, uncertainty, and unfinished work all existing at once. But before summer pulled everyone in different directions, the convening had given educators the time to reflect on what they built together and what they want to carry forward into the next season of the work.

Learn more about Children’s Institute’s Early School Success!

Related articles:

Stories of SuccESS: On Oregon’s South Coast, Educators Are Building New Possibilities for Literacy

by Aditi Sharma | May 20, 2026 | Instructional Alignment, Professional Learning, Early School Success

As part of our Stories of SuccESS series, we’re highlighting moments from the field that reflect how communities across Oregon are strengthening early learning systems. This story focuses on a recent K-5 literacy workshop on Oregon’s South Coast.

In classrooms across Oregon’s South Coast, educators are asking urgent questions about literacy and what students need to succeed.

This Spring, teachers from Driftwood Elementary and Riley Creek Elementary came together for a K-5 literacy professional learning session led by Children’s Institute Early Literacy Specialist Erin Lolich. Over the course of the two-hour workshop, educators explored the science of literacy, reflected on current classroom practices, and began drafting shared early literacy vision statements for their schools.

At a time when Oregon continues to face some of the nation’s lowest reading scores, literacy support and professional learning have become increasingly urgent for schools and educators across the state. The work is specially important in the early years, when strong literacy instruction helps build the foundation for children’s learning and development.

For educators at Driftwood and Riley Creek, the urgency of this work is deeply connected to the needs of their students and community. Last year, 16% of Riley Creek third graders and 20% of Driftwood third graders were reading on grade level. In a close-knit school communities, those numbers are not just data points. They are a call to strengthen alignment, collaboration, and consistency across classrooms so every student receives the support they need.

The workshop invited educators to move beyond isolated solutions and examine both the strengths already present in their schools and the needs still emerging. Teachers completed an in-depth literacy strength and needs assessment; while also sharing practical ideas and classroom routines they could immediately bring back to students.

One educator reflected on that sense of momentum, “There was time to reflect and focus on the need for change, for evolution, and for the needs to be met to make more effective literacy learning.”

For Lolich, one of the most meaningful parts of the day was learning directly from teachers and hearing how previous professional learning was already shaping school communities. Driftwood educators shared how they had applied learning from the Fall session of the Early School Success (ESS) Academy to host a family literacy night. It was a reminder that meaningful professional learning continues long after a workshop ends.

The day also created space for connection and trust. After the session, one teacher even approached Lolich to share a literacy joke – a small but memorable moment that reflected the openness and engagement in the room.

Educators described the session as both practical and accessible.

“Erin did a fabulous job of sharing complex information in a very digestible way,” one participant shared. “I appreciate the active participation and numerous resources that we can immediately put into practice.”

This year marks beginning of literacy partnership with Driftwood and Riley Creek. Based on the results of their strengths and needs assessments, Children’s Institute has designed four literacy workshops for Driftwood and Riley Creek to be delivered during the 2026-27 school year. For school leaders like Wendel, the partnership is about building long-term instructional support and shared commitment across the school community.

Our partnership with The Children’s Institute will assist with providing my staff with effective tools and practices they can deploy beyond the traditional pull out instructional model. Our Driftwood students thrive in a small group instruction model and demonstrate amazing growth, and this can be accomplished in the general education classroom. As our staff sees student growth, members of the staff and community will support and embrace the instructional and school culture shift that I am asking of them.

– Lisa Wendel, Principal, Driftwood Elementary

For the 15 educators participating, the work is anchored in something simple and powerful: educators deserve professional learning that responds to their realities, and students deserve strong literacy instruction in every classroom.

Across Oregon’s South Coast, educators are already doing the work of building that future together.

Learn more about Children’s Institute’s Early Literacy offering!

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Stories of SuccESS: A Day of Learning at Cascade Locks Elementary

by Aditi Sharma | Apr 30, 2026 | CI Publications, Instructional Alignment, Professional Learning

As part of our Stories of SuccESS series, we’re highlighting moments from the field that reflect how communities across Oregon are strengthening early learning systems. A site visit through the Early School Success Academy offers a close look at how aligned instruction and sustained collaboration are shaping early literacy across classrooms.

On March 11, educators gathered at Cascade Locks Elementary for a site visit hosted by the Columbia Gorge Regional Educator Network. Among them was Shawnté Hines, who leads Children’s Institute’s Early School Success Academy – a year-long professional learning experience for educators across the state!

The visit offered educators an opportunity to observe classroom practice together and reflect on how it connects to their own schools and systems. Inside the classrooms, the focus was on early literacy. In kindergarten and first grade, students moved through a structured literacy block that balanced whole-group instruction, small group work, and independent practice. Call-and-response routines kept students engaged. Teachers offered real-time feedback and created space for students to practice and self-correct. Each child was met at their level.

For Shawnté, the visit made instructional alignment visible. Across classrooms, expectations were consistent. Transitions were smooth. “I saw that in a short period of time, every student received focused attention. It was clear that the structure of the block allowed for both group learning and individualized support without losing pace.”

That consistency reflects years of work. Since Principal Adrienne Acosta joined Cascade Locks Elementary, educators have worked to align instruction across early grades, with a sustained focus on explicit phonics instruction and collaboration.

Teacher voice was present throughout the day. Instruction was not static. Educators have continued to test, refine, and build on their approach together. In classrooms, that showed up as responsive teaching, clear routines, and a willingness to meet students where they are while continuing to adjust practice.

Students were active and engaged. There was a sense of ease and joy in how they moved through their learning, with clear routines and strong engagement.

“While in their focused small groups, students’ ability to self-correct highlighted a culture rooted in trust and community. A classroom where mistakes were a part of the process, and not the focus for the teacher’s constant correction. These students confidently took academic risks in front of their peers and took genuine pride in their own learning.”

– Shawnté Hines, Professional Learning Specialist, Children’s Institute

For visiting educators, the experience offered a shared reference point. Familiar materials and strategies took on new meaning when seen in practice across classrooms.

This kind of learning continues beyond a single site visit. Educators return to their own schools with new questions, shared observations, and a clearer sense of what aligned practice can look like.

“Cross-district professional learning opportunities like the ESS Academy are vital for the region because it breaks the isolation often felt by small, rural schools. It allows for the pooling of specialized resources, ensuring that a student’s zip code doesn’t determine the quality of their literacy instruction. The ESS Academy also allows for educators to explore challenges specific to their context and unique student needs. We don’t often have opportunities for job-embedded professional learning that is driven by educators and the students they serve, ESS Academy brings us that!”

-Gabrielle DeLeon, Regional Educator Network (REN) Coordinator, Columbia Gorge ESD

Interested in learning alongside educators across Oregon?
Join the 2026-2027 Early School Success Academy.

How Research Partnership Is Improving Early Learning Alignment, From the Ground Up

by Aditi Sharma | Apr 28, 2026 | Educators and Workforce, News, Research and Evaluation, What We're Reading

Republished with permission from Education Northwest.

Dr. Marina Merrill knows that if you want systems change in education, you need to put practitioners in the driver’s seat.

Dr. Merrill directs research and strategy at Children’s Institute. For the past 20 years, the organization has worked across multiple avenues—research, practice, policy, and advocacy—to improve opportunity for children across Oregon. Their recent initiative, Early School Success (ESS), focuses on improving instructional and relational alignment between early learning and elementary education—all part of their campaign to ensure that every child is Great by Age 8. At the heart of ESS are practitioners: educators who have the power to make sustainable change in classrooms.

When Dr. Merrill and her team partnered with Education Northwest to evaluate ESS, they knew they needed a rigorous, creative study design to prioritize practitioner voice. Together, the evaluation team is leveraging data from educators to make meaningful systems change, from the ground up.

Document and Measure

Children’s Institute launched ESS in 2019 with the goal of helping school districts across Oregon improve alignment from preschool through grade 5. Too often, early childhood and K–12 education systems operate independently. When preschools and kindergartens play by different (often unwritten) rules, kids and families are left to navigate the transition on their own. By contrast, improving alignment across the systems can improve transitions, sense of belonging, and quality of instructional experiences for every child.

From the outset of ESS, Children’s Institute knew that a strong research partner would be critical, not only for continuous improvement but also sustainability and scaling.

“We’ve been so busy facilitating meetings and getting everything up and running that it’s been hard to take the time to document all the pieces of this initiative,” said Dr. Merrill. “It is incredibly valuable to have Education Northwest document everything in a way that we can go back and share it with other communities and schools that are interested in this doing this kind of meaningful systems change work and transforming their district’s culture into learning organizations.”

Early on, Children’s Institute and Education Northwest developed a shared understanding of ESS activities and goals. Later, Education Northwest evaluators proposed different measures to capture what Children’s Institute wanted to learn: for example, how teachers experience ESS, or complex multilevel outcomes that unfold across the early learning-to-elementary experience, such as embedding playful, content-based inquiry across grade levels.

“We have the deep relationships and the experience working on the ground, and Education Northwest helps us think about how we might creatively measure what we’re trying to do, which includes a lot of complex components,” said Dr. Merrill.

The Children’s Institute’s deep understanding of district context has been critical to effectively evaluate what’s happening on the ground. Because ESS partners with diverse districts across Oregon—in terms of geography, size, curriculum, data capacity, and student demographics—the evaluation had to be responsive to each community.

“We knew that context would matter from the get-go,” said Dr. Merrill. “We didn’t have existing measures that we could use across all districts. Districts aren’t collecting the same data. No one district has the same curriculum approach, literacy or numeracy approach, or set of progress monitoring tools. You have to know each district very well, learn what their priorities are and what tools they’re using. And that takes a lot of time. It just does. We had to work and build trust with these communities at multiple levels: the teachers, the administrators, even families, in some cases.”

Prioritize Practitioner Experience and Expertise

At its core, ESS is about shifting and improving what happens in the classrooms every day.

“ESS is grounded in improvement science, and we know from the research that in order for sustainable change to happen in systems, it has to come from the people that are closest to the work,” said Dr. Merrill. “Teachers are the ones that will make these shifts, and they understand better than anyone what their context is. They know what supports children’s learning and they understand what’s getting in the way.”

In order for sustainable change to happen in systems, it has to come from the people that are closest to the work … teachers.

From the beginning, ESS treated educators as professionals and co-designers—not just recipients or end users of innovation.

“We see that when teachers are engaged, participate in defining their aims and their change practices, and have the opportunity in real time to test those changes and interpret their own data, the work feels more relevant. It feels respectful to their time and to their expertise, and it’s genuinely much more useful when they are in the driver’s seats,” said Dr. Merrill.

Following the initiative’s approach, Education Northwest prioritized educator voice throughout the evaluation. Each year, the team built in surveys and focus groups to ask teachers, principals, and district leadership how ESS implementation was going and how they perceived impact.

Use Real-Time Data for Real-Time Improvements

After data collection each year, Education Northwest evaluators reconnected with the Children’s Institute team, who leveraged their deep knowledge of district context to help make sense of the data. Their insights not only informed the evaluation findings, but also shaped the future of the initiative.

With regular opportunities to interpret and discuss the evaluation data, Children’s Institute has been able to make meaningful adjustments in real time.

“Through the evaluation, our partners are honestly reflecting back what’s working well and what’s not,” said Dr. Merrill, “and our team has been incredibly responsive to the data and pivoting our practice in real time: pretty much immediately taking the feedback and shifting how meetings are run, how data is collected, putting together new tools and resources to be responsive.”

Our team has been incredibly responsive to the data and pivoting our practice in real time … immediately taking the feedback and shifting how meetings are run, how data is collected, putting together new tools and resources to be responsive.

Build Evaluation Capacity

Looking ahead, Children’s Institute aims to use what they learned from the ESS evaluation to plan the organization’s future work and prioritize opportunities for high impact. An immediate goal is to bring multiple initiatives under the umbrella of ESS and begin measuring them.

To this end, Education Northwest will collaborate with Dr. Merrill and her team to develop toolkits for measuring each program. The effort will follow a similar process to the ESS evaluation: first develop an understanding of the program and its intended outcomes, then develop measures specific to each program. Ultimately, these toolkits will strengthen the Children’s Institute’s capacity to evaluate their own programs.

Building on what worked well in the ESS study, Education Northwest plans to continue providing rapid feedback memos on the data collection.

“Our goal is to continue to build out and use our work on the ground, as well as the evaluation findings, to build on Oregon’s evidence base around what supports young children in the earliest years of their schooling,” said Dr. Merrill. “We continue to try to move the needle and remove on-the-ground barriers for practitioners. We’re excited to get these new toolkits from Education Northwest to keep advancing our learning and supporting educators in their work.”