ORS 329.843: Statewide education plan for students who are American Indian or Alaska Native; advisory group; report; distribution of funds; rules.

(1) As used in this section, “plan student” means a student enrolled in early childhood through post-secondary education who: (a) Is an American Indian or Alaska Native; and (b) Has experienced disproportionate results in education due to historical practices, as identified by the State Board of Education by rule. (2)(a) The Department of Education shall develop and implement a statewide education plan for plan students. (b) When developing the plan, the Department of Education shall consult with representatives from tribal governments and from executive branch agencies who have formed government-to-government relations to focus on education. Additionally, the Department of Education may receive input from an advisory group consisting of community members, education stakeholders and representatives of the Department of Early Learning and Care, the Youth Development Division and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. (c) The Department of Education shall be responsible for: (A) Implementing the plan developed under this subsection; (B) Developing eligibility criteria, the applicant selection process and expectations for recipients of funds described in this section; and (C) Advising the State Board of Education on the adoption of rules under this section. (3) The plan developed under this section must address: (a) The disparities experienced by plan students in every indicator of academic success, as documented by the statewide report card and other relevant reports related to plan students; (b) The historical practices leading to disproportionate outcomes for plan students; and (c) The educational needs of plan students from early childhood through post-secondary education as determined by examining culturally appropriate best practices in this state and across the nation. (4) The plan developed and implemented under this section must provide strategies to: (a) Address the disproportionate rate of disciplinary incidents involving plan students as compared to all students in the education system; (b) Increase parental engagement in the education of plan students; (c) Increase the engagement of plan students in educational activities before and after regular school hours; (d) Increase early childhood education and kindergarten readiness for plan students; (e) Improve literacy and numeracy levels among plan students between kindergarten and grade three; (f) Support plan student transitions to middle school and through the middle school and high school grades to maintain and improve academic performance; (g) Support culturally responsive pedagogy and practices from early childhood through post-secondary education; (h) Support the development of culturally responsive curricula from early childhood through post-secondary education; (i) Increase attendance of plan students in early childhood programs through post-secondary and professional certification programs; (j) Increase attendance of plan students in four-year post-secondary institutions of education; and (k) Align the plan with similar statewide education plans developed and implemented by the Department of Education. (5) The Department of Education shall submit a biennial report concerning the progress of the plan developed and implemented under this section to a committee of the Legislative Assembly related to education at each even-numbered year regular session of the Legislative Assembly. (6) The Department of Education, in consultation with the advisory group, shall distribute funds to Early Learning Hubs, providers of early learning services, school districts, education service districts, post-secondary institutions of education, tribal governments and community-based organizations to implement the strategies provided in the plan developed and implemented under this section. (7) To qualify for and receive funds described in this section, an applicant must identify and demonstrate that the applicant meets the eligibility criteria adopted by the State Board of Education by rule. [2019 c.122 §38; 2021 c.97 §26; 2021 c.631 §35; 2023 c.495 §§4,5; 2023 c.530 §§8,9]