Alex Baumhardt - Oregon Capital Chronicle
Alex Baumhardt has been a national radio producer focusing on education for American Public Media since 2017. She has reported from the Arctic to the Antarctic for national and international media, and from Minnesota and Oregon for The Washington Post. She previously worked in Iceland and Qatar and was a Fulbright scholar in Spain where she earned a master's degree in digital media. She's been a kayaking guide in Alaska, farmed on four continents and worked the night shift at several bakeries to support her reporting along the way.
Schools, community groups struggle to meet demand for summer learning without state funds
Districts have scaled back summer learning programs, offering fewer classes and field trips, and some community groups have cut programs entirely.
Oregon joins West Coast states seeking millions to create zero-emission truck fueling network
Oregon, Washington and California are planning to build a network of electric truck chargers and hydrogen fueling stations on the West Coast.
Oregon gas company criticized for using ratepayer money to fight state climate program
Avista, Oregon’s second largest natural gas provider, spent ratepayer funds fighting state climate change regulations while simultaneously attempting to raise rates for customers.
Legislators pass education bills on reading, finance, school days and more
Oregon lawmakers invested in a record $10.2 billion K-12 state school fund for the 2023-25 budget cycle.
SPECIAL REPORT: With districts, not state, responsible for improving reading, some students will be left behind
Part 3 of a special report: Oregon's strong tradition of local control for schools means the state doesn't intervene in individual districts failing to help kids learn to read.
SPECIAL REPORT: Flawed teaching methods hinder Oregon kids’ progress on reading
Part 2 of a special series: Oregon’s 15 educator preparation programs offer vastly different reading instruction methods to future teachers, and some teach flawed methods.
SPECIAL REPORT: Oregon fails to turn page on reading: $250 million spent in 25 years
Many Oregon kids still struggle to read because they are taught using ineffective methods. A special series from the Capital Chronicle examines the state's troubled history of reading instruction.
After more than a decade, state issues new recommendations for how reading should be taught
Oregon's new Early Literacy Framework recommends that instruction be based on years of research and evidence-based instruction rooted in the “science of reading."
Kotek orders new council to investigate quality of reading instruction at Oregon teacher colleges
A new early literacy council will recommend licensing updates to ensure newly-minted educators understand decades of best practices and reading science.
Oregon public universities ask state for more funding as students pay record tuition
Administrators say they need more than $500 million a year to cover their costs.