Conference Agenda

Welcome & Legislative Session

(8:30am - 9:45am)

ROOM - Santiam 1, 2, 3

Civic Educator of the Year

Welcome

TBD

Workshops

(10:00am - 11:30am)

ROOM - Santiam 1, 2, 3

Aurora Richardson

Teacher

Sherwood High School

Authentic Debates Using Primary Sources

Learn how to use primary sources as a base for authentic historical and political debates. In this session, you will have an opportunity to practice the strategy and will recieve several classroom-tested resources as well as a template to develop your own. Come experience this fun way to get students excited about reading primary sources!

ROOM - Santiam 4

Ken Carano

Professor

Western Oregon University

An Inclusive Teacher's Voice: Teaching "Through" Rather Than "About"

Using a critical Indigenous orientation framework and Black Historical Consciousness Framework, a white educator shares methods for minimizing his own voice while providing strategies and resources while using these frameworks in order that students develop critical thinking skills. Participants will learn how to use the frameworks as a guide for analyzing curricula in order to include an array of voices that represent the diversity in our democracy. Participants will also discuss and see inquiry activities and lessons that incorporate these frameworks and primary sources into the curriculum. The ability to identify Indigenous and Black literature and resources to use in the curriculum will also be covered.

ROOM - Santiam 5

Dr. Mariah Kornbluh

Associate Professor

University of Oregon

Supporting Teachers in Identifying High Impact Civics Educational Programming

Civics education is critical to support student thriving and the future of our society! Yet, resources and information are scarce in supporting educators in accessing and implementing high quality programs. Attendees will interact with an online tool developed by researchers at the University of Oregon to support educators in: 1) advocating for civics within their schools and communities, 2) identifying high impact civics programming, and 3) developing strategies for implementing such curriculum. The session will involve attendees providing feedback and discussing potential additions. Our goal is you will walk away with a resource that can help you explore and learn about new civic programming.

ROOM - Santiam 6

Rep. Hoa Nguyen

& Sen. Suzanne Weber

Elected Oregon Legislators

Oregon State Legislature

Chronic Absenteeism in our Schools

This session will cover the recent legislative work being done by the state, to address the chronic absenteeism problem that has been felt all over the schools in Oregon.

LUNCH

(11:30am - 12:20pm)

Location - Santiam 1, 2, 3

Breakout Session 1

(12:30pm - 1:20pm)

ROOM - Santiam 1, 2, 3

Andrew Duden

Head of Student Programs

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education

Exploring the Relationship between Rights and Law: Lessons from the Holocaust and Oregon

This workshop examines several of the over 400 laws passed by the Nazi regime that discriminated against Jewish people as well as the legacy of legal discrimination in Oregon. This workshop is based upon a lesson plan created collaboratively between CLP and OJMCHE. Essential questions posed by the workshop include the following: what is the purpose of laws in society? How can laws shape the culture of a community in terms of collective behavior, beliefs and values? What are steps people can take in a democratic society to challenge enacted or proposed discriminatory laws or promote laws that create inclusivity?

ROOM - Santiam 4

Katie Dearing

Community 101 Program Coordinator

Oregon Community Foundation

Speaking Youth to Power: Investing in Youth Voices

What separates leaders from bystanders? It usually starts with an opportunity to step up to engage. Providing ways of connecting with leaders and participating in creating change can set our students up for a lifetime of leadership. This session will highlight and support the activation of equity-centered grantmaking strategies that bring youth in closer proximity to power. These programs serve as examples of how investing in youth-led efforts can advance equity and inclusion, enhance trust-based philanthropy efforts, and shift resources and power to communities currently and historically overlooked in the sector. The session will provide the opportunity for participants to learn from and engage with both funders and community partners who are actively collaborating to support these shifts and brainstorm strategies.

ROOM - Santiam 5

Katie Pearson

Education Manager

The Oregon Historical Society

Measure 9 Document-Based Question: How did Oregon’s LGBTQ+ community and their allies successfully fight Measure 9?

1992's Ballot Measure 9 was one of the harshest anti-gay measures put to voters in American history. It sought to amend the Oregon Constitution so that LGBTQ+ people would not be able to obtain legal protections against discrimination. This interactive session will introduce educators to the Oregon Historical Society's new Measure 9 Document-Based Question, which asks: How did Oregon’s LGBTQ+ community and their allies successfully fight Measure 9?

ROOM - Santiam 6

Hon. Steve Bushong

Justice

Oregon Supreme Court

Cases Before the Oregon Supreme Court

This session will review the recent cases before the Oregon Supreme Court. It will touch upon the legal issues and implications from these current cases.

Breakout Session 2

(1:30pm - 2:20pm)

ROOM - Santiam 1, 2, 3

Amy Sabbadini

Central Region Program Manager

Civics Learning Project

The Audacity of Simulations: Responsible Role Play

Explore the ethical use of simulations by diving into their potential to deeply engage yet also acknowledge the risk of reinforcing biases. Consider strategies for responsibly navigating these impactful experiences, ensuring simulations enrich education by fostering critical thinking and building empathy without compromising belonging in our classrooms.

ROOM - Santiam 4

Teacher Panel

A Teacher Panel: Teaching Civil Discourse in Contentious Times

Featuring Liz Becker, Lois MacMillan, & Karen Rouse

Moderated by Amanda CovenA panel of teachers speaking about their experience teaching contentious issues in the classroom. The questions and answers seek to shed light on how they’ve fostered civil discourse in their classrooms & schools, and how they’ve navigated external factors that may affect their day-to-day teaching.

ROOM - Santiam 5

Emily Garcia Green

Chief Youth Development Officer

Building Bridges

Building Bridges: Techniques for Facilitating Political Discussions with Students

BridgeUSA is a multipartisan, youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to fostering open discussions about political issues on high school and college campuses. Our mission is to cultivate a generation of leaders who prioritize empathy, constructive engagement, and a solution-oriented political culture. The upcoming presentation will focus on equipping teachers with essential skills for facilitating productive political discussions in the classroom. Participants will learn research-based techniques for navigating difficult conversations, hear testimonials from Chapter Leaders, and discover strategies for supporting student engagement. The session will also include one of our activities, allowing attendees to experience our methods firsthand and empowering them to foster empathetic dialogue on current events and social issues.

ROOM - Santiam 6

PK Runkles-Pearson

General Counsel

Secretary of State's Office

Elections & Oregon Kid Governor

This session will cover the state of Oregon elections and election workers in the wake of the 2024 general election – and information about the Oregon Kid Governor program

Oregon Supreme Court

(2:30pm - 3:20pm)

ROOM - Santiam 1, 2, 3

Amit Kobrowski

State Social Science Specialist

Oregon Department of Education

New 2024 Social Science Standards

Join ODE Social Science Specialist Amit Kobrowski for a look at the new Oregon Social Science Standards. The State Board of Education approved these standards in June 2024 and they will be required for implementation in all public K-12 schools for the 2026-2027 school year. The session will provide participants with an opportunity to review the new standards and explore the new features. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss helpful resources and support for teaching to these standards.

ROOM - Santiam 4

Portia Hall Rockne

Social Studies Teacher

Franklin High School

Moot Court in the Classroom

Students from Middle and High School can argue real world Supreme Court cases. A unit that can be used for a week or a month, come and see how to help students create a legal brief, argue a Supreme Court case as an attorney or decide one as a justice. Materials and resources provided for law, history, or social studies classes.

ROOM - Santiam 5

Jody Lawrence-Turner

Executive Director

Fund for Oregon Rural Journalism

Protecting Rural Journalism Protects Democracy

Why should Oregon residents care about the state of journalism? People need access to nonpartisan, reality-based, timely information. One-third of Oregon news outlets have shuttered since 2004, leaving 68% of the state’s incorporated cities, mostly rural, void of a local news source. Recent studies show that local news increases voting among youth, fewer people run for local elected positions and incumbants stay in office, political polarization increases when newspapers close down, millions of taxpayer dollars flowing through city and county governments are unwatched and storytelling is key to a community’s civic engagement and connectivity.

ROOM - Santiam 6

Joe Schmidt

Founder

Joe Schmidt Social Studies

&

Senior Director of Teacher Programs

Bill of Rights Institute

A Republic if We Can Keep It: Digging Deeper into Civil Discourse

Are you equipped to engage in discourse around the election and other relevant topics of the day, even those that some consider contentious? Can you identify the skills and strategies necessary for people to disagree while avoiding the urge to be disagreeable? Join Joe Schmidt (author of Civil Discourse: Classroom Conversations for Stronger Communities) as he shares research based best practices and years of classroom and supervisor experience in laying out a "how to" guide that supports civil discourse and student engagement in the classroom. Educators need to start planning for civil discourse before the first student enters their classroom in the fall and work to align these conversations to relevant topics and skills throughout the year in preparation of the toughest topics that students will face.

Oregon Supreme Court

(2:30pm - 3:20pm)

Networking

(3:30pm - 4:00pm)

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