When our 20-member strategic plan codesign team met for the first time on Aug. 28, the group set out to create a plan that would not sit on a shelf gathering dust but rather tangibly change the way school looks and feels for students. 

• What do students really need to become better readers?
• What will it take to stop bullying?
• What is needed to help students with disabilities succeed academically and socially in ways that are meaningful to them? 
• How can educators get more students across that graduation stage?

These were among the questions the team asked themselves as they pored through reams of student assessment data, student-reported health data, student outcome data such as graduation rates and career and technical education credits, and service level data for students with disabilities. 

The group proposed focus areas that include students at every age and stage of their educational experiences. We call these our collective commitments, and these will drive us toward our vision that every student will be educated, equipped and inspired to achieve their full potential and enrich their communities.

In our Strategic Plan for 2026 & Beyond, our collective commitments are that we will:

• Strengthen systems where every learner belongs and thrives
• Nurture our youngest learners
• Advance academic excellence
• Prepare students for fulfilling careers
• Mobilize strategic resources

Every commitment has four or five descriptors that are each tied to performance targets. Every target has a baseline so we can see progress from year-to-year.

Brian Bain, senior director of research, evaluation, assessment and data at NWRESD, who led the codesign team’s work, says he thinks the group has built a strong model that lays out a clear road map. He also says the focus on historically marginalized students such as underserved racial/ethnic groups and students experiencing disabilities with separate indicators should help close persistent gaps. 

Carlos Tenorio Hughes, Tina Meier Nowell and Jennifer South, all educators at NWRESD and members of the strategic plan codesign team, review performance targets for each strategy. 

“The plan defines long-term goals, prioritizes where to invest time and money, and sets performance targets so progress is visible and accountable,” he says. “The team also wrote goals specific to ESDs, which are meant to regionally support school districts and the Oregon Department of Education, so that we’re working together rather than as isolated programs.”

In short, our new strategic plan helps everyone move in the same direction.

At every step of the process, the voices of students, educators and district leaders were center stage. “As a regional convener and provider of nearly 100 services, our ESD is uniquely positioned to spot trends, gather input and enact change,” says Dan Goldman, NWRESD superintendent.

We are grateful to all of the people who have shared their stories with us through surveys, story circles, empathy interviews, program councils, board work, coaching conversations and job alike participation (superintendents, special education directors, curriculum and instruction directors and operational leaders in areas like human resources, finance and communications).  

Read the draft Strategic Plan for 2026 & Beyond.