17 Years of Impact—and Shaping the Future Together

Earlier this month we celebrated 17 years as a Center with our annual event Dream Forward: Reimagining What’s Possible in Education. Family, friends, and educators who have supported our work over the years joined us for beautiful views, lively music from the Larry Vuckovitch Trio, and delicious bites. But the evening was so much more – the evening highlighted our impact, our community of changemakers in education, and our partnerships.

Dream Forward was a reflection on what’s possible, and what’s to come. Our Executive Director reflected on a fundamental truth: learning is deeply human, rooted in relationships, trust, and belonging. Yet many educators enter the classroom without the preparation or support they need to navigate the social, emotional, and relational dimensions of teaching. But our work – supporting the faculty, mentors, and education leaders who prepare teachers – is helping close this gap:

• We are equipping educators to build inclusive, connected learning environments where every student can grow and learn.
• We are turning a vision of more human-centered education into lasting change—so teachers feel equipped to stay in the profession, students know they belong, and every learner has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

From integrating our Anchor Competencies Framework into Oregon’s statewide educator preparation standards to supporting early childhood teacher educators and teachers in California, our work is creating change that reaches far beyond any single classroom. With the potential for one supported teacher educator to influence nearly 1.2 million students over their career, the impact is immense.