Section 342.940 - Educator Advancement Council; members; duties; rules(1) As used in this section and ORS 342.943, "educator" means a person who is:(a) A teacher, an administrator or another school employee who is employed to provide instruction or support to students in early childhood education or in kindergarten through grade 12; or(b) Entering into or enrolled in an educator preparation program.(2)(a) The Educator Advancement Council shall be established and function under an intergovernmental agreement, pursuant to ORS 190.003 to 190.130, between state agencies and one or more school districts and education service districts. The state agencies that must be parties to the intergovernmental agreement are the Department of Education, the Department of Early Learning and Care, the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.(b) The purposes of the council are to provide resources related to educator professional learning and to provide other educator supports.(3) The intergovernmental agreement establishing the council shall outline the governance framework and the administrative details necessary for the efficient and effective implementation of the duties of the council.(4)(a) The council shall consist of:(A) Members who are representatives of the parties to the intergovernmental agreement establishing the council.(B) No more than 10 members who are practicing educators, classified staff in a public school or for an education service district, early learning providers and professionals and school district board members.(C) No more than 10 members who are representatives of educator preparation providers, education-focused nonprofit organizations, education-focused philanthropic organizations, professional education associations, community-based education organizations that represent families and students, post-secondary institutions of education and federally recognized Indian tribes of this state.(b) Subject to any limits designated as provided by the intergovernmental agreement establishing the council, the majority of the members of the council identified under paragraph (a) of this subsection may propose additional members of the council. The inclusion of additional members on the council shall be subject to the procedures established by the council under the intergovernmental agreement.(5) The council shall:(a) Establish a system of educator networks, as described in ORS 342.943, by which every educator in this state has access to professional learning opportunities;(b) Administer the beginning teacher and administrator mentorship program under ORS 329.788 to 329.820;(c) Coordinate the distribution of moneys to educator networks from the Educator Advancement Fund based on the needs of the educators identified by the networks;(d) Connect educator networks and facilitate communications within and among the networks to improve teaching and learning; and(e) Continuously assess the needs of educators in this state and coordinate priorities based on the moneys available for distribution from the Educator Advancement Fund.(6) The Department of Education shall provide support to the strategic direction of the council by:(a) Conducting and coordinating research to monitor: (A) Teaching and learning conditions;(B) Educator workforce supply and demand; and(C) Common outcomes and measures anticipated to promote improvement in teaching and learning.(b) Assisting the council in coordinating and connecting educator networks, supporting professional learning priorities, enabling access to professional learning and supports, leveraging funding sources and managing innovation funds.(c) Recommending statutory and agency rule changes needed to support the purposes of the council.(d) Supporting programs that help to achieve the purposes of the Educators Equity Act.(e) Supporting a statewide plan for increasing: (A) The supply of culturally diverse teacher candidates; and(B) The successful recruitment of effective educators to work in high-need schools and in practice areas with a shortage of educators.(f) Identifying high-leverage educator practices to be developed by educators throughout their careers.(g) Providing accountability of the council by ensuring that the council: (A) Gives preference, when making recommendations about funding distributions, to entities that have demonstrated success in improving student indicators.(B) Considers the delivery of services for the benefit of all regions of this state when establishing the system of educator networks.(C) Works toward improving student progress indicators identified by the Department of Education or set forth in ORS 350.014.(D) Includes and connects education providers and leaders from prekindergarten through postsecondary education.(h) Providing staff support for the administrative functions of the council.(i) Developing a system that allows for the statewide dissemination of emerging practices and evidence-based models.(j) Providing technical assistance to the council, including online systems for sharing professional learning resources and supporting educator networks.(k) Administering the distribution of grant and contract funds for programs described in this section.(L) Providing administrative support to the educator networks, including: (A) Making recommendations to the council about the selection of the sponsors of educator networks;(B) Providing technical assistance to educator networks; and(C) Entering into grant agreements or contracts for the distribution of funds to educator networks.(7)(a) The State Board of Education and the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission may adopt any rules necessary at the request of the council to support the council or to perform any duties assigned to the board or commission under this section.(b) The council may adopt rules pursuant to ORS chapter 183 for the purposes of ORS 329.788 to 329.820 and 342.943.(8) The council shall be considered a board for purposes of ORS chapter 180.Amended by 2024 Ch. 95,§ 31, eff. 4/4/2024.Amended by 2023 Ch. 601, § 1, eff. 8/4/2023.Amended by 2023 Ch. 592, § 38, eff. 7/31/2023.Amended by 2023 Ch. 440, § 3, eff. 7/27/2023.Amended by 2021 Ch. 518, § 14, eff. 7/1/2021.342.940 and 342.943 were enacted into law by the Legislative Assembly but were not added to or made a part of ORS chapter 342 or any series therein by legislative action. See Preface to Oregon Revised Statutes for further explanation.