High Desert Education Service District Receives Grant to Champion Higher Education in Central Oregon

The High Desert Education Service District (HDESD) has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation to help local school districts increase the number of Central Oregon students seeking a college education. HDESD has partnered with local school districts and higher education institutions to increase awareness of post-secondary education and provide students with the tools, encouragement and support they need to pursue college degrees.

“Central Oregon has long battled a perception that higher education is a luxury that many students don’t need and/or can’t afford,” said Dennis Dempsey, superintendent for the HDESD. “This is particularly true in the more rural and remote areas of our region. Our goal is to change that perception and encourage a culture that celebrates higher education.”

According to Dempsey, local school districts have implemented a wide variety of programs including speakers, college visits and other strategies to encourage students to consider higher education after graduation.

“The missing link has been a regionally coordinated effort to broadly instill a culture of higher education and training throughout Central Oregon,” said Dempsey. “As a result, many of these positive activities are not effectively reinforced. We hope to change that culture over the next few years and bring about a wide range of integrated activities that move our students and communities forward,” added Dempsey.

The grant will support stronger collaboration between K-12 education, higher education, local business, civic and community agencies, along with targeted outreach to parents. The first year of funding will be directed toward research on gaps between current practices and best evidence-based practices. A steering committee comprised of leaders in education, business, non-profit sectors and local government will be assembled to set goals based on the outcomes of the study.

Research for this project will focus on three areas of higher education preparation including awareness, access and transition for both parents and students as they navigate the possibility of higher education.

The High Desert Education Service District is a regional support system that links school districts in Central Oregon to state and national education resources. In partnership with school districts in Crook County, Redmond, Sisters and Bend/La Pine, HDESD helps to minimize duplication of services, preserve local district budgets and provide special programs that might otherwise be unavailable to students.

For more information, please call Paul Andrews, School Improvement Director at 541.693.5702