Gordon Lafer for the Eugene, Oregon School District 4J Board of Directors
We’re pleased to announce that Gordon Lafer has earned NPE Action’s endorsement in his campaign for the Eugene, Oregon School District 4J Board of Directors.
Gordon is a faculty member at the University of Oregon’s Labor Education and Research Center where much of his work has been on educational policy issues. He is also an accomplished writer and author. His most recent book is the highly regarded The One Percent Solution: How Corporations Are Remaking America One State at a Time.
His education policy experience is clearly reflected in some of his campaign priorities. Gordon told us that if elected he would focus district resources on smaller classes, adding that he would also support legislation to provide meaningfully smaller classes sizes, with caps at 18 in K-3 and 24 in higher grades. He also believes that in order to improve public education for students in Eugene the district should hire more librarians, nurses and educational assistants.
He is against the use of test scores in teacher evaluations. He told NPE Action that test scores “don’t capture the value of teachers’ work because so many other factors go into test scores besides what teachers do, and there is a great danger of this practice leading to teaching-to-the-test in a way that dulls down education.”
If you live in Eugene, please make sure to get out and cast your ballot for Gordon during the general election on May 21, 2019.