Open School

🎉 Congratulations to our CEO and President Christine Toribio Pitts, on being honored today at the Portland Business Journal 40 Under 40 Awards! This recognition celebrates exceptional leaders whose innovation and impact are shaping the future of the Portland region.

We are incredibly grateful for Christine’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to improving schools. Each day, she leads with care, compassion, and creativity for our community — building learning environments that foster academic excellence, advance equity, and empower families.

We’re so lucky to have you, Christine. Congratulations again on this well-deserved honor! 👏

Want to learn more about how Open School is reinventing school?

We were recently featured in an article highlighting how our comprehensive, community-rooted approach reengages students from early literacy through high school graduation.

While Oregon is facing persistent challenges with attendance and graduation rates, our model is showing a different trend:

↗️ 75% of off-track students at Open East catch up within 18 months
📚 87% of students in Literacy Liberators improve their reading outcomes
🎓 100% of Step Up seniors graduate for the second consecutive year

At its core, our work is built around the people we serve — with students, relationships, and academic rigor at the center of it all.

👉 Read the full article:

From Early Literacy to Graduation: How Open School is Reinventing the Path to Success Where students thrive through strong relationships and academic rigor.

Whether you’ve been part of our community for years or recently connected with our work, we invite you to share your feedback. Your perspective plays an important role in how we strengthen our programs and continue meeting the evolving needs of our students and community.

This short survey takes just 1 minute to complete, and your insights will help guide what comes next for Open School.

We’re grateful for your partnership and your voice.

👉 Complete the survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfVfZLwAdhq0kTmlvRDbIaAfWLHSx7t-47_IyRkrJY-aKLVlQ/viewform

Open School is hiring an Office Manager to support the daily operations that help our students and programs thrive. This role helps keep our organization running smoothly, overseeing finance, payroll, donor processing, facilities coordination, and administrative systems.

If you or someone you know is detail-oriented, organized, and committed to our mission of supporting historically underestimated youth, apply today or share this opportunity with your network!

💼 Apply here: https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=ca053353c7cd107f&from=shareddesktop_copy

📬 Sign up for our newsletter to be notified about future job openings: https://mailchi.mp/openschoolnw/newsletter

We honor and celebrate the legacies of Black leaders, thinkers, artists, and activists who have paved the way for justice, equity, and opportunity. Black History Month is a time for our community to learn, listen, and amplify the brilliant voices that continue to inspire our students to be creative and courageous.

At Open School, equity isn’t a theme for one month — it’s the foundation of our work. We acknowledge the historical and ongoing systemic inequities that shape our communities, and we remain committed to building a future rooted in justice, belonging, and possibility for all. ✊

to when our Open School East advocate group organized a heartwarming donation drive for The Pixie Project — collecting and delivering much-needed food, toys, and other supplies for local dogs and cats in need.

At Open School, community partnerships and student leadership go hand in hand. This experience gave students the chance to put our values into action, leading with compassion and care while making a real impact beyond the classroom.

Plus, our students had the best time visiting the adoption center and spending time with the cutest (and tiniest) kittens ever. 🐱💛

❄️🏂 Another unforgettable snowboarding trip in the books!

For nearly eight years, this field trip has been an exciting Open School tradition — and this year was no exception. Our students had the opportunity to hit the slopes at Timberline Lodge, with many stepping onto a snowboard for the very first time.

This day is more than just a snow trip — it’s about supporting young people as they take brave steps forward, try something new, and cheer one another on. All while building confidence, community, and joy. 💚

A huge shout-out to Snowdays Foundation for making this magical day happen for our students. ✨

We are SO incredibly grateful for the amazing Open community for showing up and supporting our student-led Winter Fair fundraiser last week—the night was filled with joy, laughter, and connection. ❤️❄️

Thanks to your presence, time, and generosity, along with the match from Schnitzer Cares, we raised a total of $6,500, which will go toward supporting houseless families in the Portland-Gresham area!

We are so proud of our students for leading with creativity, confidence, and heart. This is what happens when young people are trusted to lead and a community shows up strong for them. Thank you for believing in our students, cheering them on, and helping turn their ideas into real impact. We couldn’t do this without you. 🎊🫶🥹

❄️🎉 In collaboration with Schnitzer Cares, Open School is hosting our first-ever Winter Fair this Friday, January 30, from 4:00-6:30 pm!

This is a free, family-friendly community event, and all are welcome — invite your friends, family members, alumni, current students, and neighbors. Come snap photos in our photo booth, enjoy delicious food, win fun prizes, and stay for exciting games throughout the evening (and yes, you can watch our teachers get pie-faced — all in the name of fundraising!).

Through this event, we’re raising funds to help houseless families in the Portland-Gresham area, connecting them with essential resources and support during the chilly winter months. And thanks to the generosity of our partners, every $1 raised will be matched tenfold, making your support go even further.

Details:
📆 Friday, January 30
⏰ 4:00-6:30 pm
📍16570 SE Oak St, Portland

Share this post with anyone in your network who may be interested. We can’t wait to see you there!

In a recent OPB Think Out Loud interview, Open School’s CEO Christine Toribio Pitts and Steve Cook, Superintendent of Bend-La Pine Schools, discuss why too many students across Oregon are struggling to read — and what it takes to change the trajectory of our schools statewide.

The research is clear: students learn best through evidence-based instruction rooted in the science of reading. This is the foundation of our Literacy Liberators program — we train community educators in research-based literacy instruction so that our youngest learners have access to the skills they need to succeed.

But turning statewide policy into real classroom practice requires systems-level accountability, consistency, and prioritization. As a state, how do we build a more cohesive public education system that centers academic achievement and belonging?

🎧 Listen to the interview to learn more about how we’re working to better align resources and strengthen literacy outcomes statewide.

👉 https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/18/oregon-reading-scores-think-out-loud/

Policy expert, district superintendent weigh in on Oregon’s push to improve reading scores Oregon lawmakers have pushed to improve the state's struggling reading scores. Policy experts and district officials alike have weighed in on the role training, governance and accountability have played in that effort.