Oregon – As Oregon’s public education system grapples with persistent performance challenges, state lawmakers are advancing a variety of legislation to make changes to the public education system. A recent bill advanced by Oregon Democrats was passed out of the House to more fully intertwine the issue of climate change in public education.
On April 17, the Oregon House passed House Bill 3365, which mandates the incorporation of climate science and sustainability into the state’s academic content standards. The bill requires the Board of Education to include appropriate climate and sustainability standards for each grade level and subject during the next content update. Supporters argue that this move will equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate a world increasingly affected by climate change. Representative Lisa Fragala (D-Eugene), a chief sponsor, stated, “Students are asking for this opportunity because they recognize it is critical to prepare for a future in which their world is resilient in the face of changing climate.”
This bill received pushback from Republican lawmakers. Representative Ed Diehl spoke in strong opposition to the legislation stating that:
“It’s not because I deny the existence of climate change, it’s not because I oppose environmental education. It is because I believe in something more foundational to the success of our kids and the future of this state, academic excellence, viewpoint neutrality, and the right of every student to be taught how to think not what to think.”
Rep. Diehl went on to cite statistics that Oregon is last in the country for fourth grade reading and math and that only 43% of Oregon students are proficient in English Language Arts. He then referenced a piece of legislation from 2023 that allocated $120 million to “teach teachers how to teach phonics” arguing that “if they don’t know the basics around the science of reading how are they going to get climate right.”
Oregon’s approach to the social sciences has come under scrutiny previously. In a letter dated May 8, 2024, the National Association of Scholars and Civics Alliance criticized the Oregon Department of Education’s draft social science standards for lacking substantive content knowledge and for promoting what they describe as “radical polemic.” They urge the department to replace the draft with standards that focus on the history of Western Civilization, America, and Oregon, free from political indoctrination.
This legislation also comes on the heels of concerns about stagnant academic performance across the state. Despite significant increases in education funding, Oregon’s student performance metrics remain concerning. A report from Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University indicates that reading and math proficiency scores have declined between 2019 and 2022. The report also highlights that per-pupil spending has increased by 80% since 2013, yet less than half of students are proficient in reading or math. Senate Republicans attribute these outcomes to policies such as Senate Bill 744, which eliminated the “essential skills” requirement for high school graduation, arguing that such measures lower academic expectations.
In February the National Center for Science Education issued a statement in support of the bill.
Oregon’s House Bill 3365, if enacted, would require the state’s academic content standards to “include an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability and climate change across all subjects for which academic content standards are established.”
Such standards would be designed to “increase understanding about the scientific causes of and the ways to prepare for and reduce the effects of climate change” as well as to provide opportunities to study specific issues involving climate change in various ways.
The bill was drafted by Oregon Educators for Climate Education “with input and revisions over two years from diverse stakeholders state-wide” and endorsed by the Oregon Education Association, according to a flyer (PDF) from OECE.
The bill was Introduced by Lisa Fragala (D-District 8) and Sarah Finger McDonald (D-District 16) on January 28, 2025, and referred to the House Committee on Education and then to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.
The bill now sits with the Senate Committee on Education.
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