The Oregon Board of Education has set higher standards for students to earn a high school diploma. This year's ninth graders are expected to meet this standard. Why have the standards been changed, and what does it mean for communities?

Susan is starting her sixth year as state superintendent. During her first four years in office, Oregon's students have steadily improved performance in reading and math and gaps between groups have begun to close.

After earning a PhD in Education at UO, Mary conducted and published research about the results of state and federal education policies. Mary served as the director of high school reform in a rural district in Maryland, another state struggling to help students meet higher diploma standards, before returning to Eugene as Executive Director of Network Charter School.

This program is structured as a conversation between two professionals who share a commitment to public school excellence but have different perspectives on the implications of raising the bar.

Program coordinator: Mary Leighton

Paul Duchin, co-president of the Eugene Education Association, will ask the first question.