Encouraging young scientists at Beaver Acres ES
“You’re coming on my favorite week,” Instructional Coach Randi Little shared to a small group of us visiting Beaver Acres to see the new After School Science Club. “Last week the students worked on designing their towers, this week they start building them.” And, that wasn’t all that was happening during Science Club; students also […]
Empowering Students Through BEF Kids Count Grants
What are Kids Count Grants? These BEF awards fund initiatives that spur innovative learning opportunities by extending the school day or providing resources during the summer to avoid the “summer slide” and return students to school ready to learn in the fall.
Harnessing the Sun: 8th Graders Engineer a Sustainable Future
Beaverton eighth graders are diving into the world of renewable energy through a new hands-on science unit designed to bridge the gap between classroom concepts and real-world career paths. This project-based learning experience empowers students to explore the impacts of energy production while building the technical skills needed for Oregon’s growing clean energy workforce.
Results are in for After-School Academic Support Programs
In the 2025-26 academic year, Beaverton Education Foundation invested in after school academic support for English language learners at 4 Beaverton School District Title I elementary schools. Year-end results point to successful outcomes for these 500 students.
STEM in the classroom
BEF’s Building STEAM 4 All Initiative teams up with the district and local businesses to engage students in hands-on, experiential learning. Thanks to the support of Analog Devices and First Tech Federal Credit Union, additional tech learning tools are now available to teachers through the Innovation Lending Library. This library is available to all schools across the district, especially in weekly “tech specials” taught at the elementary schools level. In January, tech instructors came together for a special morning of professional development and to learn about the new equipment available in the Lending Library.
Middle School Extended Day Programs
Now in its 15th year, the Safe and Sound for Student Success (S4) program offered by BEF continued its vital work in the 2024-25 school year. Eight middle schools participated, serving 1,184 middle school students with an extended school day with access to extracurricular sports coupled with academic accountability.
Growing Student-Run Businesses in Beaverton high schools
BEF empowers student-run businesses that are part of many Career Technical Education (CTE) programs offered in high schools. With seed funding from BEF, businesses were able to purchase new equipment and supplies so students could learn through hands-on experiences, develop business acumen, and explore future career pathways.
PE & Play Initiative
Thanks to Nike, and other community partners, all elementary schools and several middle schools received new equipment to reenergize their students during PE class.
Beaverton Science Expos
BEF, Beaverton and Hillsboro School Districts partnered to put on a robust science expo program in 2025. BEF focused on empowering middle school students to see themselves as scientists who are capable of problem solving, discovery, and knowledge creation.
Aloha Coffee Caboose
BEF invested in career connected learning at Aloha High School where students in the special education programs were able to explore new job skills through working in the Coffee Caboose, a classroom coffee shop experience that helped students develop barista, marketing, and customer service skills.