A Talent for Making Connections

Nancy Golden

Nancy Golden, MS ‘74 Special Education, PhD ‘87 Curriculum and Instruction, has had a profound impact on education in the state of Oregon over her many years as a teacher, superintendent, and policy maker. Known for her ability to make connections between communities, schools, researchers, and legislators, she is currently using her talents at the College of Education as the leader of the Oregon Schools Research Network (ORSN). 

Nancy was first inspired to become a special education teacher when she witnessed the struggles that a family member with a disability encountered while seeking support in their education. She decided to pursue a degree at the University of Oregon because of the program’s emphasis on training.  

“I attribute a lot of my success to the special education department. What you learn there is that training matters. A child’s success is directly aligned with the teacher’s training. You can do great things for kids, if you have a high level of training.”  

As Nancy grew in her career as an educator, she was recognized for her leadership abilities, which led her to pursue a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. Eventually, she became superintendent of Springfield schools and was in that position when Governor Kitzhaber recruited her to be his Education Policy Director and to assist in the passage of Senate Bill 909, which created a seamless system of education from kindergarten through postsecondary. The bill was designed to increase the number of Oregonians who pursue postsecondary education. The bill passed, leading to the creation of the Oregon Education Investment Board, where Nancy served before becoming the state’s Chief Education Officer. 

 In 2018, Dean Randy Kamphaus, PhD, originated ORSN, a new initiative modeled after agricultural extension programs in which university researchers work in the field with farmers to solve problems on their farms. He saw the potential to adapt this model to use the COE’s research expertise to assist schools statewide, and in turn provide valuable implementation experience to researchers, creating a feedback loop that results in better outcomes for students.   

When deciding who to hire as the director, the dean couldn’t think of a better candidate than Nancy. “We were indeed fortunate to recruit Nancy Golden back to the college as our first professor of practice – a distinction awarded to professionals with an esteemed record of practice leadership and change. These qualifications are a perfect match for leading ORSN.”  

ORSN is guided by Oregon’s Equity Lens and currently focused on providing training for educators and instructional assistants in schools statewide. For example, Associate Professor Jeff Todahl from the COE’s Center for the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect (CPAN) is providing trauma-informed school systems in partnership with the   South Coast ESD and the 10 districts they serve. Special education faculty member, Chris Knowles, is working with Lane ESD and Intermountain ESD to provide professional development to educational assistants. A signature piece of these trainings is the creation of specific video-based micro-professional development modules (micro-PD). These are short videos where UO faculty train staff on evidence-based skills using state-of-the-art technology.  According to Dean Kamphaus, “Nancy, through ORSN, is leveraging the research eminence of the COE to drive positive change in practice around the state, in rural, coastal, and urban centers alike.”  

On the horizon, Nancy is looking forward to being able to provide ORSN’s trainings to more schools and developing meaningful partnerships statewide. She’s excited to see how they can further leverage their networks to make sure that children and educators are getting the resources they need. Nancy Says, “ORSN is committed to working side-by-side with ESDs, districts and schools to ensure that all students are graduates prepared for a bright and successful future and our partnerships have created the synergy to make this happen.”