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Bringing Great Things To The Classroom

About GBEF

The Gresham-Barlow Education Foundation was founded in 1994 with the mission to enrich district classrooms with financial support beyond state and federal funding. Promoting excellence in education through imaginative, innovative and student-focused programs while fostering partnerships, allows the GBEF to be a catalyst for community building and advocate for the district. Since its inception, the Foundation has provided over $2.3 million dollars in education enhancements for the district.

GBEF support is unique to each school but throughout the entire district, the positive results of the Foundation can be seen. Additional technology including smart boards, document cameras, iPads, iPods, and laptop computers are now available to students. An innovative reading curriculum was added thanks to funds raised by our historic Phone-a-Thon. The Foundation’s continued support of literacy now affects students by making an eLibrary available to all students 24/7 — even when school isn’t in session.

 

The GBEF continues to partner with the district to explore new ways to support teachers and the learning experience for every student who calls the Gresham-Barlow School District their educational home.

Learning Alphabets
Teacher with Students

Mission & Values

The Gresham-Barlow Education Foundation provides funding to enhance and enrich the educational experience of the students in the Gresham-Barlow School District.

 

District classrooms are positively impacted by classroom Innovation Grants that enable educators to request funding for creative teaching curriculum, student-centered projects, and increased technology.

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."

–  John Dewey

Library

About Gresham-Barlow School District

Gresham-Barlow School District supports 21 public schools, which include K-12 & Charter schools; open to 11,464 students for the 2024-25 academic year. The Gresham-Barlow District is committed to ongoing excellence in standardized exams and core curriculum benchmarks.  

Additionally, the district is one of the largest and most culturally diverse in the state of Oregon.

Board of Directors

Current Board Members

Emeritus Board Members

 The electronic drum kit we received through the Gresham Barlow Education Foundation Grant has been an absolute game-changer in my classroom.

It's truly humbling to see the impact. This year, I had a specific student dealing with crippling anxiety who found a sense of comfort and belonging in the space, and it's been incredible to witness. In fact, that student wasn't on track to graduate this year before he found the drums, and I'm excited to report that he not only graduated, but also played his music at our promotion ceremony. Truly inspiring!

More broadly, this drum kit has helped us foster a community of exploration that shows these kiddos learning can be genuinely fun, offering them a whole new perspective.

We're incredibly thankful for GBEF's gift!

Tim & the REY Family

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