The latest report from Oregon’s Quality Education Commission finds state school funding far below what’s necessary for a good system. But as Rob Manning reports, the commission found some bright spots in education.

The Quality Education Commission asked teachers at strong and struggling schools about several practices. The 2012 report has survey responses to questions like: Do teachers have time to collaborate? Do they use student results to guide instruction? And do teachers have regular discussions with students about their progress?

The governor’s education advisor, Ben Cannon, said commissioners found the answers showed a clear pattern. “They found much more of those types of activities in high-performing schools than they did lower ones,” he said. “So I think there are some very interesting and useful findings here.”

Cannon expects the survey results to help guide ongoing school reforms.

The commission also found state funding to be two and a quarter billion dollars short of what’s needed. That’s actually a smaller gap than last year’s. But that’s mostly because the commission is calculating pension costs differently.

This story originally appeared on Oregon Public Broadcasting.