"Vision reaches beyond the thing that is, into the conception of what can be. Imagination gives you the picture. Vision gives you the impulse to make the picture your own.” Robert Collier

Education Soaring welcomes your questions regarding its program. Please direct your communication to Kristine Fosback at kfosback@educationsoaring.com or call (503) 255-SOAR (7627).

Our Mission

We provide children with educational experiences designed to extend academic achievement beyond national, state and community norms. Education Soaring expands children's interests and knowledge, increases confidence and self-esteem, and promotes independence.

We connect parents to resources that meet their children's immediate and long-term educational needs at school, at home and in the community. We help parents make the intricate and crucial decisions necessary to place their children on the best educational paths.

We share current research and developments in education so that teachers can address children's needs using the most advanced educational tools and support systems.

Our Instructional Vision

Education Soaring classes offer private school benefits at affordable costs. Class size does not usually exceed ten students and is sometimes as low as six or seven students. Small classes ensure that all students have multiple opportunities to use materials and interact directly with instructors.

Acceleration is provided through course content that stretches two to six years beyond grade level making classes ideal for exceptionally gifted children. Course topics are selected for relevancy and interesting content and are continually molded to fit the needs of students. Maximum time is devoted to discussion, reflection, and collaboration. Emphasis is placed on conceptual learning, hands-on activities, and exploration.

Experienced, dedicated teachers bring a love of teaching and learning, superior knowledge, and passionate interests to their courses. Education Soaring teachers become advocates for students they come to know well over time.

Students meet and interact with other children with whom they share similar interests and knowledge. Friendships develop and are maintained over time.

Parents meet and support other parents who face similar parenting challenges. Valuable information regarding resources is exchanged.

Education Soaring Founder and Director

Kristine Fosback is an education leader in the state of Oregon. A 1977 graduate of Portland State University, Ms. Fosback holds a Masters Degree in Education with special research studies in math education. During her twenty-nine years as a teacher in Portland, Oregon, her contributions have included developing innovative math and general education programs, heightening awareness of the educational needs of highly gifted children, including English Language Learners and children with dual exceptionalities, involving elementary school students in service learning, and more.

With Dr. Donnise Brown, Ms. Fosback developed the curriculum for “Recess Math,” a program that received extensive national recognition in the 1990s. One of fifteen programs selected for a $250,000 grant from RJR Nabisco’s “Next Century Schools Foundation” from among more than 1,000 competitive submissions, the program utilizes innovative concepts to productively restructure how time is used during the school day. An independent research group evaluated the effectiveness of Recess Math and reported that “third, fourth, and fifth graders’ math skills increased at a rate 50 percent higher than students not in the program.”

In 1988, Fosback’s students were chosen as Merit Award Winners in the national “Kids Care Contest” sponsored by Scholastic News for their efforts to assist a classmate who needed a bone marrow transplant. In 1999, Fosback engaged the assistance of a partner school and spearheaded a drive to collect hundreds of pounds of shoes for children in Romania who could not attend school due to lack of footwear.

Fosback has written and received grants on behalf of schools and individual students, awarded from both local school districts and national organizations such as the National Gifted Children’s Fund. A math education grant Ms. Fosback received for an elementary school in 2002, was selected as the single grant awarded in memory of Kathryn Kinen, an outstanding Portland educator.

In 1988, Fosback received special recognition from the Reynolds District School Board for her contributions and “exceptional leadership.” She was honored in 2002 as Employee of the Year by the Reynolds Education Foundation.

On behalf of Education Soaring, Fosback was invited to participate in the development of NOISE, an Oregon network of STEM Educators (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Technology). At its inception in 2007, Fosback temporarily served as a member of its leadership committee and chaired its communications committee.

Kristine Fosback has been a presenter at district inservices, educational conferences, and university seminars. She has served as a consultant with schools to help them provide appropriately leveled educational programming.

Education Soaring Students

Over the past five years, more than five hundred children ranging from 4 to 14 years of age have participated in Education Soaring classes. Students have attended regular school in more than thirty-five school districts and fifteen private schools in the greater Portland and Vancouver areas, and in places as far away as Kaysville, Utah; Seattle, Washington; and Government Camp, Oregon. The vast majority of students are identified as Talented and Gifted. However, Education Soaring educators understand the challenges children can face in securing gifted identification. Therefore, capable students who demonstrate a passionate desire to expand their knowledge and skills in particular domains, or to test the waters of new domains in supportive settings, also attend Education Soaring classes even if they are not formally identified as gifted.

Executive Board

David Davis is a former Professor and Assistant to the Provost at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to his appointment at Vanderbilt University, Rabbi Davis held the position of Associate Vice President at the University of San Francisco, where he helped to create the Center for Pacific Rim and Asian Studies Program. In 1996, after twenty years at the University of San Francisco, Rabbi Davis retired with Professor Emeritus honors. A recognized leader in intellectual, moral and academic issues, Rabbi Davis has a long-standing reputation of working to further understanding among communities and diverse population groups. He established the first Chair in Judaic Studies at an American Catholic University. Rabbi Davis was also a leader in the Civil Rights movement, which led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Patricia Davis has been a prominent community leader for the past twenty years. As Executive Director for the Family Council in California, she developed preschool programs, a Hispanic tutorial program, and a substance abuse assistance program for teens and their families. As Director of the Community Youth Project, also in California, Patricia Davis developed programs for sixth through twelfth graders in a geographically isolated community. Following a move to Tennessee, Ms. Davis successfully raised funds for a HUD/HopeVI grant. Patricia Davis has served on the boards of many worthwhile organizations such as the Occupational Industrialization Center in Tennessee, Principal Library Systems, the Council on Aging, and the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute. Ms. Davis has been honored by several municipalities for her exemplary contributions. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, Rabbi David Davis.

Trisha Loitz Fleischman , a graduate of Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, is a Staff Attorney for the Oregon Workers' Compensation Board in Salem, Oregon. She is also the Articles Editor for the Journal of Small and Emerging Business Law. In 1996, Trisha Fleischman received her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She currently resides in Sherwood, Oregon.

Norman Fosback is president of Fosback Investment Management in Boca Raton, Florida, and publisher of Fosback's Fund Forecaster, an investment advisory newsletter. A graduate of Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, in 1971, Mr. Fosback co-founded The Institute for Econometric Research, a quantitatively-oriented research organization that pioneered sophisticated techniques for financial market forecasting. As President of The Institute, Mr. Fosback created and edited twelve investment newsletters with a combined circulation of approximately 300,000. In 1993, Fosback created Mutual Funds Magazine, a leading consumer finance publication that grew to a paid circulation of 800,000. All of the publications were acquired by Time Inc. in 1998. Mr. Fosback is also the author of four books, including the best-selling Stock Market Logic (more than 1.1 million copies in print). Mr. Fosback's credits include a nationally-syndicated investment column. He has been widely sought as an international lecturer on investment management for individuals.

Christy Hillman is a fund raising specialist with Legacy Health System, focusing on developing the retail spaces with the hospital setting. Currently the stores she manages generate over $1.25 million in sales per year. These programs donated over $1.5 million back to the hospital over the last 5 years. She is in the process of creating a "Mom and Me" boutique, expected to gross over $60,000 during its first year of operation. She is also the "Bank Day" coordinator, which is a savings incentive program, operated in cooperation with Washington Mutual Bank. Over 125 children are enrolled in this very successful program (the best in the region). A 1991 graduate of the University of Oregon in journalism and public relations, Christy Hillman has traveled around the world, with extended stays in France and Nepal. Christy Hillman is a mother of three children.