Who will rally for Marshall?
Where are the Close the Gap Not the Schools people now? Will they be there to support the Marshall community as their school closes? If the discussions taking place right now within the Grant Google group are any indication, the answer is no.
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If for one day I could take back dropping out of the Grant google group it would be today.
Now let’s be nice. Give everyone a chance to digest the information. Cleary we did not want any school closed and we will continue to work for gathering as a community to raise graduation rates, improve the K-8′s to get our kids ready for high school and make sure that PPS is held accountable. Why be snarky when you can be positive? We ALL want strong public high schools for all children. And remember, we have almost 600 voices on the Google Group who do NOT all share the same opinions.
Carrie, that’s the first thing that popped into my mind, too.
A hand has already been extended to the Marshall cluster from the googlegroup (many of whom are also involved with CTGNTS). And Marshall is represented in the High School Coalition which is still meeting with PPS.
Many on the GoogleGroup are concerned about how Sunnyside feels about being redistricted into the Grant catchment, how Boise Eliot feels about being redistricted to Jeff, how Marshall feels about losing the small schools, how Buckman feels about going to Lincoln. We’re asking these same questions on the group hoping to hear from them what they want and how they want to proceed
This plan was just made public last night, there are many questions. And still so much to do to make sure implementation is full and complete and tailored to each school’s needs. I hope that Cheating in Class will be an instrument for positive advocacy and help PPS hear those voices at BE, Marshall, Benson … all the schools.
A post from a Franklin PTA involved parents reveals that they are already working to figure out how to embrace the Madison catchment. Their positive outlook sees small schools for those students who want that, and a larger comprehensive for those students who want that. But this Franklin parent is also concerned about the adjustments to their boundary. The discussion is not ended. Not by a long shot.
Fair enough Suzanne but imagine how it would feel to be a Marshall parent and hear “This plan shows that Carole Smith listened to the people and it reinforces the tremendous value that we in Portland place on our neighborhoods and neighborhood schools.” What are Marshall parents? Not people? They don’t value their neighborhood schools?
This was Marshall’s chance to get what many other communities have had for years and instead they get the short stick.
I realize that a few people don’t represent the entire Grant Google group but I have observed numerous instances of offensive comments by people from the group and nobody has stepped up and called them on it.
The superindentants ” focus option ” choices ( supposedly 3 ) is really just a choice, in my opinion, and one that, aside from maybe Wilson, places a heavier burden on students from Jeff and Roos. The travel time to attend this one focus choice would probably take about an hour each way. MLC is a total joke as a focus school choice because most kids leave this school for the high school years, not the other way around. And Benson..now how does this count when you’ve already established yourself at your neighborhood school, AND, it wouldn’t offer it’s own sports teams ( yes, these students could still play sports for their neighborhood school, but could a kid realistically get from Benson to Roosevelt in time for practice? I highly doubt it ). The focus choices were designed around finding the fastest way to rid Jeff and Roosevelt of their NCLB status. It’s a great thing to get currently failing schools up and running again, but it’s being done in a way that also creates a greater hardship for students that decide a focus option school would better fit their needs. It seems to serve the district and their agenda over really making some concrete changes, especially for minority students or students wanting something other than a community school.
I agree this is an opportunity for all of the various groups that have formed around this issue to now wrap around these communities and build them up. PPS cannot make us good citizens and we need to find a way to make this work for everyone. I hope the energy that the Grant group has put into this redesign will not subside and will be used for empowering and including diverse families and looking closely at their own achievement gap. I think there are enough sensible voices there to push for this change. Definitely thinking about Marshall families today and what a punch in the gut this must be for them.
Instead of closing Marshall, I’d like to suggest the students from Lincoln and Marshall switching schools, with the other school’s resources remaining where they currently are.
Carrie,I can assure you that when someone has stepped out of line, they have been emailed privately or banned from the google group.
I am sick that any school was closed. I wonder how these students will adapt. I wonder if the District will actually be able to deliver on their promises. I also feel for the Benson community. A “Focus School” that really worked for its students will take on a different approach. I wonder how motivated students will be to take Tri-met and whether or not the City/PPS will continue to fund student passes. I can assure you that if the Grant Google group has done anything, it has brought more attentive eyes to the forefront and hopefully people will continue to engage and be active participants instead of just observers in the process.
Incidentally, Carrie, I’m happy to do another plug for your website because I think you bring so much value to the conversation.
Best,
Suzanne
Suzanne, I’ve seen a few people called out for namecalling etc. but what I’m referring to are offensive comments stereotyping people.
Comments like children have “an abyssmal vocabulary because no one talks to them, are chronically sleep deprived (with accompanying poor attention and behavior problems) because either there are no rules in their home or that the parents keep them up nightly with loud music /video games/partying, and most importantly, because they have never been taught how to behave, they lack a developmentally appropriate level of self-control, which eats up valuable learning time for everyone. (What have you been doing with this child for five years, I want to ask!)”
Yes there are bad poor parents just as there are bad wealthier parents.
As a single, low-income parent working full-time who busted my butt to raise three kids alone, while contributing to my community and attending college full-time, I find that comment offensive. I work solely with low-income parents and most of them are working full-time and/or going to school AND involved in their child’s early childhood education.
I don’t believe that the comments are intended to be hurtful…just made out of ignorance. Between comments like the one mentioned and an aggressive position of advocacy for Grant, the google group isn’t a very friendly place for outsiders.
When the Google Group was started back in early January, it was designed to be a place to disseminate information the high school redesign for Grant parents. We wanted it to be a safe place for people to exchange ideas and opinions without media or PPS scrutiny. As time went on, many parents from other schools reached out to us and asked to join the group so that they could stay on top of the redesign plans, have an easy source to media stories and take in some of the research and analyses made by some of the Google Group members. From the Google Group, some of the members formed Parents for Closing the Gap, Not the Schools. We presented an alternative Resolution to the Superintendent’s because we believe in strong neighborhood schools. We reached out to high schools beyond Grant and encouraged them to meet. They formed the High School Coalition which advocated collectively for no school closures. CTGNTS took a backseat to the High School Coalition — they are organized and have engaged in meetings to discuss how the redesign will affect PPS high schools collectively. I would imagine they will be moving forward to address the redesign with the Superintendent.
I agree that the comments are not meant to be hurtful — many are based on ignorance or misinformation.
Because the majority of the Google Group members are Grant parents, it will be likely that the Google Group will continue as a place to disseminate information and ideas for our neighborhood school. I would imagine a lot of non-Grant families will tune out. I would hope that other schools will start their own Google Groups that will engage their communities.
I think it’s natural that everyone wants the best for thier child and the Grant community has always been very active in making sure that Grant is a strong school. I don’t anticipate that is giong to change (nor would I want it to) any time soon.
Thanks Suzanne. I do appreciate the work that you’ve done to bring the issues front and center. I know how exhausting dealing with the district can be. Not only do they make it difficult to partner with them but they design the system to pit parents against each other. I agree that it’s natural for parents to want the best for their children and sometimes that means choosing a position that’s not so popular. I’ve done that myself.
I am counting the days (27) until my youngest child graduates from PPS. Champagne on June 6th.
I look forward to the day when ALL kids will be able to receive a high quality public education in Portland. And in case anyone from PPS is reading this….no, I don’t think it will come from your new high school redesign plan.
Carrie, I really liked what you have written! I stumbled on to this and was pleasantly suprised. I dont feel like the Marshall Community is alone but there is much more to do. That meeting held at Marshall with 36 hrs notice two weeks ago was another abysmal attempt for PPS to say that they got community input. It was an infomercial for small focus schools. The interpreter had no one to interpet for and I saw all the same faces that were at every meeting and it was sad. Do get me wrong, these schools are very successful. Just maybe not what the Marshall campus itself needs.
Suzanne, thank you for reaching out to me during a frustrated moment in my day. Your email was so supportive and it made me feel really good. I have been following your organizing activities closely and it has been helpful. We do have an activity planned to talk about Marshall and I am cautiously excited to say that this may be just what we have needed to be able to bring new people together in our community for some time now.
Baby steps.
Every neighborhood has gone through what we are experiencing at one time or another. I can think of a few communities or neighborhoods around town that not too long ago were “fixer-uppers” and look at them now? We will be there soon and people would be best served to invest in the future of Lents! (Incidentially, that is not what PPS is currently doing and I dont mind saying it.)
And I hate to say it, but I am still giggling about the Marshall/Lincoln swap. Funny. Not in a mean way, it was just funny.
I am so happy that I didnt read what you did in the google group Carrie, my heart would have sunk. I know that the majority is behind us and that is how a city should be. What people have or dont have in life should never be entered into to play. We are all human beings living in neighborhoods that are all about 10 minutes apart. (If that, in some places.) Every voice has a unique perspective, every story has a face. Its just these things that make a strong city and no govt agency should be able to manipulate that. Even if we cannot see eachother, we are still neighbors.
Peace!
Bonnie, Welcome and thank you for your comments. I’ve lived in the Marshall cluster for the past 20 years. I agree that the area is improving.
It was a big disappointment when PPS closed Clark to merge it with Binnsmead. It was such a successful little school. That’s what PPS does though…divide and conquer. I don’t think the superintendent or board expect any resistance from the Marshall community. This is really a great opportunity for us to come together as neighbors and support Marshall.
Maybe we’ll run into each other at one of the upcoming meetings.
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