PPS administration has attempted to frame the high school redesign issue in a way that pits low-income area schools against each other.  They would be happy to see Marshall attack Jefferson, Roosevelt or Benson but why should we?

Each of those schools have suffered from PPS actions or inactions.  Those schools along with Marshall have been underfunded, denied resources, mismanaged and neglected while Lincoln, Wilson, Cleveland and Grant have benefitted. 

The question isn’t why does Jefferson or Roosevelt get resources that Marshall doesn’t?  The question is why does Lincoln, Grant, Cleveland and Wilson continue to get so much more than everyone else? [Read more →]

Let’s not make this another year where PPS fails to use Title I money.  Last year PPS failed to use almost $3 million in Title I funds (including $180,000 in Optional parent involvement).  Ask your school principals for a spending report today!

Do you remember this?

Diversity and Development

Under Construction Since 1964

Please check back in a few decades.

It was replaced with this:

 Nothing!  The page has disappeared.

The PPS superintendent and board may have wanted to avoid discussion about race in the high school redesign but we shouldn’t.  PPS has a long history of discriminating against students of color and poor students.  Now that the district has invested some money into Courageous Conversations, let’s see if they can have one. 

 Here’s another link to a report on PPS ugly history:

Detailed report on the history of PPS and the Black United Front

How sad that Portland is being touted as a national model.  PPS must have taken their show on the road since people here aren’t buyig it.  Read and comment on the Portland Observer story.

Portland’s High School Overhaul Makes Los Angeles Times

In the spring of 2004, the Portland School Board voted to divide lower-performing Marshall and Roosevelt high schools into small schools. Next week, the first class of students who entered those small schools as freshmen will graduate. Their high school careers have been marked by changes and transitions, and improved success in class – but most memorably by more personal relationships with their teachers, classmates and their school. As one senior said about Renaissance Arts Academy, “I found a home.”  [Read more →]

April 20, 2009 PPS Big Ideas Q & A offers some insight into the future.  Pull your wallets out because it will require BIG BUDGETS.

Q9: Is high school redesign leading to a facilities bond for PPS?

YES. However, to make any decisions about high school buildings, we must make decisions about the programs within those buildings.  How many high school buildings do we need?  What size, and where?  Should they include special spaces such as labs, workshops and performance space?  This high school design conversation will answer those questions and allow us to finalize a long-range facilities plan for PPS that includes high schools. [Read more →]

From November 2008- The Bridgespan Group, a San Francisco-based nonprofit dedicated to improving schools, studied the efforts within PPS high schools and tracked student success. The results, although preliminary, show promise. Cleveland High School and Biz Tech High School on the Marshall Campus reported the most notable results, greatly reducing the number of freshmen failing three or more classes or missing more than 20 days of school.

Much Love,

PPS Communications Department

I read this on p. 67 of the Superintendent’s HS Redesign proposal (emphasis mine):

 ”After high school boundaries are finalized, staff will undertake a community engagement process to address these structural issues at the K-8 level. Starting in fall of 2010, the process will result in recommendations on system wide changes to the school board during the 2010-11 school year and for implementation in 2011-12. The scope of these recommendations may include boundary changes, feeder pattern adjustments, school configuration changes and potentially school consolidation, and the initiation of a new focus school that replicates Sunnyside Environmental School.”

Didn’t we already ring around this rosy 4 years ago?  Isn’t this what CAUSED the “structural issues at the K8 level”?  How does doing more of the same fix the problem?  For example, how would “school consolidation” relieve the overcrowding at Laurelhurst, Alameda, Cleary, Rigler and Scott (which, interestingly, was also acknowledged in this document) as opposed to reopening Rose City Park?  How would “school consolidation” relieve the overcrowding at Sunnyside and Abernethy as opposed to reopening Edwards?  The School Board has already allocated $11.2 MILLION for trailers; five of the aforementioned schools are among the recipients.  Is there going to be a contest to see which school gets the most trailers???

WHERE DOES IT END?????

Pop Quiz

Which high school promised this? 

• A small, personalized learning environment 
• Self-esteem and leadership skills development
• Rigorous college-preparatory curriculum
• Focus on business entrepreneurship, sports/entertainment management, and law enforcement/forensics
• Purposeful involvement in community service to develop life and leadership skills
• After-school, Saturday & summer enrichment opportunities
• Support for academic and non-academic needs

Answer: Jefferson Young Men’s Academy 

How did that turn out? 

After one year and spending at least $30,000 in grant money on student recruiting efforts and planning, Jefferson High’s Young Men’s Academy has enrolled 42 students in grades six through nine. Doesn’t seem like much compared with Portland Public Schools’ 2005 goal of eventually attracting 400 Academy students in grades seven through 12. But it is a fivefold increase from last year’s recruitment of eight students—numbers so low that the district delayed the school’s opening from fall 2006 until fall 2007. This year’s enrollment of 42 is apparently enough to open what’s now being called the John H. Johnson Leadership Academy for Young Men, named after the late magazine publisher from Chicago. 

But there were more problems….. 

Carole Smith,the newly hired superintendent who often said the academies at Jeff would be “great,” later said administrators were doing what they could, but she avoided talking about “details.” (sound familiar?) 

And then the Young Men’s Academy closed after struggling for 2 years….. 

Low enrollment prevented the school from fulfilling its mission,” said Toni Hunter, Portland Public Schools assistant superintendent of high schools. “The Young Men’s Academy never exceeded 55 students and continues to decline. 

 So district administrators promised Advanced Placement classes at the new, new Jefferson but implementation was postponed for one year and then another year and now the superintendent is promising AP or IB classes for 2011. 

All of the broken promises have prompted parents to ask  whether anyone would be held accountable for making sure this never happens again.

What do you think?