Ruth, Leslie, and me

I've never met Leslie Carlson (Blue Oregon contributor) or Ruth Adkins (frequent and intelligent Blue Oregon commenter), but if I ever do make their acquaintance, I will forgo  the pleasantries and ask them directly:

"Why aren't you both on the Portland School Board?"

Just think of the possibilities.  We, the three of us -Ruth, Leslie, and I (hey, I ran and did pretty well) - forming an alliance to battle the entrenched culture of Portland educational politics and the policies that we -the three of us- think are destroying the traditional neighborhood school, and undermining the livability of the city.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me explain the origin of this reverie. 

First, there was this article in today's Tribune about Vicki Phillips' crackpot ideas on reforming Jefferson High School.  Ruth Adkins' name figured prominently in the story as head of the district watchdog group, the Neighborhood Schools Alliance.  Adkins called the Superintendent's school uniform proposal "racist", which it probably is.

At the same time, Leslie Carlson posted this piece on the Blue Oregon site about a doctor's prescription of walking to the grocery store to lose weight.  It immediately brought to mind my post on the research that says driving makes people fat.  But it also echoed what she wrote in this piece about saving neighborhood schools:

"So what’s good about neighborhood schools? First, neighborhood schools keep people out of their cars. In a time when this country is facing a public health crisis due to childhood obesity, we are closing the schools that kids reach on foot."

Both Carlson and Adkins link the demise of the neighborhood school in Portland to the increased emphasis by the district on magnet and focus options, and on school "choice". So do I (click here and here for examples.)

So to sum up, here's where the three of us are in total agreement, and why an educational alliance, were we all to serve on the school board, is a sure thing:

• Neighborhood schools - good, good, and good.  Good for the district, good for educational equity, and good for the city.
• Magnet schools and focus options -  bad, bad, and bad.  Bad for neighborhood schools, bad for educational equity, and bad for the city.
• School reform - All district schools should offer quality programs, not just a handful whose access is largely limited to students with means.

We probably agree on most other social and political issues as well.  So, Leslie and Ruth, consider this post both a compliment to your enlightened ideas, and an introduction to one who shares them.

In the meantime, I think I'll sign up with the Neighborhood Schools Alliance.

Comments

[Ruth Adkins]

Thanks so much for these kind words, Terry!

It's pretty hard nowadays to get elected to the school board without the $$ backing of the Portland Schools Foundation, and they are, shall we say, not of the same mind as we are on these issues... That said, we definitely need candidates who will differ from the rah-rah party line about boutique focus option schools, the imperative to close neighborhood schools, not to mention the latest proposals to "fix" Jeff. (NSA will be coming out with our response to the proposals in the new year.)

Re: Neighborhood Schools Alliance, I'm not the head of the group, though I often serve as a spokesperson. We're a loose-knit, feisty grassroots group; we don't have a website yet but everyone is welcome to sign up for our announcement email list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NSANews/
The homepage for this yahoo group includes basic info about our meeting times and what NSA is about. Here's our mission statement:

The Neighborhood Schools Alliance is a group of parents, teachers, and community members working together to support and strengthen Portland's neighborhood schools.

We believe that:
o Our neighborhood schools are the heart and soul of a livable community.
o All children deserve a high-quality school in their neighborhood.

Folks are also welcome to join our discussion group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NeighborhoodSchoolsAlliance/

Thanks again, Terry, for your strong and eloquent support for neighborhood schools!
-Ruth Adkins

[Bailie]

Ruth, Leslie and Terry,
What is your solution to the funding problems of the Portland school district?

[Terry]

I like "feisty grassroots" movements, Ruth. And I don't have much use for the Portland Schools Foundation. Here's my stance, verbatim, on neighborhood schools from my 2003 campaign flyer:

"Closing schools not only harms neighborhoods, it is poor educational policy. Research demonstrates a clear link between small schools and student achievement. Closing Meek and Brooklyn Elementary Schools saved the district LESS than 1% of its operating budget, and pushed the enrollment at neighborhood schools above the 340 students recommended by the state Quality Education Model."

Today's article in the Tribune about parents cheating to get their kids into so-called "better" schools (and OUT of the bad ones)pretty much says it all.