N Breedlove's blog

As if having to play the PPS lottery for a chance to send your child to a school with adequate course offerings isn't bad enough, you can now gamble for a few extra school funding dollars from the Oregon Lottery. Please read this "Scratch-it for Schools" article from the Oregon Center for Public Policy.
http://www.ocpp.org/cgi-bin/display.cgi?page=cp0801lottery

Attached is the Jefferson PTSA's resolution that was presented to the School Board and City Council during the week of January 14th, 2008.

Lynn Schore tracks down public education grant funds that PPS lost under Vicki Phillips. Read about it in the Willy Week:
http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3343/9520/

The PPS school board still neglects to take action that would address many policies that have resulted in a classist and racist school system in Portland. Not surprisingly, the so-called "achievement gap" also persists. Here is an excerpt from an article by Paul C. Gorski of Teaching Tolerance, which should be read by everyone in positions of power and influence over PPS (school board members, superintendent, Portland Schools Foundation board members and staff, and certain other "community leaders" who have imposed or allowed top-down reforms on low-income schools):

"It's all too easy, for even the most well-meaning of us, to help perpetuate classism by buying into that mindset, implementing activities and strategies for "working with parents in poverty" or "teaching students in poverty" that, however subtly, suggest we must fix poor people instead of eliminating the inequities that oppress them.
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See Beth Slovik's article in the Willamette Week at:
http://www.wweek.com/wwire/?p=8298

Head of the Chicago Charter School Foundation has been selected as the new executive director of The Portland Schools Foundation. Read the announcement here:
http://www.thinkschools.org/home/the-latest-news/the-latest-news-2/

Today the Oregonian published three excellent letters to the editor speaking out for "excellent schools in all neighborhoods for all students."

Thank you Leanne, Lakeitha, and Valeurie!

Portland schools: Pride, strength for all
Monday, May 21, 2007

Unlike Daniel Sullivan and the parents profiled in the article "Drills propel kids but chafe some parents" (May 11) who choose not to "sacrifice" their children to our neighborhood schools, I am proud to send my children to our local elementary.

At our Jefferson cluster school, my children not only receive excellent basic skills instruction from highly qualified teachers,
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