Comments on: New Harvest Charter School: Down in Flames; Ivy “League” Charter School: Illegal?

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:41:03 +0000

What’s amazing to me is that she feels the need to justify herself and her school to us. Whatever!

…er, I mean, you’re right! Why didn’t I see this all along?

By: gay

gay — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:52:02 +0000

Seriously, why would you care? Your opinions about me is so low and so fixed in stone I am surprised you would be interested. Calling me an Assclown doesn’t exactly want to make me cozy up to you on the couch, if you get my drift.

By: WackyMommy

WackyMommy — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:35:46 +0000

Gay,
Are you Gay Harris from the Waldorf Village Charter?

By: Gabrielle

Gabrielle — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:22:51 +0000

WM-
I sent you an email from my aol account since I can’t seem to send one from my work account (darn nonprofit budget!).

By: Gabrielle

Gabrielle — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:21:18 +0000

I still believe that the that ultimate goal is to privatize education. This is a government expeirment funded by tax payers. If as is suggested that Charter schools are outpacing (percentage wise) their peers in regular public school on test, graduation rates, lower drop out rates, and all the other statistics used, then the government wins. Isn;t this an effective way to bust the teachers union? And isn’t this a great way to demonstrate to the public why all schools should be closed and converted to charter schools? But waite……what happens to the ESL students that I am not seeing enrolled in charter schools here, special learners, what about a school nurse? As the sister of a medically fragile brother, I had to watch as my parents sued in the 80′s for my brother to attend our neighborhood school. The school was refusing to provide the required nurse, but my parents prevailed. Where is that money going to come from once all schools are privatized as quasi-public charter schools for all the students that don’t fit the profile of our current charter schools? Speech tharapist? School Psychologist? Social Workers?

By: gay

gay — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:40:57 +0000

Daisy,

I do not feel flip about our literacy problem, and did not intend to sound so. I am not suggesting neighborhood schools in Portland turn out “illiterate failures”, as you suggest.

I AM saying that the Oregon literacy problem is a critical
issue. Our current model of education leadership is not working. Last year the Oregon eighth grade reading pass rate was 58%. These kinds of numbers are a social emergency.

If the charter school law is the only way to experiment in new forms of school leadership, then it stands to reason that it will be utilized by progressives as well as by the reactionaries being harped about. on this site I see no evidence of reactionary leadership in the charter schools in Portland. Our school is a third minority and we have plenty of needy kids, both socially and educationally
speaking. It is so sad that there is so much anger here against charter schools. It is really misplaced. This is not Ohio, Oregon has one of the lowest percentages of kids in charter schools in the country.

By: Zarwen

Zarwen — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:02:34 +0000

Winterhaven may be one of the most sought-after schools in the district, but I doubt it’s one of the whitest. My son’s class is 36% minority. I know because I am in that classroom every week and I know every single child in it!

I have heard that the founders of Trillium used to run the Family Co-op program at Sunnyside before it got dismantled–which was why they founded Trillium!

By: WackyMommy

WackyMommy — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:30:14 +0000

Your play husband, oh you’re funny! This kid — OK. I won’t say where, but we were out and about. told me (all in one breath), “I-go-to-a-school-one-mile-from-my-house.” I was like, who programmed you, little dude?

Turns out he was talking about the new Waldorf Village School charter. So yeah, “car-free! One mile from our house! See? Good, see?”

Me: “Go to your neighborhood school.” (Broken record.)

By: BlackFriend

BlackFriend — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:57:24 +0000

I would never send my child to Trillium. Nor be thrilled with any of the white children I love going there. My understanding was that Trillium got chartered to be a diverse school, yet the founders were exclusively white and middle/upper class, mostly tired of driving across town to SES, daVinci, MLC. Not people who routinely shared a meal around the breakfast nook nor dining table with people of color. A friend sent her kid there, was thwarted by white parents who ran the charter in her efforts to organize parents and students of color.

All the charter folks know that they have to pay lip service to “diversity” to get a charter. My play husband Steve said it all when he said it’s about keeping their kids away from the unwashed masses of N/NE Portland schools. The location allows for one to claim some car-free props as well.

By: Daisy

Daisy — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 05:41:39 +0000

Gay, comparing SEI to charter schools such Trillium or Ivy is disengenous at best. SEI was created as an after school program for black kids, and has longstanding connections to community schools including Ockley Green. Tony Hopson has been one of the loudest advocates to improve the community schools in North and Northeast, not to lure parents and children away from them and bleed them dry of funds.

What are the demographic at Trillium? I know only one black family who sent their kids there. From what I had observed as a neighbor, it is nearly all white, and this in an area which is diverse.

There is a reason why most charter schools in Portland are racially segregated, and yes, elitist. One is a lack of programs for working poor parents, such as SUN school. Another is a lack of diversity among their own staff.

The third is the way these schools are trying to appeal to parents by playing up the racially coded fears and biases against their community schools, such as your flip comment about illiteracy, as if all neighborhood school students are illiterate failure, while those who attend your school are better educated.

I was educated in one of the most maligned NE schools myself (Woodlawn) and today my kids attend another maligned school (Ockley). I would much rather have my children attend school with a diverse population, experienced UNION teachers, and grow up with humility and life experience, rather than assume that by virtue of calling itself a charter, a school will offer a superior experience. What I see more of is a superior attitude.