Page 12 Portland Observer May 13, 1982
Salem NAACP
reorganizes
S t a f f tr a in in g a t P P S
(Editor's Note: This is the second
o f two articles concerning multicul
tural education in the Portland
Public Schools.)
by James J. Fenwick
Deputy Superintendent
Portland Public Schools
As part of the Comprehensive De
segregation Plan adopted by the
Portland School Board in A p ril o f
1980, a 33-hour staff training pro
gram was implemented to provide
systematic training in multicultural
education, human relations and
communication.
This program has been described
by the Portland schools’ Commu
nity Relations Department staff as
"an honest effort to improve inter
racial understanding among stu
dents, parents and the community at
large.”
Two years earlier, however, in re
sponse to pressing concerns o f the
community, a sharp shift in empha
sis in staff development programs
had already taken place. A t the
mandate o f the community, a more
systematic approach to staff under
standing o f cultural differences
among ethnic groups was initiated.
Among the com m unity groups
urging this action were the Portland
Observer and the Parent Advisory
Committee o f the federal Emer
gency School Aid Act. In that year
an editorial in the Observer called
for stepped-up training for Portland
teachers and other employees in
multicultural curriculum, human re
lations and cross-cultural communi
cations.
As a result o f that new emphasis,
a departmental survey conducted in
1979 o f participation in education
programs indicated that 2,269
teachers and 120 administrators had
participated in multicultural educa
tion programs o f one kind or
another.
Despite this impressive record o f
participation, the Community Rela
tions Department began to develop
a more orderly program fo r sta ff
participation and training as sug
gested by community groups.
The 33-hour training program be
gun in 1980 was seen as another step
toward building a more systematic
approach to staff training.
A cornerstone o f the 33-hour pro
gram is renewed stress on s ta ff
training outcomes which enhance
the self-esteem and cultural identity
o f m inority students and which im
prove racial understanding among
all students.
Included in the 33-hour sta ff
training program, now in its second
year, is the goal to increase sta ff
knowledge and understanding o f
black history and culture, the
history and culture o f other minori
ties and the impact o f problems
created by social class.
A new impetus to the staff train
ing plan already in place has come
from the student achievement policy
recently adopted by the Board o f
Education.
Since its first year, the 33-hour
plan has been subject to many
changes and improvements. It has
been strengthened through the e f
forts o f staff, community members
and national consultants.
Asa H illia rd , prime consultant
for the comprehensive plan, and a
number o f consultants he recom
mended have been assisting the dis
trict staff in the development o f the
plan. Dr. Hilliard, a nationally rec
ognized expert on multicultural edu
cation, is a professor at Georgia
State University.
Because unique problems and
conditions exist in each school, flex
ib ility in training plans permits a
b uilding’ s teachers to address the
identified academic and cultural
needs o f the students in their school.
The 33-hour program has already
made impressive inroads in sta ff
training. However, considering the
complexity o f the staff training ef
fo r t—that o f changing attitudes,
changing perspectives and adding to
existing knowledge—it comes as no
surprise that P ortland’ s idealistic
goal has yet to be met.
These e fforts and stumbling
blocks are well summarized by
Darrell M illner, Black Studies pro
fessor at Portland State University,
who has been involved in staff train
ing in Portland for three years.
" I view the first two years o f the
multicultural teacher training effort
in Portland as a learning exper
ience,” Dr. Millner said. "The d iffi
culty in providing teacher remedia
tion in an area that should have
been a part o f their formal educa
tion is formidable. It is made more
difficult by the politicized nature of
its birth as an effort here.
"W ith o u t a doubt the district has
committed substantial amounts o f
money and s ta ff energy to this e f
fo rt. The results have not always
been either immediate or apparent,
but the process has included mech
anisms fo r continuous review and
modification. That many people in
the district appreciate the im port
ance o f this effort and have worked
sincerely for its accomplishment is
clear.
" I t is equally clear that the objec
tive o f the m ultiethnic instruction
has not yet been met here, but at
least a start has been made. The key
ingredients in a program o f this kind
are unqualified commitment to its
success by the policy-making leader
ship o f the district and the under
standing in the general community
that you don’ t undo 300 years o f
negative education overnight.”
Teachers who have completed the
training support Dr. M illner’s com-
ments. One teacher commented, "1
didn’t know that my education had
so many holes in it—I didn’t know a
lot o f the inform ation about A f r i
can contributions and history."
Another said, "1 understand
more now why kids learn in d iffe r
ent ways. I want more strategies to
meet these needs in my classroom."
The district staff directly respon
sible for the training program recog
nizes that the sought-for goal o f
providing a totally positive climate
for all Portland school students has
not as yet been met. N or has the
goal o f fa cilita tin g open two-way
communication lines between cul
tures been fully realized.
Nevertheless, the s ta ff training
and development component o f the
Comprehensive Desegregation Plan
is moving ahead and the d istrict is
committed to its continuous pro
gress. The Portland school district
has taken a giant step tow ard im
proving interracial understanding
among staff, students and citizens.
S A LE M —The Salem Chapter o f
the N ational Association fo r the
Advancement o f Colored People
(N AAC P) is in the process o f reor
ganizing and reestablishing its char
ter here in the capital city.
A membership meeting has been
scheduled fo r Tuesday, May 18,
1982 at the City o f Salem Housing
A u th o rity Com m unity Room lo
cated at 360 Church Street S.E. (be
tween Trade and Mission Streets). A
get-acquainted " s o c ia l" at 6:30
p.m. will precede the meeting which
begins at 7 pm.
The Salem Chapter extends an
open invitation to all interested and
prospective members to come out
and support us in our efforts to re
organize and reestablish.
For further inform ation, please
contact Mr. Fulton Burns, Interim
President, at 585-6852.
AroZ OITICK SUPPLY
7240 N.E. SANDY BLVD.
PORTLAND, OREGON 97213
Phone: (503) 288-0216
• Furniture A Supplies • Printing • Rubber Stamps •
HHN
PEOPLE WHO DON’T ATTEND
BOS SCHOOL MAY FLUNK OUR
SEPT. 5 ENTRANCE EXAM.
Getting on the bus gets a lot easier
after September 5th.
I f you know how it’s done.
The way to learn is to climb aboard
one of our Bus School buses and walk
through a simple ten-minute familiariza
tion course. (See the schedule below.)
Then, when you get off this big yellow
bus, you’ll know how to get on all our
other buses.
THREE DOORS. NO WAITING.
Take our articulated buses. Please.
With a new Ten-Ride Ticket or
Monthly Pass, you'll be able to board
these beauties through any door. (The
Ten-Ride Ticket you validate in the
machine inside each door, the Pass you do
nothing with except show it to a Fare In
spector upon request.)
In other words, only cash fares will
have to enter up front on the “artics”.
Think how that can speed up boarding
and exiting.
RE-ZONED ZONES.
One caution though: Before you
board, you need to know what zone you’re
in and what zone(s) you’re heading for.
You guessed it, the zones are
changing too. So longer rides will cost
more and shorter rides will cost propor
tionately less. Seems only fair.
Anyway, before you know what kind
of ticket or pass to buy, you’ll need to
know how many zones you’ll be traveling
through. Is the new zone system confus
ing? A little.
All of which
is another good reason to
attend Bus School and
us
explain things.
WHY IN THE WORLD
ARE WE DOING ALL THIS?
Fair question. And the straight an
sw er is, efficiency. The many changes
coming September 5th will allow us to do
two things which usually don’t go hand-
in-hand. Improve our service and reduce
our costs.
We’ll be able to move more people
more efficiently, more conveniently. That
ATTEND THE TEN-MINUTE BUS SCHOOL NEAREST YOU.
TUESDAY. APRIL 27-MAY 1
1. Fred M eyer— Beaverton
2. Lloyd Center
TUESDAY, M AY4-M AY8
1. Fred M eyer— Tigard
2. Jantzen Beach Mall
TUESDAY MAY I I MAY 15
1. Fred Meyer -Gresham
2. Clackamas Town Center
TUESDAY MAY 18-MAY 22
1. Natl. Trans Week—Swan Island
*2. Pioneer Square
TUESDAY, MAY 25-MAY ¿9
1. Fred Meyer — Stadium
2. Oregon City Shopping Ctr.
TUESDAY, JUNE 1 -JUNE 5
1 Fred Meyer — Hollywood
2. Tanasbourne Mall
TUESDAY, JUNE 8-JUNE 12
1. Fred Meyer — Tualatin
2. Rose Festival
TUESDAY, JUNE 15-JUNE 19
1 Fred Meyer — Gliaan
2 Washington Square
TUESDAY, JUNE 22-JUNE 26
1. Fred Meyer — Raleigh Hills
2. Lloyd Center
TUESDAY, JUNE 29 JULY 3
1. F Meyer
t9th & Hawthorne
2. Clackamas Town Center
TUESDAY, JULY 6-JULY 10
1. Fred M eyer— Oak Grove
2. Jantzen Beach Mall
TUESDAY, JULY 13-JULY 17
1. Fred M eyer— Interstate
2. Tanasbourne Mall
TUESDAY, JULY 20-JULY 24
1 Fred M eyer— Gresham
2. Washington Square
TUESDAY, JULY 27-JULY 31
1. Fred M eyer— Glisan
2. Beaverton Mall
should save us some sizeable bucks. And
that, in the long run, will allow us to keep
fare increases to a minimum.
Will it all work, you ask? It has for 15
years throughout Europe. Now, thanks to
a federal grant, Portland is the first city in
America to install such a program.
As long as everyone takes a few
minutes to learn the new ropes, it can't fail.
YOU’RE GONNA LIKE
WHAT YOU LEARN.
So come attend Bus School and get
your B.S. Degree. Not only will you learn
which doors to use, but how many zones
you travel, what tickets make the most
sense for you, how to use the Self-Service
equipment, where our new Eastside
routes are, and more. All in ten painless
minutes.
Don’t play hooky. This little course
in busology may open up a lot of doors to
you.
TRI-MET
•Pwrfw-er Sqmrr v hrduled 11 im ft .»pm
Tue» Set AJI o«hrr U m »tM>o» 12 noon
7 » pm Tue» S«
ON SEPTEMBER 5TH TRI-MET GOES A WHOLE NEW ROOTE.
SPEEDY SELF SERVICE HANDY N E W TICKETS • MORE FAIR FARES • DIRECT EASTSIDE ROUTES
t