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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 1982)
Portland Observer, June 23, 1962 Page 5 Prophet discusses school district agenda (Continued fro m page I column 6) puter skill* and understandings. The emerging age o f technology finds American education in a direct co m p etitio n w ith the im proved school* o f the w orld. There is not question but that American students must be better trained to meet the diverse and grow ing edu catio n al competition o f (1) the mathematic* proficiency o f the Japanese; (2) the advanced technological train in g common in the Soviet schools, and (3) the French schools, where com puter hardware is being placed in ev ery high school in the country at na tional expense. It is my feeling that the time ha* come for all o f us, as supporters o f public education, to com m it o u r selves toward changing this mood of growing cynicism by the public and to reverse this defensive posture. Public education in America today is so diverse and complex that super fic ia l criticism is patently u n fa ir. For if there is one thing o f which I am c ertain , it is that the public schools in Portland and in America today are mirrors o f democracy it self. Over the course o f the next sever al months, I will be developing pro grams and structures by which the people o f this com m unity can be come more in tim ately involved in (he workings o f the schools. Each of us has to be willing to contribute to the com m unity spirit o f coopera tion. And no community, no section o f the city, can be left out. Public Education cannot survive, much less im prove, without the com mitment to a cooperative w o rkin g spirit among us all. A g ain , I say, I call upon a ll o f P ortland to unite with me and the Board o f Education in this one pur pose. This is our challenge. For the survival of public education is at the heart o f the survival o f this urban community. When urban education in P o rtla n d survives, and indeed thrives, the chance for prosperity, higher employment, better govern m ent, good service, harm ony among the races, and an enlightened community thrives as well. In other words, education is at the heart o f the quality o f life. And, therefore, ultimately our choice deals with the improvement o f the quality o f the lives o f our neighbors. I believe (his is the right course for the '80s. Let me focus fo r a m om ent on (hat stake we have in the public schools. W hat I am advocating is this: E d u c a tio n ‘s fa u lts should be exam ined in lig h t o f its strengths. For regrettably, the fa d today is fo r those strengths to be overlooked. The U.S. system o f public educa- iton is one o f the greatest things this country has produced. W orking to Resource sem inar scheduled here The Black W om en’s Network an nounced today plans for a one-day T actical Resources Sem inar to be held on Saturday, July 17, 1982, at the P O IC T ra in in g C e n te r, 3329 N .E . Union Avenue. Focusing on real life issues, the seminar will explore alternatives and present directions for self-improve ment and goal achievement. W o rk shops include: Survival o f the Black W o m a n , Stress M anagem ent, En- trepreneurism . T ra in in g and E m p lo ym en t, F in an c ia l Strategies, H e a lth O ptions and H o m e and Street Safety. A donation o f $5.00 (F ive D o l lars) which includes seminar mater ials and luncheon is requested. Scholarships are ava ila b le by a r rangement. The Black W om en’s Network was founded in 1980 to provide support and counseling to black women in resolving problems associated with career development education, em ployment, housing, legal issues, and other needs. For a Tactical Resources Seminar brochure, contact seminar registrar at 287-7976 or write Black W om en’s F o ru m , c /o P O IC , 5329 N .E . U n io n A venue, P o rtla n d , O R 97211. "H * that hat teen both udat of fifty has lived to little purpose if he ha* not other views than he had when he was much younger." William Cowper make It better. . . and to make others appreciate it m o r e .. .represents a challenge to all o f us. Let me list a few items that sup port my contention o f the greatness o f American education: 1. M o re than 90 per cent o f to day's ad u lt p o p u latio n attended public schools. W hat this means is that U .S. world prominence in fields such as space technology, science, medicine, electronics, world wide communications, and even sports, is due in large measure to the work and achievement* o f public school graduates. 2. The United States produced the firs t astronaut* to set foot on the moon, and 23 o f the first 25 U.S. as tronauts assigned to lunar missions were public school graduates. 3. The U .S. public school system i f one o f the few m ajor education systems in the world that is attempt ing to provide a free, universal, pub lic education for all who want it. In many other countries, education. . . beyond basic required years o f schooling.. .is available only to se lect segments o f the school-age pop ulation. 4. Today’s education is a good in vestment o f our d o lla r*. F or a l though schools o f another genera tion taught little more than the three R’s, schools today are asked to feed students, check their hearing (and vision and teeth), instruct them in hygiene and n u tritio n , integrate neighborhoods, provide recreation, teach safe driving habits, and make a convincing argument against the abuse o f drugs. Sim ple fact: T h e schools are asked to do all o f these things simply because the other in stitutions in our society have for va rious reasons failed to. A fin a l word about money: T o educate a child in this country costs an average o f $ 2 ,8 0 0 a year per child. T o keep one prisoner in ja il for one year costs $8,900. T o keep one child in a detention home for one year costs $ 12 ,00 0 . P ublic schools, therefore, are still the best bargain. Portlanders deserve our thanks for expressing their confidence in the school system at the ballot box on M ay 18. In responding to that vote o f confidence we promise to proceed with econom y, efficiency and excellence in education. Any help you can give us in shap ing new directions for the Portland Schools for the 1980s will be greatly appreciated. As the famous Greek ph ilo so pher, Socrates, said more than 2,500 years ago, “ For you see, my friends, our discussion is concerned with a matter in which even a man o f slight intelligence must take the profound- est interest— namely, what course o f Hfeisbest.” Above all, this is the question. I f we answer it well, if we answer it as neighbors w orking together for a time to one end, one common pur pose, Portland and all its children will be all the better for it. This is our c h a lle n g e.. .and it will be our legacy. And all o f this is what I see as our stake in public education. SUMMER FUN: Hot weather doe* not deter thia youngster who find* hi* fun astride a giant bug. (Photo: Richard Brown) PEOPLE WHO DON’T ATTEND HUS SCHOOL MAY FLUNK OUR SEPT. 5 ENTRANCE EXAM. Getting on the bus gets a lot easier after September 5th. //y o u know how its done. The way to learn is to climb aboard one of our Bus School buses and walk nplt ten-minute familiariza through a simple 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 Bass, you’ll be able to board these beauties through any door. (The Ten-Ride Ticket you validate in the machine inside each door, the Bass 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 t he “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 let us explain things. WHY IN THE WORLD ARE WE DOING ALL THIS? Fair question. And the straight an swer 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 SCH(X)L NEAREST YOU. TUESDAY. APRIL 27 MAY 1 1 Fred Meyer Beaverton 2. Lloyd Center TUESDAY, MAY 4 MAY « 1. Fred Meyer Tigard 2. Jantzen Reach Mall TUESDAY. MAY 11 MAY 15 1. Fred Meyer Grrsham 2. Clackamas Town Center TUESDAY. MAY 1« MAY 22 1. Natl. Trans. Week Swan Inland •2. Pioneer Square TUESDAY. MAY 25 MAY 29 I Fred Meyer Stadium 2. Oregon City Shopping O r. TUESDAY. JUNE I JUNE 5 1 Fred Meyer — Hollywood 2. Tanashourne Mall TUESDAY, JUNE «-JUNK 12 1. Fred Meyer — Tlialatin 2 Rose Festival TUESDAY, JUNE 15 JUNK 19 1 Fred Meyer Glisan 2 Washington Square TUESDAY. JUNE 22-JUNK 2« I Fred M eyer— Raleigh Hills 2. l.kiyd Center TUESDAY, JUNE 29 JULY 3 I F Meyer :19th A Hawthorne 2. Clackamas Town Center TUESDAY. JULY 6-JVLY 10 1. Fred Meyer Oak Grove 2. Jantren Beach Mall TUESDAY, JULY 13 JULY 17 1 Fred Meyer Interstate 2. Tanashourne Mall TUESDAY, JULY 20 JULY 24 1 Fred M eyer— Gresham 2. Washington Square TUESDAY JULY 27 JULY 31 1. Fred Meyer 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 •Pioneer Square v heduled 11 am 6 30 pm Vue-» ‘vst All o lh rf In* at hmm 12 noon 7 .Ml pm hie* Sat ON SEPTEMBER 5TH TRI-MET GOES A WHOLE NEW ROUTE. SPEEDY SELF-SERVICE HANDY NEW TICKETS MORE EAIR EARES ■ DIRECT EASTSIDE ROUTES $