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Page 6 lh e Portland Observer July 25, 1990
THE PORTLAND OBSERVER RESPONDS
TO COMMUNITY CONCERNS ON
EDUCATION
Realizing the Dream
Rather fortuitously for those of
limited vision and com m itm ent to the
full emancipation and integration of
African Americans, the full agenda of
the Reverend Martin Luther King was
tragically (and deliberately) interrupted
by his assassination in 1968.
A key element of K ing’s dream was
that African American children be given
that level of quality education which
would prepare, inspire and motivate them
to achieve economic parity in a mighty
technical society. It is with some dis
may, then that we learn from the news
article at right (Bill Graves, Oregonian
Staff) that children o f the school district
may be receiving a rather limited view
o f the African American “ dream ” - a n d
a dim view of their ability to perform
when properly motivated an educated.
The original 1966 Computer/
Com m unications
project.
McKinley Burt demonstrates the
p rize-w in n in g
system
In
classroom. Industry and public
agencies participated "on-line"
in the now updated program
(Tektronix, Bell Telephone,
Bonneville Power, etc.)
One quote in particular intrigues us.
Board Chairman Stephen Kafoury said
that if schools have problem s, it is not
for the board’s lack o f caring.”
Now, it has been said elsew here in
this newspapers exam ination o f failures
in the vaunted “ M ulticultural Curricu-
lum ” that an excellent model to be used
when evaluating the efficiency of an
‘Affirmative Action Program’- i s to note
that “ where the CEO (superintendent)
of a corporation or public agency firmly
transm its hiscom m itm ent down the line,
the process works very w ell.” Shouldn’t
this hold just as true for the Board o f Di-
rectors? (THE SCHOOL BOARD),
“ Board members thanked the speakers
for speaking “ their hearts o u t’, but said
Tittle e lse ’ during the m eeting.”
W here do we go from here?
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School problems disturb
integration group
By BILL GRAVES
of The Oregonian staff
A desegregation watchdog group
Thursday gave voice to its frustration
over the many minority students who
slip behind academically and never leam
about their heritages in Portland class-
rooms.
One Grant High School student told
members o f the Portland School Board
that public schools had contributed little
to her knowledge o f her culture,
I taught m yself w hat I know about
my race and my heritage,” said Velynn
Frazier, a senior at G rant High School,
In its annual report to the Portland School
Board, the Desegregation M onitoring
Advisory Com m ittee relied on the testi
mony o f Frazier and a m other to convey
its dissatisfaction with the fruits o f Port
land School D istrict’s 10-year-old de
segregation plan.
The plan called for the develop
m ent o f a multicultural curriculum that
would teach students about the contri
butions minority groups have made to
science, culture and history.
The district designed lessons on A f
rican-A m ericans that have become a
model for schools across the nation. But
Frazier said she never saw it until she
stumbled across it in the draw er o f a
teacher’s desk that she was cleaning this
year. She said all she saw in school was
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“ I didn’t see the scientists or re
searchers or architects-all these people
that black people have been ,” she said.
“ It hurts my heart to see this happening
to my race.”
The high school girl looked at the
board members and said she could see
the lack o f concern in their faces.
Board Chairman Stephen Kafoury
said that if schools have problem s, it is
not for board’s lack o f caring.
Brenulla Frazier, a black parent un
related to the student, said Tubman Middle
School failed to prepare her daughter to
enter W ilson High School next year.
Her daughter is trying to catch up in
summer school.
“ She didn’t feel needed, d id n ’t feel
like a person,” said the mother. “ I
would like to see staff people in our
system believe that our children can
leam and have high expectations for
them to leam .”
Board members thanked the speak
ers for speaking their hearts but said
little else during the meeting.
Although they have made progress
over the last decade, minority students
still lag behind white students in Port
land schools. Fewer than half o f the
district’s black students score above the
national average in m athem atics and
reading. By contrast, 78 percent o f the
white students do.
The Observer welcomes this opportunity to make available to African American
students an d parents like the "Fraziers" the following set o f MOTIVATION, IDENTITY t
ROLE MODEL data provided the Portland School District.
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1983 MODIFICATION OF “MATHEMATICS
AND SCIENCE SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
99
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Submitted by McKinley Burt, Curriculum Consultant
THE SEVENTIES: BLACK MATHEMATICIANS AND SCIENTISTS OF NOTE
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Is There A Doctor In The House?
It's going to take a lot to get this
little doctor from caring for her dolls
to curing the sick. A lot of talent, a
lot of discipline, and an awful lot of
money. Money most minority
fam ilies-and even minority medical
schools--don't have.
To help meet the problems in
Black medical education, AT&T is
proud to announce the AT&T Foun
dation's Scholarship Endowment
Fund. The perpetually endowed fund
will help finance the education of
doctors at the Drew Postgraduate
Medical School in Los Angeles,
Howard University College of
Medicine in Washington, D.C.,
Meharry Medical College in Nash
ville, and the Morehouse School of
Medicine in Atlanta.
For minority students, the schol
arship can be a cure for ailing
ambitions. For Black medical
schools, it will help continue a
tradition that has produced many of
America's finest physicians. For
AT&T, it's a step toward a healthier
society. And that's something we
can all feel good about.
AT&T
Sure you’re right! Itcertainlyis "going to take a lot to get this
little doctor from caring for her dolls to curing the sick.” But she
also will need more than talent and financial support. Our "little
doctor" must have Identity; Motivation and Role Models.
The question Is, ’’Will she get these from the district’s
Desegregation Curriculum?”
Dr. William A. Brown: In the fashion of “ Imhoteps," who 4600 years ago was Chief Architect and
“ Step Pyram id’’ builder for African King Zoser...this architect is responsible for all U.S. Airforce
facility design and construction around the world. A specialist in mathematical criteria in building
standards, Dr. Brown heads a staff at the Pentagon.
Patricia Davis,C.P.A./M BA: Mathematics and Statistics major from Stanford, she is vice president and
head of Bank o f America’s World Banking Division’s Financial Service Group (1980). The job is
exactly the same as that of “ Chief Minister of Finance” to Pharaohs of the Middle Dynasties of
Egyptian ancient Africa.
Brigadier General David M. Hall: A logistics mathematician, he manages billions o f dollars of data
processing equipment for the U.S. Air Force. The magnitude of his financial responsibilities parallel
that of the tenth-century B.C. Egyptian “ Vizers of the Budget” for the “ Temple Endowment Funds.”
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson is a world-reknowned physicist who was the first Black female to get a Ph.D
at the Massachusetts Institue of Technology. Advocate of minority education she serves...on the
school’s Board of Trustees. Dr. Jackson now specializes in solid or condensed state physics. Now a
researcher for the Bell Systems Labs, she uses computers, imagination and sophisticated mathematics
to explain the behavior of physical systems on the microscopic level. She has also been associated with
the Farmi National Accelerator Laboratory, and has served as a visiting scientist at the European O r
ganization For Nuclear Research.
D r. W alter E. M assey: As director of American’s most prestigious research facility, Argonne National
Laboratories, Chicago, 111., Dr. Massey supervises the work of hundreds of the nation’s best physicists,
mathematicians and engineers.
Dr. Ron M cN air: This young Black Astronaut and expert in satellite-to-sattleite communications is also
internationally respected in the field of navagational systems. Dr. McNair, an experienced pilot, has
designed-invented many of the devices used in space exploration.
Newell, V irginia K.: This Black female mathmatician is the principal editor of the first book of its kind
in the field; Black Mathmeticians and Their Works, N.Y., Charles Scripners, 1972.
Dr. C harles Reynolds: A professional engineer, he supervises 40 other engineers at the Westinghouse
Defense Center in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Reynolds field is that of Logical Systems Mathematics and
Design.
S hurney, R obert: The gift for innovation design has enabled this physicist to develop many of the
devices that have made 'manned' space travel possible. Some of Dr. Shumey's specific contributions
have been the tires for the 'Moon Buggy,' and the 'Solar Arr Tubes' for the Space Shuttle.
D r. Jo h n S laughter: This former Academic Vice-President of Washington State University was
confirmed in 1981 as Director of the National Science Foundation.' This appointment as head of what
may ... be America's most important government agency caps a most illustrious career. Dr. Slaughter
was 1965 "'Scientist of the Year," and, presently, is editor of The International Journal o f Computers
and Electrical Engineering.
Dr. Wynetta Spencer: A mathematician and design engineer at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
in New Mexico, she has held a number of important positions at this center for nuclear research.
Dr. William Wiley: Highly recognized as a consultant, this statistical chemist is Director of Research
for the Pacific Northwest laboratories of the Battelle Memorial Institute. The facility is a division of
the nation’s most highly respected scientific consulting firm.
— ..... ...
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