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Page 2...The Portland Observer...September 2, 1992
E d u c a tio n U p d a te :
G o ld e n R u le D a y s
BY PROF. MCKINLEY BURT
“ School days, School days good
old golden rule days Readin’ and w riu n ’
and rithm etic Taught to the tune o f a
hickory stick”
That little ditty is older than I am,
and it was about this tim e o f year that a
seven year old M cKinley and his school
mates would sing this verse which was
literally true. Today, there seems not to
be many rules, no hickory sticks and
some insist, “ not nearly enough read
ing, w riting and arithm etic.”
However, Norma Paulus, Oregon
State Superintendentof Education, was
happy to report that “ The 1992 S A T test
results underscore Oregon’ s best and
brightest can’ t be beaten.” The state
placed first among the 23 states that
w idely use the College Entrance E x
amination. We hope that the scores
mark the beginning o f a trend and are
not just a blip on the chart. And even
more im portantly, it is absolutely nec
essary that there be addressed those
factors that have adversely affected the
S A T scores o f females and m inorities.
I spoke directly to this problem in
an S A T article several months ago.
Readers who may have missed it may
obtain a copy by enclosing a stamped,
self addressed envelope w ith at request
to the Portland Observer, 4747 NE
M artin Luther King Blvd., Portland,
97211. A tt. Prof. Burt,
Parents should be advised that noth
ing much has changed in respect to that
threatening array o f adverse conditions
in our innercity educational systems. It
was in my June 24 "perspectives” c o l
umn that 1 cited the “ Voucher/Choice”
movement as perhaps the most danger
ous o f all the sophisticated hustles de
signed to siphon o ff billions o f dollars
from the taxpayer supported public
school systems. There is no way that
private and church schools are going to
furnish all o f the special services that
are mandated upon “ public” schools by
the federal government, i.e. the handi
capped and other special needs stu
dents. But “ Choice” advocates are as
busy as ever.
A potentially disastrous situation
we may be facing here in Oregon is the
huge financial shortfall in the suite’ s
budget; a hundred m illion dollar reduc
tion in educational resources is contem
plated by Governor Roberts. This places
her thinking in headlong collision w ith
that o f Norma Paulus, Oregon State
Superintendent o f Education. This con
troversy could very w ell end up in the
suite legislature, resulting in the kind o f
bitter standoff we have in C alifornia at
present. That budget debate has para
lyzed the suite and many o f its critical
functions, w ith education facing a “ h it”
it may not survive.
Innovative Oregonians, ind ivid u
als and organizations, are coming up
with programs designed to counteract
some o f the economic traumas besieg
ing the suite. For instance, the U.S.
Bank has designed a low interest f i
nance plan for Oregon School districts
call the “ Flex-Fund” where by their
loans are pooled, reducing costs and
interest rates. This loan pool is funded
by the sale o f “ Certificates o f Participa
tion” to investors looking for tax-free
income. In other words, these notes are
sim ilar to “ M unicipal Bonds” and are
issued in S5000 denominations. It oc
curs that perhaps this type o f funding
might be used to support some types o f
innovative “ for p ro fit” enterprise that
could produce JOBS!
W hile drawing attention to prob
lem areas in the schools, wc should not
fail to cite the return (?) o f some old
classroom issues. Whether the resur
gence is real or ju s t media and talk-
show hype, increasing attention is be
ing devoted to the “ hyperactive” m i
nority child who now is seen to have an
“ Attention D e fic it Disorder.” It is bad
enough that “ pharmacists” w ith a teach
ing certificate have been allocated to
diagnose and adm inister drugs like
“ R italin” tochildren. That “ eternal v ig i
lance” I preach is to be maintained here
in Portland as w ell as those big cities.
In the next segment, I w ill return to
my usual theme o f science, mathemat
ics and technology and how it can be
and should be integrated into an educa
tional mode that is comprehensible to
almost anyone. This is especially im
portant these days as you w ill realize
from my recent articles on M in o rity
Business, inventions and patents and
copyrights. This week, see my “ Per
spectives” article on page 2. N ext week
I w ill examine a very critical series on
science and math education appearing
in “ Popular Science” magazine.
Minority Parents Get Involved!
I am the father o f five children
ranging in ages 3 through 12 years old.
Having children, I feel it is important
that I participate in the volunteer pro
grams that exist in our Northeast Port
land community. Furthermore, I feel
that even single parents can be in volved
and afforded the opportunity to help in
any volunteer programs that may exist
in their comm unity.
The reason why I feel that m inority
parents must get involved w ith volun
teer programs, can best be explained by
the problem that I am now having w ith
one o f the Northeast Portland Pop-
Wamer Football Programs.
For tw o years I volunteered as an
assistant coach for the fifth and six
grade Pop Warner Football. The head
coach and I did have our differences
about the way children should be disci
plined in a football eftvironment. M ay
I add that learning cannot be accom
plished w ithout certain types o f d isci
pline. fo r discipline provides direction
and I feel that this is essential i f we are
to create a fun and safe environment for
our fifth and six grade football pro-
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gram.
This year the head coach decided
to step down and take care o f the adm in
istrative duties involved w ith the pro
gram. I admire this person fo r his com
mitment to the children in the Northeast
area. I am disturbed by the way lie
justified the selection o f coaches. As I
mentioned previously, I have actively
volunteered my time and coaching ex
perience for the past tw o years w ith this
program.
Furthermore, I found out through
some o f the other concerned parents
that I was no longer a coach w ith the
program. 1 asked the form er head coach
who is now the program administrator
for his reason in excluding me from the
program? His response: “ I don’ t like
your sideline demeanor which I felt
embarrassed some o f the parents that
came to the game.”
I couldn’ t ask a ll o f the parents if
his statement was true, but 1 did ask
several parents about it and their an
swer was: “ not in the least b it were we
embarrassed by your sideline demeanor
and as a matter o f fact our kids enjoyed
the enthusiasm that you displayed on
the s id e lin e s .” I fe e l th a t the
adm inistrator’ s answer was to distract
my attention from the real reason he did
not include inc in the program. As I
mentioned earlier, he and I did have our
differences aboutdiscipline, but I didn’ t
expect him to exclude me this season,
now that he has moved into an admin
istrative position.
The percentage o f m inority par
ticipation in this program is 96 percent.
M y concern is, how can this adminis- :
trator show his prejudice towards a
coach who was the only m inority who
offered direction overthcpasltw o years j
toa team that is predominately children
o f color. It is this type o f situation that
has inspired me to write this letter.
M in ority parents must gel involved in
the voluntcerprogram sthatcxistinour
comm unity, i f we don’ t, our children
w ill continue to be exploited by in d i
viduals that arc out for personal recog
nition and not the development o f our
children’ s future self-esteem and per
sonal growth.
O llis Burchfield
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p e r s p e c tiv e s
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▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
by Professor M c K in le y B u rt
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r e a l M in o r it y b u s i n e s s ;
N o w o r N e v e r I II
When I clue you in on those “ tools”
for doing business that you ’ ll find at the
downtown public library, that’ s real.
You w ill find these time-tested aids on
the shelves o f many a successful busi
ness, small or large. Using them effec
tively is quite another thing, so I w ill
start o ff today w ith a prime example.
“ Gales” Encyclopedia O f Associa
tions” provides a listing o f almost ev ery
national organization in America, name,
address, phone, fax and general contact
information. There are master classifi
cations such as business, social, educa
tion, medical, agricultural, federal, state,
county, municipal, law enforcement,
political, ethnic, e tc .-a ll w ith the nec
essary cross-referencing to avoid rep
etition o f detail.
Now, fo r the sake o f space, 1 w ill
confine today’s exposition to the “ busi
ness” classification where, depending
upon your interest, you m ight be look
ing at “ subclasses” ljke Retail (Na
tional Association o f Convenience
Stores--Superm arket organizations
etc.), Service (Janitorial Associations,
Printers, Quick Copy Association, D i
rect M ail Groups, Photographers, Cos-
metic/Beauty Associations, Etc.). The
other organizations in the “ master clas
sification” are equally useful listing for
direct m ail advertising or general in fo r
mation.
The importance o f contacting these
business organizations cannot be over
emphasized. They collect and publish
all types o f relevant inform ation on
their particular type o f enterprise, co l
lecting these operating statistics from
hundreds or thousands o f members
around the country. So, here, you have
“ real” not textbook guidance in respect
to sales, purchasing, trends, equipment,
supplies, personnel, taxes, financing,
accounting, start-up, forecasts, what
ever. In addition many associations
conduct regional workshops and semi
nars fo r both members and others. Be
sure to ask for lists o f publications.
W hile we are talking about “ lis t
ings and classifications” here, let me
touch on another vital subject. I have
named i t “ commercial awareness,” hav
ing noticed in teaching the business
classes at the university and when a
consultant to the M odel Cities M in o rity
Business Program, that m inorities and
women H A V E NO R EA D Y K N O W L
EDGE OF TH E V A S T SPECTRUM
OF TH O USANDS OF S M A L L B U S I
NESSES. Profitable and accessible en
terprises that can be operated by in d i
viduals or partnerships.
A t the same library, they should
“ open their m ind” by looking through
the “ Standard Industrial Classification
M anual” which lists “ a ll” o f the forms
o f commercial enterprises in America.
Also, they should take a “ journey”
through the pages o f the “ Dictionary o f
Occupational T itles” which lists all o f
the jobs, crafts and professions in
Am erica. A ll lend themselves to busi
ness operation. I employed another tech
nique w ith my students to overcome
this lack o f “ commercial awareness.”
Since Portland is relatively a “ small
tow n,” I would direct them to look
through the “ Y ellow Sections” o f the
O ut-of-tow n phone directories to be
come aware o f the many types o f com
mercial enterprise not found here. Sev
eral people launched a successful new
business after this input.
Last week I cited the “ PHOTO
F IN IS H IN G L A B O R A T O R Y ” as a
most lucrative business one that you
find few m inoritiesengagedin-though,
the “ Black M arket M en” (consumer
Jîarilanfc ©bserirer
(USPS 959-680)
OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established In 1970
Publisher
Alfred Henderson
Production Staff
Operations Manager
Dean Babb
Gary Ann Garnett
Rea Washington
Contributing Writers
M cK inley Burt
Dan Bell
M attie Ann Callier-Spears
B ill Council
John Phillips
Joyce Washington
Accounting Manager
Gary Ann Garnett
Public Relations
Chuck Washington
Sales & Promotions
Tony Washington
The PORTLAND OBSERVER is
published weekly by
Exle Publishing Company, Inc.
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97211
503-288-0033 • Fax 288-0015
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statistics) have always listed it as one
that African Americans spend a dispro
portionately high amount o f money on.
I think we would do w ell to research this
field in the resources I have listed here.
Also, in relation to this fie ld , consider
the auxiliary services and sales items
from retouching to photograph folders,
mats, frames mountings, and other sup-
plies-even books, guides, classes!
N ow , w hile you ‘re at that library in
the business and periodical rooms, re
member that ju s t about everyone o f
those business enterprise classes pub
lish a “ trade jo u rn a l” citing the “ hap
penings” in that particular fie ld ; again
there is “ real" inform ation on m arket
ing, accounting, equipment, personnel,
future, etc. Also, I have noticed through
the years that many new in business
have a great deal o f trouble tryin g to
figure out how to either display or pack
age the item they produce, or how to
ship it. Appearance and neatness are
very important here. W hile there are
books at the library, w rite the fo llo w in g
for free catalogs.
**Send me your 1992 Catalog
“ Bags, packaging, Shipping Supplies
Catalog” Consolidated PlasticsCo. Inc.,
1864 Enterprise Parkway, Twinsburg,
O hio44087,Call 1 -800-362- 1000,Fax
216-425-3333.
♦♦Send me your latest catalog;
Moore Business Products Division,
PO Box 5000, Vernon H ills , IL 60061,
1-800-323-6230.
♦♦Same:
Grayarc, Greenwoods Industrial
Park, PO Box 2944, Hartford, C T 06104-
2944,1-800-243-5250.
♦♦And i f you go to D alton’ s Book
store pick up acopy o f “ Specialty Sales
man” and “ New Business O pportuni
ties” more next week.
It’s brewed with care.
Please handle it that way.
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