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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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