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A ugust 18, 1993 • T he P ori land O bserver
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S c h o o l D a z e : S t ill W ith Ils
By Professor McKinley Burt
Last week 1 concluded my article
on education with a continent on the
appalling' test scores for third grad­
ers in the northeast community What
is even more appalling is that no one
1 talked to was surprised There was
not that immediate
expression of outrage
we have had in prior
y cars when the com ­
munity has been fired
up by media reports-
-or should have been
We hope th is
is not an indication
that the public in th is
a re a
h as
been
whipped into a sul­
len silence by years
of cumulative educational and social
events seemed destined to crush
th e hopes th e m ost c o m m itte d
parents for a good education for their
children; Nor that our most strident
activists have, like revolutionaries.
grown older and quieter-just when
they are most needed It could be
the case, however, that the people
are angry, just plain angry and s
ick and tired of years of fnistrated
attem pts to secure a decent edu­
cation for their kids
The conver­
sations 1 have
had with a num ­
ber of parents,
teachers and stu­
dents have not
re v e a le d th a t
usual tendency
to leap upon the
cla ssic ‘w h ip ­
ping boys’o f the
educational in­
stitution, accom­
panied by demands to "throw the
rascals out”. Rather, one can detect a
slow om inous had-it-up-to-here'
bum. The kind of hard-nosed mindset
that mav presage some long and bitter
struggles ahead-quite possibly legal
. . .one can detect
a slow ominous
‘had-it-up-to-here’
burn
It w ill be interesting to see
where the first ‘revolts’ will break
out, for we have intolerable situa­
tions all over the place, not ju st
Albina And not just Portland, or
Oregon For the present, the estab­
lishment (school administrations) has
been able to keep the publics mind
focused on the economic themes;
“American education is going to hell
in a handbasket', primarily because
we refuse to fund it at a level worthy
of a leading world power” . All over
the nation we have the "Proposition
5” model for generating visions of
absolute collapse of school sy stems.
No one on either side in the education
cost controversies seems to remem­
ber that all of these shortfalls were
predicted y ears ago
So it is that when there was no
meaningful response from the pow­
ers that be—school districts and boards,
city councils, state legislatures, con­
gress, etc. - fast-aging property own­
ers brought matters to a screeching
halt The education establishment is
fighting back with statistics; reams of
them, but centering around (again)
two prime economic themes underly­
ing what is called "school productiv­
ity” The May issue of “Oregon Edu­
cation” magazine brought this out
very clearly . This is the official pub­
lication of The Oregon Education
Association
Theme No. 1 provides us w ith
the popular (and fashionable)
“Public School Expenditures Per
Pupil: Comparison of Lowest and
Highest Spending States” . On the left
hand of a chart are listed in descend­
ing vertical order, first, the seven
"lowest spending states” and below
them the "highest spending states.”
To the right, we hav e three col­
umns of corresponding performance:
"School Expenditures per Pupil 1989-
90; Average SAT Scores, 1990'
Percent of High School Seniors
taking SAT, 1990".
This type of chart, whether com­
piled for 14 states or for all the nation's
states, has occasionally produced ab­
solute hysteria among protagonists
on either side of the education contro­
versy, Why? Because we see that the
seven states spending the least on
education, averaging about $3200 per
pupil per year, spend about half of
what is spent by the seven states with
the highest per-pupil expenditures.
But when you look at the average
SAT scores, you see that the lowest
spending states show much higher
achievement.
But before you fall off your seat,
be advised that the higher-spending,
lower achieving schools had as many
as ten times the number of high school
seniors taking the SAT. This is also a
state-wide and urban phenomenon
and, according to school adm inistra­
tors, the cause derives from the "the
kinds” o f students w ho nowadays take
the SATs. Do you know who they are
talking about? Y ou’ll find out next
week.
Mets
Outfielder
Surrenders
New York Mets outfielder Vince
Coleman surrendered to authorities
and was freed on $5,000 bail for alleg­
edly throwing a powerful firecracker
at a group of fans.
Police said the 31-year-old out­
fielder surrendered to Los Angeles
City Fire Department arson investiga­
tors about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and was
booked at the Parker Center jail in
downtown Los Angeles.
He w as to be arraigned Wednes­
day in Los Angeles Municipal Court
on one felony count of unlaw ful pos­
session of an explosive dev ice.
Two children were injured and a
w om an’s hearing was reportedly
damaged when Coleman allegedly
tossed a powerful firecracker near a
g ro u p o f fans o u tsid e D odger
Stadium last month. Coleman is on
unpaid leave from the Mets
Support For Child Care Workers "Worthy Wages” Grows
Calling it a “w in” for this session
to be the first state in the nation to
have introduced "worthy wage" leg­
islation for child car workers, propo­
nents of Senate Bill 1089 plan to
continue in their push for minimum
wages and benefits for child care
workers through the legislative in ­
terim.
SB 1089, introduced at the re­
quest of the Oregon Public Employ­
ees Union:
Calls for a Hay & Associates
wage and benefit comparability study
of nonmanagement positions at a sam ­
pling o f certified day care and resi­
dential facilities;
Requires all certified day care
facilities to pay comparable rates
within five years;
Encourages all certified day care
facilities to prov ide a sliding scale to
ensure that 10% of the facilities' cus­
tomers are low income indiv ¡duals or
households; and
Prov ides for 75% any new fed­
eral childcare and block grant money
to be used for compensation during
the fiv e-year phase-in period
SB 1089 was approved in the
Senate by a vote of 18-12 on June 2.
“We got a win out of this session
of the Legislature by being the first in
the nation to have gotten as far as we
did in the legislative process,” said B
Dan Enos, O PEU 's lead person on
this issue. “It seems absurd to me that
in tim e o f war, like World War 2, we
can have national support for afford­
able, quality child care while in time
of peace vvc do not have national
support for ' Worthy W ages' for child
care workers.”
And the problem still remains
that child care workers arc paid pea­
nuts; tending elephants pays more.
Using die Hay & Associates point
sy stem that SB 1089 calls for to deter­
mine which jobs are comparable, the
state Executive Department 1993 sal­
ary survey found that:
A priv ate sector Early Childhood
Assistant was paid $8.855 while a
private sector Office Assistant was
paid $ 16,572. oran 87. l%difTercnce.
The same surv ey show ed that an
Early Childhood Associate Teacher
w as paid $10,710. By contrast, other
comparable jobs, their pay, and the
difference betw een them and the Early
childhood Associate Teacher are:
A c c o u n tin g
T e c h n ic ia n ,
$22,356, 108.7%;
O ffice S p e c ia list, $ 2 3 ,3 6 4 ,
118.2% and
L ic e n se d P ra c tic a l N u rse,
$22.956, 114.3%.
The average disparity among all
of these jobs with the child care work­
ers is 107.05%. In other w ords, work­
ers in those comparable jobs are paid
more than twice as much as those to
whom we entrust our very youngest
children.
Based on the educational back­
ground required for the job and sala­
ries in comparable professions (such
as K-12 teachers' salaries), a reason­
able salary would be between $20,000
and $25,000 per year
“A colleague of mine,” Enos said,
"an experienced child care worker at
the Waverly Children ’ s Home in Port­
land. s a id ,' I must decide whether to
quit the work I love or elect never to
have a child because 1 can’t afford to
raise one.’”
And, the salary range is hurting
our children.
The annual turnover ratefor child
care workers is more than 60% in
child care centers in Oregon -- It’s
50% nationally.
“We are aware of the inequities
of compensation for child care,” said
Arlene Collins, chair of the Oregon
Commission on Child Care appointed
by the Governor. “Our experience
this with SB 1089 this year and other
factors has led the Commission to
believe that total compensation issues
will be one of our leading priorities
during the interim and at the next
session.”
Catherine Tetriek. legislative
spokesperson for the Portland Wor­
thy Wage Coalition, was another
leader in the campaign for the w orthy
wage bill this session
“The coalition vv c put together to
push this bill will stay together ov er
the interim,” Enos said “We will
keep working during the interim and
w e expect to win next session because
we hav e built the strongest coalition
of its kind on this issue."
For more information, please
contact BD an Enos, at 252-4688;
A rlen C ollins, at 228-421 1, or
Catherine Tetriek. at 774-8459.
We Must Think How We Define Diversity On Campus
by M o rris Price
More black students than ever
before will be on American college
campuses when classes begin this
fall But many o f these institutions
will not be truly diverse. In fact, it s
time to change our thinking about
what diversity on campus is really
about
As the result of aggressive re­
cruiting campaigns, many tradition­
ally white colleges attracted a greater
number ofblack students and achiev ed
their goal of diversify ing their cam ­
puses The majority of the n ation's
1.3 million black students will be on
traditionally w hite campuses
However, congratulatory hand­
shaking on some of those campuses
has turned to concerned handw ringing
over what is perceived as segrega­
tio n -m o re precisely. self-segregation
There is the understandable ten­
dency of students, many away from
home for the first time, to grav itate to
other students with whom they have alike—began expressing the fear that Report cover story proclaimed that
something in common. This is even diversity wasn’t working well on cam­ campuses arc more segregated than
more true for black students vv ho are pus. The news media covered the ever. There arc numerous stories about
thrust onto the traditionally white issue heavily but with an inaccurate black students sitting together to eat
in college cafeterias rather than miss­
slant
college campus.
ing with white students.
A
m
ongtheprom
inent
mediasto-
In the unfam iliar world of the
Despite the racial ov ertones sug­
mostly white campus, black students
gested
in the news media, the situa­
are naturally going to seek out each
tions
above
are examples of what
other for support. Under that tress, in
happens
when
y ou havedifTerentkinds
addition to academic demands, black
of
people
from
different kinds ofback-
students need to draw strength from
grounds
together
on campus. They
the familiar aspects of their culture.
simply
liav
c
different
needs and ideas,
The usual academic stress is in­
and
college
communities
must make
creased for black students because
room
for
them.
This
is
not
racism on
they also are asked to educate the rest
campus.
This
is
div
ersity
on
campus.
ries
last
year
were
reports
that
black
of the campus community to w hat is
Colleges
wanted
black
students
students
at
Duke
University
study
black culture This w as made clear to
to
bring
diversity
to
their
campuses,
primarily
with
black
students
and
me by a black student who, while
involved in a student organization whites study mostly w ith whites. Black and they are doing that. Black stu­
was dealing with the frustration of students at the University of North dents don't want to be just like white
planning a black arts program. Exas­ Carolina-Chapel Hill were engaged students. They don't think just like
perated, she said. “I came here to get m a heated debate w ith the adminis­ white students and they don't do ev-
tration about getting a more central erythingjust like white students That
an education, not give one.”
Last year some college students location on campus for the black cul­ would be denying their own culture
and adm inistrators—black and w hite tural center. A U S. News & World and differences.
t A ----------------
I came here to get
an education, not
give one
--------------------JJ
M M H an ■■ m u ia a
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If black students blended com­
pletely with w hite students we w ould
be promoting homogeneity, not di­
versity'. Colleges, and the public, have
to recognize diversity for what it is by
definition: differences. Different opin­
ions, different ideas, different cul­
tures.
A college's efforts to diversity its
student body should NOT be judged
by whether the process is smooth or
bumpy. Any successful diversity ef­
fort will certainly be bumpy, maybe
even v ery bumpy
Admittedly , overtly racial inci­
dents do occur at colleges from time
to time Those things will happen, but
they have to be dealt with in the
appropriate manner.
Colleges have long been chided
by the general public as being places
where students "don’t live in the real
world." On the other hand, colleges
feel they aspire to b ein g ju stalittleb it
better than the real world
Packwood Lunches With Timber Group
Oregon Senator Bob Packwood
took a tour of Oriental Hinoki Prod­
ucts in Molalla, had lunch with mem ­
bers of the Molalla Timber Action
committee, and interviewed at the
Molalla Pioneer newspaper
Oriental Hinoki, which m anu­
facturers cedar tubs, could be clob­
bered by the recently announced
Clinton timber plan The company
employs craftsmen vv hobuild the tubs
bv hand Ovv ner Eugene Jackson origi­
nally intended to manufacture the
tubs for export to Japan, but has found
a growing market in the United States
The tubs are built from Port
Orford cedar, which grows only in
Port Orford. Oregon, and in Japan
The company is concerned that the
President s timber plan will make
Port Orford cedar unavailable, or
much more expensive.
"Here is another Oregon example
of an entrepreneur w ho has dev el­
oped an idea into a profitable enter­
prise.” commented Packwood "Now
the President’s timber plan may make
it impossible for Eugene Jackson to
stay in business "
After the tour, Packwood an­
swered questions from Portland area
media covering the event
Later Packwood had an informal
lunch with members of the Molalla
Timber Action Committee (MTAC),
and brought the group up to date on
President C lin to n 's tim ber plan
The plan will dramatically reduce
the traditional timber harvest level
in Oregon, and cost thousands of
jobs
W hen the President held the
Forest Conference." Packwood noted,
“he claimed he wanted to find a bal­
anced' solution to our problems I
though he meant that people and jobs
Continued From Front
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In either case, we must still ac­
count for 300 years of history It is
unreasonable and impractical to think
that people in the "real world" or on
campuscan mov e smoothly into black-
and-white relationships. It hasn’t
happened in the real world, and
colleges arc part of the real world
So don't expect to look out across
well-groomed campuses and see a
stream of students alternating lack,
then white, then black, then white.
And we haven't even considered His­
panic and Asian students
Just because black students sit
together in the cafeteria, congregate
together at dances, or w ant their own
fraternities and sororities, it doesn’t
mean we have failed to achieve our
ideal of div ersity. In fact, it means we
hav e been successful
This is the goal that colleges-and
our society, for that matter-are striv ­
ing to reach We all need to recognize
it for what it is. diversity
1
and schools would count in the bal­
ance The plan he has dev ised, how­
ever. is a recipe for economic disaster
in the Pacific Northwest ”
Packwood predicted that the
President's plan would be thrown out
by the courts, and that the President
would then hav e to come to Congress
for a solution Packwood vowed to
fight for Oregon timber jobs when the
new plan is developed
After the luncheon, Packwood
answ crcdqucstions from Portland area
media who were covering the event.
Packwood also met with the edi­
tor of the Molalla Pioneer Packwood
answered numerous questions about
the P re sid e n t s tax p la n , the
President's timber proposal, and vari­
ous other issues
Packwood will meet with the
media throughout his August recess
trip to Oregon.
The Black Press lx’!ieves that America
can best lead the world away from
racial and national antagonism s
when it accord' to every person,
regardless of race, color or i reed, hill
hum an and legal rights Hating no
person, fearing no person, the Black
Press strives t o help every person in
the firm beliefthat all are hurt as long
as anyone is held back.