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LETS TALK
To Our Teachers and
Grads: Well Done
It doesn’t matter if w e’ re trying
to slim down our beds or build up
our pecs and brains, when w e’re
on self-improvement programs it’s
easy to focus on w hat’s wrong,
forgetting we may have some very
excellent qualities. Making things
better doesn’t always mean that
what exists is totally dreadful.
So while w e’re ablaze with
improving our schools with an
eye to the challenges o f the 21st
century, let’s freeze-frame for a
m om ent to p au se and th in k
about—and thank— the teachers,
administrators, volunteer school
boards and committees, and a host
o f others, especially parents, who
have played instrumental roles in
bringing this year's group o f high
school graduates to school comple
tion. Remember to include in the
group those who completed school
by earning th eir high school
equivalency diploma, a less tradi
tional way for most to finish high
school, but nevertheless a legiti
mate learningpath thatw orks well
for many.
To those achieving school
completion this season, well done;
well done indeed.
School completion and in
creased annual income are related,
so taxpayers who paid the bill for
this year’s high school graduates
and equivalency earners will reap
a return on investment as the 1997
group moves forward to ioin them
as taxpayers. Taxpayers also find
relief on another financial front:
high dropout rates correlate with
increased welfare and crim e—
both high taxpayer tabs.
Rut is a high school or equiva
lent educat ion enough to head well
equipped into the 21st? No, but
it’s a start. Economic and em
ployment factors are changing,
and changing Fast, with more and
more family wage jobs requiring
“knowledge workers.' Good jobs
requiring only a high school edu
cation will plummet, so we have
to do much better.
Still, let’s keep on our radar
screen the fact that our schools are
much better than they used to he in
many, many ways We are educat
ing more people, and doing it bet
ter. Despite our inclination to beat
ourselves up on our way to improv
ing education, research shows that
there are encouraging results in
educating a broad populace.
Last year the National School
Board’s Association reported on
its study, pointing out that "in 1950
only 34 percent o f the population
co m p leted four years o f high
school.” And further, "longitudi
nal stu dies-data that follow the
same group o f people over time—
indicate that many o f those stu
dents who do drop out eventually
return to school and successfully
complete an equivalency degree."
And going even further, "accord
ing to the National Center for Edu
cation Statistics, in recent years
about 88 percent o f all 25- to 29-
year-olds have earned a h igh school
diploma or its equivalent”
Impressive statistics, and if it
were 30 years ago we might relax.
But it’s not. So why do students
drop out in the first place? Lots of
reasons, but the National School
Board’s Association reports poor
academic performance, and par
ticularly poor reading performance,
as a key reason.
So for those who have per
formed, and now receive that rec
ognition during this graduation
season, congratulations. You did
it, and now you are challenged to
do more. And to those educators
and others who fostered and nur
tured the possibilities and promise
o f that student performance, you
did it, too. A hard job.
Now we all must do more.
This column is provided os a
public service by the Northwest
Regional Educational Laboratory,
a nonprofit institution working with
schools and communities in Alaska,
Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and
Washington.
Summer is not a vacation from learning
As summer vacation approaches,
families often make plans to put
away the deadlines that come with
schoolwork and look forward to a
less-pressured schedule of learning
activities.
While this is a perfectly appropri
ate expectation, parents should re
member that summer vacation isn't
an excuse for children to take a
"vacation” from learning.
According to Ernie Hartzog, di
rector o f the Northeast Portland Syl
van Learning Center, skills mas
tered during the school year fade
with disuse. Loss o f content reten
tion begins within 24 to 48 hours of
learning unless the new information
is reinforced or applied immediately.
Within a month without reinforce-
ment, most o f what your child has
learned is lost
“ Imagine how little your child
w ill retain from June to September it
you don't make education a year
long priority," says I lartzog.
Summer should and can be as
much a time for learning as any
other time o f year it parents plan
structured learning activities during
their summer vacation.
Hartzog offerers some tips tor
parents to stimulate their child's
interest and curb the summer learn
ing gap:
Speak with your child's counse
lor Before summer to determine aca
demic strengths and weaknesses.
This will help you prepare for the
school year ahead.
Stimulate curiosity and love ot
learning by planning family trips to
the zoo, museums, a local newspa
per office, the beach, and other places
packed with learning opportunities.
Have your child write to distant
grandparents, family members or
pen pals. This activity will tell you a
lot about achievement in language,
spelling and reading.
Develop a reward system for meet
ing specific goals such as reading
three books or cooking five meals.
In some cases, parents need help
providing necessary learning oppor
tunities. Consider enrolling your
child in a summer enrichment pro
gram such as those pros ided by Syl
van Learning Centers.
The bottom line: there are plenty
o f learning opportunities for you
and your child to explore during the
summer months. By using summer
as a time to encourage continued
learning, you can help set the stage
for a sound performance next fall
The Northeast Portland Sylvan
Learning Center, located at 4?00
N.F. Fremont Street, Suite 150, is
part of the worldwide network ot
more than 600 Sylvan Learning and
Technology Centers It provides in
dividualized supplemental educa
tional services to students at all skill
levels from kindergarten through
adulthood.
Sylvan's focus is on building a
strong foundation ot academic skills
upon which students can build a
lifetime of success.
School
receives
accreditation
The Christie School has been
Accredited with Commendation by
the Joint Commission on Accredita
tion o f Healthcare Organizations.
This is the highest level o f accredi
tation awarded by the Joint C om
mission, which is the nation’s oldest
and largest accrediting body.
Formed in 1951, the Joint Com
mission is dedicated to improving
the quality o f the nation’s health
care through voluntary accredita
tion. The Joint Com m ission’s on
site survey o f The Christie School
occurred in March 1997.
“ Receiving A ccreditation with
C om m endation is a sig n ific a n t
achievem ent, one that recognizes
exem plary perform ance by The
Christie School," says Dennis S.
O ’Leary, M .D., president. Joint
Com m ission. “T heC hristie School
should be com m ended for its com
m itm ent to providing quality care
to children and fam ilies in itscom -
m unity.”
“We are extremely pleased to have
achieved this designation,” says
Daniel Mahler, Executive Director
“Everyone here goes the extra mile
on a day-to-day basis to provide the
best possible care to the children and
families we serve. Receiving Ac
creditation with Commendation is
just the icing on the cake."
Business, civic leaders welcome Adidas
Northeast business and civil leaders Harry Jackson and his wife (from left). Ring Food Mart owner
Elaine Roe and Alberta Street Market owner Jack Chung recently gathered at a dinner party at
downtown s Fifth Avenue Suites Hotel to welcome Adidas to the Martin Luther King Jr. Btvd. business
district.
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more than just electricity to our community.”
Our primary goal has always been to provide reliable energy that's supported by a level
o f service our customers deserve. That's why we're constantly striving to find better ways
to respond to outages and emergencies. Hut, electricity is not the only kind o f power
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