Pase A4________________________________ ■} J o r H a i t i * ( O h s e w e r _________________________________________ August h , 2004 Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views of The Portland Observer O pinion Cultural Competence in Schools Essential Closing the achievement gap cannot be achieved without it B y S usan C astillo S uperintendent oe P ublic I nstruction Oregon classrooms have changed significantly in the past 20 years. The state has been working to increase the academic achievement of minorities and students of limited English proficiency and has made a lot of progress at closing the achievement gap, especially in elementary schools. Minority students have always looked to educa tion as a way to gain better opportunities for them selves and their families. Oregon schools, like public school systems throughout our United States, have continually refined what it means to provide an equal educational opportunity to every student we serve. In the 1950s this meant eliminating segregated schools. In the 1960s this meant elim inating the disadvantages caused by poverty. In the 1970s schools tried to eliminate barriers to students with disabilities. In the 1980s, all schools began receiving the same amount o f funding per chi Id, per school year. In the 1990s systems focused on making sure that all students were learning the same subjects and were learn ing it at the same pace. Today, our focus is on making sure that all children achieve the goals that have been set. Changes in our state over the past few years tell us that the number of students with special needs has risen and will continue to rise in the fu ture. Between 1980 and 2002, Hispanics grew to 12 percent of the student popula tion, but only 2 percent o f teachers are Hispanic. Children learn best in environments that are safe, respectful and nurturing. Their teachers should un derstand how their backgrounds influence their school G reat m usic. S m all p ric e. O regon Sym phony Pre-Season Sale Just $35 per ticket when you select 3 or more concerts (best available seating) One week only- 5 p.m., August 6 to 5 p .m , August 13 Only available at www.orsymphony.org OREGON SYM PH O N Y C ash o». KAi m « « MJncOmC'ot experience. Every teacher and principal needs to gain a thorough understanding o f the culture, family and social values, community beliefs and expectations of the students they serve. Students, families and com munity members deserve schools that provide strat- workforce and find ways to attract more teachers and administrators o f color and with bilingual skills into our schools. One of the most effective ways to ensure a climate o f welcoming support for students and families is to increase the number o f staff who share their racial and cultural background and who can speak their language. Finally, we also believe these goals cannot be accom plished w ithout lead ersh ip . P rin cip als and superintendents m ust be pre pared to raise d ifficult questions about the ach iev em en t gap in their schools and d istricts, and courageously initiate the strate gies that w ill be needed to im prove. W ith local school decision making and the cre ation o f smaller learning communities, teachers are expanding their role beyond their classroom and accepting the challenge o f leadership for school-wide change and focus on high perform ance for all stu dents. Creating a school climate that is know ledge able o f and responsive to the culture o f the students and community is necessary if we are to truly accom plish our goal of bringing every student up to the high levels of academic performance we know they can achieve. "■ One o f the most effective ways to ensure a climate o f welcoming support fo r students and families is to increase the number o f staff who share their racial and cultural background. egies for effective com munication, such as translated materials and access to bilingual staff. We must also be sure that all teachers have the most effective strategies, tools and materials for cre ating success for all students. We are currently work ing with the universities to ensure that all new teach ers are well equipped in these key areas. We need more research on the ways that we can close the achievement gap and increase the learning o f all students, especially our minority students. It is critical that we seek ways to diversify our Florida Vote Headed for Another Disaster Voting rights still not protected by J udge G reg M athis It is 2004 and Florida is still in the dark. Four years after one o f the worst voting crimes in recent history, the state still does not have its act to gether. In an effort to shed some light on this dark truth and pressure state officials to step up and protect the voting rights o f all Floridians, the Southern Christian Leadership C on ference recently held its national con vention in Jacksonville, Fla. The loca tion was significant because 27,000 votes went un counted in Jacksonville alone in the last presidential election. Even more troubling is that Florida continues to be unprepared to handle this year’s national election. One official in the state has revealed that 11 Florida counties are currently without viable voting systems. These flaws are alarming in their enormity. In 2002, Congress crafted the Help America Vote Act that was supposed to help ensure that elections would run smoothly. One method o f improving elec tions, in theory, was to switch from paper ballots to touch screen voting machines. This "solution,” how ever, com pounds the problem. Touch screen voting machines are unreliable. C hief in this unreliability is the lack o f a paper trail. W ithout a paper trail to follow in case o f a close election, touch screen voting machines are de facto fraud inducers. Technology is not the only problem. A Civil War throwback law has the effect o f disenfranchising the voting power of African Americans. This 1868 law prevents voting rights from automatically vesting in those citizens who have paid their debt to society. This debacle disproportionately af fects African Americans and Democrats. With the ratio o f ex-felon potential vot ers shaping up to be 3 to 1 Democrat to Republican, the Republican power base in Florida has done its best to make sure these citizens continue to be disenfran chised. The Tampa Tribune notes that at least five bills addressing felons’ vot ing rights were introduced in the 2004 legislative session. All died in com m it tees without a hearing. Something is wrong. This issue was barely discussed at the Democratic National Convention. Considering that voting irregu larities and back-room politicking cost the Democrats the White House, one would think that the party would want to give some camera time to efforts to improve and restore faith in the voting system. Voting integrity is a major issue that needs to be discussed. Perhaps African-Americans are more sensitive to voting rights issues. Unlike other groups that make up the core of the Democratic Party, African A m eri cans have fought long and hard for the right to vote. The reality of Jim Crow is less than 50 years old. We should demand that the Justice Department send monitors to Florida to ensure a fair election. It is a shame that in 2004, we must bring the light to the so- called Sunshine State. Judge Greg Mathis is chairman o f the Rainbow PUSH-Excel Board and a national board member o f the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Letters to the Editor Kerry Represents Our Values President Bush went into power in murky circumstances, deceived us into an un-necessary war, alien ated all o f our potential allies, gave tax cuts to the rich and bailed out his corporate friends. He keeps play ing scare tactics in order to make us th in k w e sh o u ld n ot attem p t changes. On the other side, it seem s to me that John Kerry represents so m uch the values o f this country. He has w isdom and intelligence, integrity and courage. He has experience and strength, m o ral ity and principle. He is a strong leader with w ho can steer our country back on course through these difficult tim es. J. Gutierrez Northeast Portland Bush is Just Too Dangerous On the road with Family. It's your world and this is your road! Loving the whole experienee between point A and point B. Peace o f mind has no boundaries w hen you're traveling with family. American Family Insurance. Over three generations o f drivers have placed their trust in the auto coverage that means more peace o f mind on the road, (jive us a call or visit us at www.amfam.com and find out why nobody protects your auto like family. American Family Insurance. Check your local telephone directory tor the agent nearest you AMERICAN FAMILY S U R A N C E AD-000673 70Q4 All your protection under one roo! It started for me when I was 12. The year was 1972 and the election was N ixon-M cG ovem . My 6th grade social studies teacher, Ms. Moore, asked the class to divide by who would vote for each candidate and it ended up that she and I were the only ones on the McGovern side o f the room. We spent the next hour and much of the week debating the merits of the two candidates — it was a time I’ll never forget; perhaps my first actually endanger me physically. sense that the minority can often be 1 ’ m now concerned that this adm in right and my first taste of a Jew istration may "accidentally” push standing with a black person, my the button or take us to war unnec teacher, and how that dynamic essarily again. could work. At 4 3 ,1 don’t believe this coun I don’t think I’ve missed a presi try can afford another 4 years of dential election since then - Carter, George Bush & Co. It's just too Mondale, Dukakis, Clinton I and II, dangerous for Americans and the Gore and now Kerry. The elections peoples of the world. Albert Kaufman have always been important, hut Southwest Portland I’ve never felt that the results could Change the Channel from Bogus News Fox News says th ey ’ll give you the new s and let you decide for yourself. But during the D em o cratic C onvention, Fox shut out m any o f the speeches and showed their ow n pundits instead. W atching Fox is like listening to a baseball gam e w here the an- nouncer only tells you only w hen one team scores. Sunny Petit Northeast Portland