August 2, 2017
The
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INSIDE
Week in Review
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This page
Sponsored by:
‘Education has Value’
Retiring leader
on increased
access to early
learning
O PINION
pages 6-7
page 9
M ETRO
by Z aChary s enn
t he P ortland o bserver
One of the most influential edu-
cators in Portland Public Schools,
Dr. Harriet Adair, has entered re-
tirement after a 47-year career in
which she successfully increased
educational access for minority
and disadvantaged communities,
especially for critical early learning
programs.
Adair’s career encompassed
nearly every level of educational
work in the district. She started as a
middle school teacher in 1970, and
most recently served as the Assis-
tant Superintendent in the Office of
Early Learners, Schools and Stu-
dent Supports.
The Confederation of Oregon
School Administrators recognized
Adair with its President’s Award in
2014, and a number of substantial
policy shifts in education practic-
es across both the city and state
can be traced to her dedication to
high-quality schooling for all Ore-
gonians.
Adair, who herself attended
Portland Public Schools beginning
at the age of four, says that she per-
sonally knows the power of early
learning programs. She says that
her mother attempted to enroll her
at the age of three, but the district
wouldn’t accept a child that young.
Both of Adair’s parents were ed-
ucators who had earned Master’s
degrees outside of the Northwest.
When her family first moved to
Portland from San Antonio, how-
ever, Adair says that her mother
wasn’t allowed to work in Portland
Public Schools due to her race. She
Retiring school administrator Dr. Harriet Adair is credited with
increasing educational access for minority and disadvantaged
communities during her 47-year career in Portland Public Schools.
eventually landed a position teach-
ing at Boise/Elliot Elementary
School, however. When she grad-
uated from Madison High School,
Adair says that she was one of only
five black students out of her entire
graduating class. Adair then went
on to earn her Bachelor’s degree at
Portland State University, a Mas-
ter’s degrees from the University
of Oregon and a Doctorate from
Brigham Young University.
Her own academic experiences
instilled Adair with a passion for
furthering educational achieve-
ment for disenfranchised students.
“I come from five generations
of people with Master’s degrees,”
Adair said. “Education was some-
thing that I grew up valuing.”
Throughout the course of her
career, Adair says that there a sev-
eral achievements that she is most
proud to have played a role in.
While she was the principal of
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
School, Adair says that she over-
saw the implementation of the first
‘Dreamer,’ class in the state of Or-
egon. The ‘I Have a Dream,’ pro-
gram seeks to provide students in
poverty-stricken schools with bet-
C ontinued on P age 4
Heat Wave Brings Safety Precautions
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
C LASSIFIEDS
C ALENDAR
pages 8-13
pages 14
page 15
The Portland area began to
heat up on Tuesday for a re-
cord-breaking heat wave that
wasn’t expected to ebb until later
this weekend. Temperatures were
forecast to hit 100 and above for
at least three straight days.
Multnomah County and other
jurisdictions responded by open-
ing up public buildings as cool-
ing centers for elderly and dis-
abled residents to stay safe and
hydrated.
The Walnut Park Building,
containing the Multicultural Se-
nior Center and other public of-
fices at 5325 NE Martin Luther
King Jr. Blvd. will be hosting
one of the cooling centers in
Multnomah County. The others
will be located at the Hollywood
Senior Center and the Mult-
nomah County East Building, in
Gresham.
Ride Connection will be pro-
viding free transportation to the
centers. To arrange a pickup, call
503-226-0700.
Health Department officials
recommend that everyone drinks
lots of water and other non-al-
coholic, non-caffeinated bever-
ages during the heat spell. They
also advise to staying indoors
throughout the hottest parts of
the day, and warn individuals to
never leave children, pets or the
elderly inside a parked vehicle
during the heat wave.