News
Lisa Loving
Of The Skanner News
F
or years, research has shown a crisis
in the number of African American
males graduating from colleges and
universities.
While fewer men are earning degrees than
women no matter their race nationwide, a
2010 study by the American Council on
Education showed that in the African
American community, 63 percent of
degrees awarded go to women – considered
to be the highest race-based gender gap in
the nation.
In Portland, a handful of African Ameri-
‘Many of these students
have never seen a
college campus or
experienced going to a
dorm’
can teachers are stepping into that gap to
prepare more boys to be college men.
Last Friday, a busload of youths and
teachers rode down to Oregon State Univer-
sity for a college tour and a long talk about
future success, through Project HARVEST.
“HARVEST means Helping Adolescents
Reach Viable Educational Strengths for
Tomorrow,” says Ockley Green Principal
Conrad Hurdle, a co-founder of the effort,
which is in its fourth year.
Hurdle, and Portland Public Schools
Administrators Tamala Newsome and Karl
Newsome, started the program by bringing
about half a dozen middle-schoolers to OSU
– which partners with the Portland adminis-
trators by leading tours and setting up spe-
Page 8 The Portland Skanner
cial activities for the participating youth.
“We began looking at our data on our
African American male students and realiz-
ing that we needed to do something — we
needed some kind of action,” Hurdle said.
“Also in helping to boost representation
of students of color at the college level – we
also wanted to do something there.
“What we realized was that we often talk
to kids about – ‘we’re preparing you for col-
lege,’ ‘college is an option,’ ‘think about
college,’ but many of these students have
never seen a college campus or experienced
going to a dorm or eating in a cafeteria or
experienced talking to a professor,” Hurdle
says.
“So it’s a disconnect — it’s out there
somewhere,” he said. “But we don’t
want it to be out there. We want them
to have access to really experience it,
so they can know that if you want it,
you’ve got a vision of what to shoot
for.’”
Astor School Principal Karl New-
some, one of the adults who led Fri-
day’s trip, says HARVEST is a good
idea that is just now starting to spread
across the district.
Today, Newsome says OSU is a full-
fledged partner, with the university’s Dr.
Janet Nishihara arranging many of the
details.
“This year we’re growing it to 15 stu-
dents,” Hurdle said. “This is the biggest
we’ve ever been; normally it’s between 4 to
6 students.
“Normally we keep this very small for a
reason: It’s because we want to be able to
really have good conversations, we want to
be able to connect with each student, we
want to really inspire each student,” Hurdle
said. “The district is supporting us to grow
it, and we are.”
Hosford Middle School Principal Kevin
Bacon – also OSU alum – went along last
February 29, 2012
PHOTO BY LISA LOVING
Project HARVEST: Getting Kids to College, One Student at a Time
Portland Public Schools Principals Karl Newsome, left, and Kevin Bacon
chaperoned more than a dozen students on a tour of Oregon State on Feb.
24 with Project HARVEST
week with a group of young men from his
school.
“This will be my first year joining Conrad
Hurdle and Karl Newsome, who for the past
few years have taken some of their African
American boys to Oregon State for a chance
to see a college campus, ask questions, par-
ticipate in some specifically designed activ-
ities to motivate students around science,”
he said. “They wanted to expand this year,
so I jumped on it with four of our students.”
Hosford students Nate, Jared, Tre and
Wesley all said they are very interested in
college; Nate was the only one who had
ever been to one, the University of Oregon
where his brother attends school.
“I’d like to see the facilities at Oregon
State, I’ve heard they’re good,” he said.
Asked why he was interested in college, he
said to boost his chances at success.
“Today’s kids are tomorrow’s leaders,” he
said.
“I think now more than even when I was
in middle school and high school, college is
important to secure a good future,” Bacon
said.
“But in addition to that, I think college
allows a kid — 18-22 years old — to really
ground themselves and answer those ques-
tions for themselves about what’s next.
“I know it was like that for me – to figure
out what I wanted to do and how I would
give back to society,” Bacon said. “So
through this trip we’re talking about the fact
that it’s never to early to talk about college.”