Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2013)
Local News Crew The AP reported that Crew downplayed the job to the Oregon Education Investment Board – Kitzhaber’s education reform panel set up in combination with the new CEO position – implying he might not take the it if it were offered. In his Tuesday statement, Kitzhaber praised the work of the board itself but not Crew. “The Oregon Education Investment Board has made tremendous progress shap- ing the vision behind Oregon’s 40-40-20 “Dr. Rudy Crew brings to Medgar Evers College an exemplary record of academic, administrative and governmental accom- plishment, combined with classroom experience and a strong commitment to stu- dents. We are confident that, with his leadership, Medgar Evers College will achieve new levels of excellence for its ded- icated students and faculty and strengthen its role with the community. The college was established in 1970 to honor the mem- ory and ideals of the slain civil rights martyr and it is highly appropriate that it will be uplifted by a leader who is deeply committed to academic quality, equal access, and student success.” “Dr. Crew has stated that his mis- sion is to “improve student achievement, especially for poor and minority students.” To that end he worked closely with all stake- holders, first as New York City schools chancellor and later as superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, to place those cities’ low- est-performing schools in virtual districts whose boundaries were defined by student need, not geography, and used research- based practices to accelerate the pace of student learning. “Soon after being named Oregon’s chief education officer in 2012, Dr. Crew ordered a third of the state’s 197 school districts to rewrite their academic goals because they had failed to seek improvement of at least one percentage point in high school gradua- tion rates and third-grade reading and math scores. He also called for boosting educa- tional achievement for the bottom 40 percent of students through greater use of technology and learning outside of class time, after school and during the summer, along with teacher-developed skill-building classes pegged to individual student needs Kitzhaber praised the work of the Oregon Educational Investment Board itself but not Crew goals to deliver better education results for Oregon students and more resources for our educators,” the statement said. “We now have a framework for better accountability at the state and local level to boost high school graduation rates, improve access to quality post-secondary education and training and begin to reinvest in educa- tion. “Our work will continue,” the governor said. “I am pleased that at all levels of the education system – from early learning to K-12 and post-secondary – we have com- mitted leaders in place to deliver on our promise to Oregonians.” City of New York University system’s Chancellor Matthew Goldstein recommend- ed Dr. Crew after a national search. In a joint press release, CUNY Board of Trustees Chairperson Benno Schmidt and Chancellor Goldstein say: Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith toured a home for sale at 5220 N.E. 28th Avenue. The county donated the foreclosed home to Community Vision, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities with work, housing and everyday living. Now after more than a year of work and an infusion of $150,000 Community Vision is putting the 4-bedroom home up for sale for $275,000. The aim is to sell it to a low-income family and keep it as affordable housing. You don’t have to be disabled to apply, and you don’t need credit or enough money for the down- payment. Community Vision will help you through a partnership with Key Bank. For more information or to apply call Terri Carter, homeownership coordinator (pictured here with Commissioner Smith) at 503-292-4964, ext. 150. To find out more about Community Vision and the program, read “Multnomah County Quietly Tries Alternative to Foreclosure” on The Skanner News website. and delivered online. “CUNY has invested more than $300 mil- lion in new and newly renovated campus facilities at Medgar Evers College in recent years, including a new $235 million, state- of-the-art academic building and a $22 million School of Business and student sup- port services building. Meanwhile, the college has expanded its faculty, particular- ly in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), nursing, business, social work and library science. “The newest faculty hires bring impres- PHOTO BY HELEN SILVIS Community Vision continued from page 1 sive academic and professional credentials to Medgar Evers College, along with research backgrounds in venues as varied as NASA, South Africa and Vietnam, and in disciplines as cutting-edge as stem cells, remote sensing of greenhouse gases and renewable and sustainable energy.” Project continued from page 2 ple who are sick can go and get treatment.” Nwerem hopes that once a center exists, villagers will be able to engage the services of a visiting doctor who can offer vaccina- tions to children, and other primary medical care. But even with running water and a new health center, Nwerem says his group will have plenty of development work to do. The region recently saw the construction of its The region recently saw the construction of its first properly paved road first properly paved road, but while it con- nects two major towns, it doesn’t include the 3-mile stretch that leads directly into the village. That remains a mess of subsided earth. “We need to pave it,” Nwerem says, “But nobody can afford it. The villagers can’t afford it and the government ignored it. It’s frustrating and humiliating to watch.” Birth continued from page 3 This is a key point because the Black infant mortality rate – 9.1 deaths per 1000 live births – is almost twice that of white babies; the Native American child mortality rate is almost as high, at 9.0 deaths per 1000 live births. The infant mortality rate measures the number of babies who die before their first birthday. “When African-born women come here from Africa, their birth outcomes are the same as Caucasian women,” Monroe says. “They celebrate pregnancy, the village sup- ports you, there are certain prayers and rituals, you don’t birth alone.” But once they settle in the United States, the stresses of racism take a significant toll on the moms and the families, Monroe says. In the moms she has studied, too often the stresses – together with a lack of prenatal health care and education about infant and maternal health — lead to premature birth. It’s the preemies who are most at risk, Monroe says, because when infants are born so long before their real due date – nine months is normal – their bodies are not fin- ished developing, they end up in a specialized hospital ward and even if they live can face major disabilities including cerebral palsy, vision and hearing problems, attention deficit problems, and more. “We want more women of color to know that there are options that can help them have a healthy, full term baby,” Monroe says. “We provide information to let people know when there is a problem and what we can do to reduce that problem.” At the Afro-centric Pregnancy Fair, a big focus will be on educating families on the importance of breastfeeding and making moms feel comfortable nursing their babies anywhere they need to. There will also be free blood lead testing for children and loads of fun activities, even birthing classes in the park. It’s really about community building as well. A first of its kind survey of Black mothers on their childbirth experiences in Multnom- ah County in 2011 – conducted by ICTC in cooperation with Portland State University – found that Black moms are impacted by the lack of a whole range of basic services, as well as the lack of family and communi- ty support during the birth itself. http://theskanner.com/article/Oregons- FirstEver-Survey-of-Black-Mothers-Sheds- Light-on-Poor-Birth-Outcomes-2011-12-01 Monroe says the goals of the Afro-centric Pregnancy Fair event are to prevent infant mortality and premature birth, increase breastfeeding duration, and support fathers. “The fathers’ involvement is crucial and too often they have a harder time being present for their families,” she says. “We want dads to come to the park and feel wel- come and understand how important they are in the health of their kids.” Organizers have planned activities includ- ing “birth balls” for kids to bounce, free massages for moms, baby sling-wearing demonstrations, face painting, breast pump demonstrations, henna tattoo tables, free baby clothes, face-to-face meetings with doulas and community midwives, a father’s tent to share birth stories, a stroller-decorat- ing contest, a DJ, and more. The ICTC office is located at 3821 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Call them at 503-460-9324, or go to their website at www.ictcmidwives.org. June 26, 2013 The Portland Skanner Page 3
