Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle February 6, 2019
®
Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now
Opinion
Bobbie Dore Foster
Executive Editor
Jerry Foster
Advertising Manager
By Bernie Foster, Publisher
T
Christen McCurdy
News Editor
Patricia Irvin
Graphic Designer
Monica J. Foster
Seattle Office Coordinator
Susan Fried
Photographer
2017
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whole or in part without permission prohibited.
here is a saying that in-
formation can bring
choices and choices bring
power – educate your-
self about your options and
choices. On January 21 at our
Martin Luther King Jr. Break-
fast in Portland, I displayed
on screen for everyone there
to see the toll-free number to
call for information on dia-
betes. I also mentioned I was
leaving for Orlando, Florida
later that week to attend the
National Newspaper Publish-
“
287,000 adults with diagnosed
diabetes and an estimated
110,000 adults with undiag-
nosed diabetes. Rates of dia-
betes among African Amer-
icans are 23 percent higher
than that of Whites. This is
alarming and a cause for con-
cern.
Diabetes and pre-diabetes
costs are estimated to be $4
billion in Oregon annually.
This includes direct medical
expenses for diagnosed, undi-
agnosed, pre and gestational
cases. Direct costs associated
with reduced productivity
Studies show that the diagnosis of
diabetes among adults in Oregon
has more than doubled over the
last 20 years
ers Association conference
where I would be learning
more about diabetes and how
the increasingly high cost of
insulin affects people’s ability
to afford diabetes treatment.
I did not need to travel to
Florida to know that here in
Oregon understanding our
options helps us take better
control of our health. When
it comes to our health, knowl-
edge is power. Studies show
that the diagnosis of diabetes
among adults in Oregon has
more than doubled over the
last 20 years. There are over
from diabetes are estimated
at $840 million per year. Se-
rious health complications
include heart disease, stroke,
amputation, end-stage kidney
disease, blindness – and death
according to the American Di-
abetes Association.
Lawmakers should address
the shocking increase in insu-
lin costs of nearly 555 percent
from previous years. Oregon
legislators should take on the
challenge of sky rocketing
drug costs through a number
of bills being put before the
senate this year. The most im-
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With the toll-free number in the background, Bernie Foster talks to the audience
at The Skanner Foundation MLK Breakfast on Jan. 21 about the Lilly Diabetes
Solution Center and Helpline launched by Eli Lilly and Company in the African
American community to ensure people receive comprehensive treatment for
diabetes.
portant thing our community
can do is to stay informed and
use the tools provided to us,
not to simply survive, but to
thrive.
We at The Skanner News
understand the health dispar-
ities in this state, especially
concerning diabetes in the
African American commu-
nity. We know that in order
to close the gap, we have to
engage and inform our read-
ers by providing information
directed to our community
regarding the best options in
diabetes maintenance and af-
fordable diabetes medicine.
Here is what we didn’t know.
Diabetes patients in Oregon
can call the helpline to get
some help and representa-
tives will work with them and
develop a plan based on pa-
tients’ needs. Call the Eli Lilly
Solutions Center at 833-808-
1234. Information includes
cost-saving solutions, clinic
information, support and
short- and long-term options
for immediate needs. Lines
are open between 9 a.m. to 8
p.m. (ET). Other may be doing
this too, so be sure to research
where else you can find help
and information for people
suffering from diabetis.
Information will bring you
more choices.
When we know more about
our options we can do better
as it relates to taking control
of our health, for knowledge
is power!
A Dream Deferred — Is the Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA) Just Another Elusive Dream?
I
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PHOTO BY ANTONIO HARRIS
Taking Control of Your Health: Diabetes Solutions
for Oregon
Bernie Foster
Founder/Publisher
n 1951, Langston Hughes
laid bare the anxious aspi-
rations of millions of Black
people in America with his
poem, “A Dream Deferred.”
In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. reminded America of
the promissory note written
to its citizens guaranteeing
life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness, in his “I Have a
Dream” speech.
In 1964, President Lyndon
B. Johnson attempted to make
good on that promise by sign-
ing the Civil Rights Act into
law. And in 1965, President
Johnson sought to ensure
equitable access to these un-
alienable rights by signing
the Elementary and Second-
ary Education Act (ESEA) into
law.
As a part of Johnson’s “War
on Poverty,” ESEA was sup-
posed to assist students of
color in receiving a quality
education, thereby helping
lift them from poverty.
To date, ESEA remains one
of the most impactful educa-
tion laws ever ratified. ESEA
established education fund-
ing formulas, guided academ-
ic standards, and outlined
state accountability.
Since Johnson, presidents
Dr.
Elizabeth
Primas
Progam
Manager,
NNPA
have re-authorized and/or
launched new initiatives safe-
guarding the intentions of
ESEA.
Some of the most notable
“
I wonder if
we are setting
the bar too
low
re-authorizations have been
“No Child Left Behind” (2001,
George W. Bush) and “Race
to the Top” (2009, Barack
Obama).
The most recent re-autho-
rization, the “Every Student
Succeeds Act” (ESSA) was
signed into law by President
Obama in 2015.
In previous re-authoriza-
tions of ESEA, emphasis was
placed on students’ ability
to pass rigorous standards
in order to proceed from
one grade to the next. How-
ever, data from the National
Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) show that a
measurable achievement gap
has persisted.
As education leaders review
the individual state plans that
have been developed and ap-
proved in keeping with the
Every Student Succeeds Act,
it is obvious that many states
are making an attempt pri-
oritize equity over perfor-
mance. Some states have set
timelines for their account-
ability measures, signifying
the urgency of the problem,
while other states continue to
miss the mark by setting goals
that are too distant, including
the proposal of a twenty-year
timetable to close the achieve-
ment gap.
I am concerned about ESSA
State plans such as these, that
pass the buck to future gen-
erations of educators and set
the bar too low for vulnerable
student populations.
In several states, schools
that perform in the bottom
5 percent will receive fund-
ing to assist in closing the
achievement gap. But, again,
I wonder if we are setting
the bar too low. I am not con-
vinced that assisting schools
in the bottom underperform-
ing 5percent will make a sig-
nificant impact on closing the
achievement gap in any city.
Still, I find hope in the new
reporting guidelines outlined
in ESSA. ESSA requires State
Education Agencies (SEAs)
and Local Education Agen-
cies (LEAs) to develop school
report cards so parents can
compare which school is the
best fit for their children.
District report cards must
include the professional
qualifications of educators,
including the number and
percentage of novice person-
nel, teachers with emergen-
cy credentials, and teachers
teaching outside their area of
expertise.
States must also report
per-pupil
spending
for
school districts and individ-
ual schools. Expenditures
must be reported by funding
source and must include actu-
al personnel salaries, not dis-
trict or state averages.
Parents must get engaged
to hold legislators and edu-
cators accountable for their
ESSA State Plans.
Read the rest of this commentary at
TheSkanner.com
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