Proposed amendments to “Learning Portland” Vision

Earlier today, I e-mailed the Portland Public Schools (PPS) Board members, expressing concern about the language in the “Learning Portland” section of VisionPDX. It was released just yesterday, goes to Council Wednesday evening. The goals proposed for “Learning Portland” are:

1. Every Portlander has the opportunity to achieve individual educational goals, and Portland provides an educational environment that ensures that anyone has the ability to obtain higher education
degrees.
2. The public and private sectors jointly provide a K-20 educational enterprise that serves the intellectual, cultural and economic needs of the region, the city and its people.
3. Portland’s higher education institutions serve as incubators of intellectual, economic and creative ideas.
4. Our schools are multiple-use facilities and integral components of our neighborhoods and
communities.
5. The arts are integrated into all K-12 education as a commitment of Portland to develop and foster creativity and innovation.
6. Portland provides adequate training for its future economy by investing in programs that prepare young people for the workforce.
7. Teachers are valued and supported in the schools and in community.

PPS Directors Ruth Adkins and Dilafruz Williams responded to my message, and generously dedicated a significant portion of their evening to working on the problem. Together, we propose:

1. The Council should postpone acceptance of the VisionPDX document, to allow more time for community review, comment and amendment requests on it.

2. Everywhere that “K-20” education is referenced, change to “preK-20”.

3. Amend Vision Goal # 2 (above) to read:

* Quality public education is readily available to every preK-20 student, and Portlanders cherish our five public school districts as the finest in the country. Excellent public schools are found in every Portland neighborhood. The public and private sectors provide integrated preK-20 educational services that richly satisfy the intellectual, cultural, environmental, and economic needs of the region, the city and its people.

If the Council agrees to postpone acceptance of the Vision to allow more review and amendments, clearly there are other parts of this section that could be improved. Portland as a place for lifelong learners, from quality child care and preschools through programs for seniors, for example. And perhaps mention of the role of schools in promoting sustainability through environmental education, and suchlike. But if the document is accepted tomorrow (today, by the time most readers see this post), I think making the amendments above would improve it significantly.