Mayor Sam Adams

Portland Schools Foundation brings you the stories of three Portland youth who disconnected from school, and who have found their way back to education and a career path. Take a look at this film, watch video blog updates from the youth in the video, send a message of encouragement to each of the youth, and learn more about Portland Schools Foundation's Connected by 25 initiative on their Web site.

This meeting occurs the fourth Monday of every third month.        

The next meeting is scheduled for:

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

8:00am - 10:00am 

Portland Building, Meeting Room C

1120 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204 

The following meeting is scheduled for:

November 22nd, 2010

Mayor Sam Adams stood with school, business, public and youth leaders yesterday at Roosevelt High School to celebrate the launch of the new Choose Local Visa credit card, developed jointly by Unitus Community Credit Union and Choose Local. The Portland-Multnomah Education Cabinet, co-chaired by Mayor Sam Adams and Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen, has been selected as the recipient of transaction proceeds from the region’s new Choose Local credit card. Unitus Community Credit Union will donate 50 percent of its earnings from the card to the Cabinet, which will direct funds toward programming aimed at youth success and increasing high school graduation rates: Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) and Summer Youth Connect (SYC). 

"It is because of Portland’s collaborative spirit that our community continues to thrive," said Mayor Adams. "The programs receiving these funds will give our youth access to the resources they need to be successful, which is critical for our future prosperity. This card provides an opportunity for Portland-area residents to positively impact their community by making normal, every day purchases." 

Unitus Community Credit Union and Choose Local partnered to create the Choose Local credit card to benefit cardholders and their community. Choose Local teamed up with the mayor’s office to ensure its donated proceeds would go toward effective programming that will help shape an even better future for Portland-area residents. 

"Unitus Community Credit Union is honored to continue its tradition of giving back by offering the Choose Local Visa card, which supports local businesses and the Schools Uniting Neighborhoods and Summer Youth Connect programs," said Laurie Kresl, who represented Unitus at the event. "As a local credit union serving this market for 73 years, we believe it fits with our commitment to our members and our community." 

Anyone is eligible for the Choose Local VISA card if they work or live in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Polk, Yamhill, or Clark County. Unitus membership is required for the Choose Local VISA Card.

"Each of us has opportunities to make our community better with the decisions we make as consumers," said Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen. "The Choose Local program is one way we can help; it will benefit our SUN Schools program, providing Multnomah County youth with tools for academic success and delivering enrichment services that strengthen our community as a whole." 

"Things like this really show us that people are behind us and they support what we're doing," said Uma Abdullahi, a Multnomah Youth Commissioner and SUN leadership student. "And it's not just our moms and dads, but community leaders who believe in us." 

Watch KPTV's coverage here

About SUN Schools

Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) is part of the Mayor and Chair’s Opportunity Connect Strategy, focused on getting smarter about how we invest in high school youth through existing systems by enhancing the opportunities and social service/health supports necessary to make them successful graduates. SUN provides a network of social and support services to youth, families, and community members, which leads to educational success and self-sufficiency. 

About SYC

Summer Youth Connect is a strategy that provides a continuum of programs (Ninth Grade Counts, C3 and Summer Works) that include career and college visits , summer employment, academic support and services to high school youth. It is a partnership founded by the City of Portland, Multnomah County, Portland Schools Foundation, and Worksystems, Inc. 

About Choose Local

Choose Local is a local’s loyalty program that promotes local businesses and encourages locals to spend money at these local companies. The regular Choose Local card is free. These cards are available at local businesses listed on ChooseLocal.com, and given away at community events. The cardholders receive instant savings by showing their Choose Local card at participating businesses. These instant discounts and offers are posted on ChooseLocal.com, Mobile.ChooseLocal.com, Facebook, Twitter, KPTV, and LivePDX.

It's hard to believe that nearly two months have passed since we gathered for our first annual Education Summit in April. If you were there, we're glad you came. We look forward to an even better Action Summit next year, scheduled for February 5th and 7th. Click here for more information. 

Thank you for your continued support of education in Portland. Together, we will make Portland "The City That Learns." 

Missed the Education Summit?  

See it on Channel 30! 

Broadcast Schedule:

Sunday 4/18/2010, 6:00 PM, Channel 30

Tuesday 4/20/2010, 9:00 AM, Channel 30

Friday 4/23/2010, 2:00 PM, Channel 30

Monday 4/26/2010, 5:00 PM, Channel 30

Tuesday 4/27/2010, 8:00 PM, Channel 30

Special thanks to Portland Community Media. Viewers without cable can see the 24/7 live streaming feed of Channel 30 by clicking here.

By Tom Myers, Volunteer Coordinator for the Children's Book Bank

One of the main reasons children of low-income families arrive at school without early reading skills is the scarcity of books in the home. Research from the National Institute for Literacy finds that the ratio of books to children in middle-income neighborhoods is approximately 13 books to every one child, whereas the ratio in low-income neighborhoods is an astounding one book for every 300 children. 

For almost two years, The Children’s Book Bank in Portland has distributed tens of thousands of books to Multnomah County’s low-income children. The organization, operating out of a donated warehouse space, collects new and gently used children’s books from the community, spruces them up with the help of volunteers, and distributes them to children enrolled in programs that serve low-income populations.

Founded by Portland mother, and Teach for America alumna, Danielle Swope, The Children’s Book Bank began distributing books to Head Start pre-school children in the spring of 2008. Since then, and with the help of two AmeriCorps VISTA members, Shannon Schrecengost and Tom Myers, the organization has delivered more than 50,000 books to nearly 4,000 children with the support of more than 1,000 volunteers.

Click on the image above or the link below to be re-directed to the Portland Education Summit Website!

www.mayorsamadams.com/edsummit

THE COMMUNITY TOWN HALL

Saturday, April 10th, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Thanks to additional financial support from Leaders Round Table, Portland State University, and United Way, this event is FREE and open to the public

Location Parkrose High School (Map)

Keynote Speaker Michael Geisen

LEARN more about the state of our youth and the actions underway to increase graduations rates and access to post-secondary education

PROVIDE YOUR VOICE to what actions will best benefit our youth, families and educational system

GET INVOLVED in efforts to support our youth

RECEIVE resource information

Click here to view the Town Hall Agenda (PDF)

THE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

Monday, April 12th, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

$15 Registration fee. Click to purchase tickets

Location Oregon Convention Center

Keynote Speaker Greg Darnieder

Click here to view the Leadership Agenda (PDF)

Community leaders in business, education, non-profit, and government as well as frontline practitioners will attend the Leadership Summit to engage in a review of the dropout crisis and the Education Cabinet's proposed strategies. This is a time to learn, share, and commit to collective action toward securing a more promising future for our youth.

The breakout strands roughly mirror the Cabinet's four strategies PLUS a broad community engagement strand:

• Business Partnerships: Enhancing Career + College Connections
• Supporting Youth Beyond the School Day
• Beyond High School: Post-Secondary Access & Success 
• Fostering Supportive Adult Relationships: Families, Teachers and Caring Adults  
• Engaging the Whole Community

It's easy to jump on the "equity" bandwagon. It feels good, sounds good, is currently hip and, who would argue against it? It slips off the tongue so easily and falls squarely into the lap of all the Americans who believe that it is the essence of American values. What we often fail to remember or understand is that "equity" is not a semantic flower that we plant when the soil seems fertile. It is not a simple "rallying cry" for those who have a penchant for justice. Equity is that sweet nectar that those of us who are faced with numerous inequities yearn for. It's that nameless vision for which there are no words, an understanding for which there is no description. It is the point at which we feel human and real in an oasis of silent oppression.

In putting together a conference that highlights "equity", we grapple with how to give merit to what inequities and disparities are all about. We want to give voice to the dehumanizing realities that many Portlanders are confronted with daily. We want to give recognition to the monsters lurking in closets--yes in school closets, community closets and others--that swallow up hope and perpetuate the inequities that have, sadly, become commonplace. Our hope is that this is not just "another conversation about equity", but is something palpable and real that challenges us to dig deeper and look at how we currently contribute to the pervasive disparities (conscious or otherwise) and how we personally, individually, and wholly bring that sweet inspiring and fulfilling nectar to the mouths of those who have thirsted for far too long.

Despite what we hear in the media, 94% of young people want to help make the world a better place according to America's Promise Alliance - a national organization focused on improving lives and changing outcomes for children. Furthermore, opportunities to help others through service learning is a proven strategy to cut the dropout rate and plant the seeds of active citizenship.

Fortunately, in Portland we have many examples of youth giving back and learning more through service.

Mission: Citizen - A non-profit group formed by six members of the Lincoln HS Constitution Team  to help legal residents prepare for naturalization. See the recent article in the Oregonian.

Open Meadow High School regularly offers extended project-based classes that integrate core academics with service learning and relevant community content. Current opportunities include a Natural Resources project that integrates wetlands restoration with fine arts to develop new ways of looking at and understanding nature and a Social Justice project that involves the identification of a social issue that is both local and global in nature and the development of local action impact plan.  Learn more about the recently completed Social Service/Community 101 project 

Xploregon Teen Leadership Program empowers teens to spend the summer road tripping around Oregon to engage in service projects and adventure activities.  This fall Xploregon is expanding to offer school based leadership programming at Mt. Scott Learning Center, Fir Ridge High School, Millers Education Center, and Centennial Learning Center. 

Portland State University - Student Leaders for Service program has cultivated a diverse and growing group of engaged student leaders. Each year, 25 students make a full academic-year commitment to serve up to ten hours a week at a local organization where they provide direct service and act as a liaison between the university and the community.

These initiatives provide a model for the Education Cabinet as it confronts the challenge of improving Portland's 57% graduation rate. It will take a community-wide effort. Get involved with one of the initiatives above, or contact your local high school to see how you can help students get engaged in our community.

COMMUNITY TOWN HALL
Saturday, April 10th 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
FREE and Open to the public 
Location: Parkrose Highschool 

Town Hall Speaker: Michael Geisen, Science Educator, 2008 National Teacher of the Year

Michael Geisen has been helping students experience science at Crook County Middle School in Prineville, Oregon, for the past nine years. In his former career as a professional forester, legend has it that he scared away a charging black bear by hitting himself in the head with a stick. There have been no documented accounts of 7th graders charging him yet (at least not without permission.)

After a year as a full-time spokesperson for education, he still teaches adolescents in rural Oregon, but now also teaches educators, policy-makers, and business people around the world about high quality teaching and learning. His creative and humorous approach has been widely acclaimed for helping people of all ages understand and apply big concepts in education and science.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Gregory M. Darnieder, Special Assistant and Advisor to the Secretary on the Secretary’s Initiative on College Access

KEYNOTE & BREAKOUT SESSIONS Monday, April 12th 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
$10 Registratio n Fee before March 22nd. Tickets purchased after March 22nd are $15.

Click to purchase tickets
Location: Oregon Convention Center

Greg began his career in education as a middle school teacher in St. Louis and Riverdale MD. In 2003, Greg established the Department of Postsecondary Education and Student Development (DPSESD) at Chicago Public Schools (CPS), designing and implementing an assortment of postsecondary, academic, financial, and social support programs and building university, corporate and civic partnerships to enhance college access. In 2008, he was named the director of the Department of College and Career Preparation (DCCP) for CPS, a newly formed department that consists of the DPSESD and the Department of Education To Careers.  

In 2009, Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, named Greg the Special Assistant to the Secretary for College Access at the U.S. Department of Education, where he currently serves.

Co-sponsored by the City of Portland, Multnomah County, Portland Schools Foundation, and Worksystems, Inc.