Poverty in Portland Schools
Roosevelt High School is part of the Portland Public School District (PPS) and is one of the poorest schools there. According to Roosevelt High's website there are approximately 675 students enrolled. In the Beaverton School District none of the high schools have less than 1700 students—that is like 2.5 times more students! Roosevelt's student population is really low because most of the students that are supposed to attend Roosevelt get transfers to other schools, such as Grant, Lincoln, Benson or Madison High. Of the students that attend Roosevelt High, 85% receive free or reduced meals and 110 kids are officially homeless. Most students that attend Roosevelt are poor and since there is no school bus system in the PPS, most students walk there. The school building itself was broken down and "...held up with duct tape." according Mrs. Dickinson (one of the speakers that came to our school), probably because it was built in 1923. With all these conditions, it isn't a surprise that the athletics department wasn't strong. Nobody showed up for any of Roosevelt's games and without the support, the athletes didn't succeed. In fact the football team was looked down on and teased by their classmates in the hallways of Roosevelt.
Fortunately, help arrived. Neil Lomax-- a former Pro Bowl quarter back, wanted to help coach the Roosevelt Roughriders. Kirsti Dickinson, a mom with kids in the Beaverton School District, felt a need to help these kids after seeing their situation. So every Wednesday she took food to Roosevelt High's football team, with some friends and family. Students definitely appreciated Mrs. Dickinson's contribution, so much that kids from other sports teams started showing up! SouthLake Foursquare Church provided an amazing amount of support-- packing the bleachers in all of Roosevelt's games-- and providing around $625,000 towards the school. Last but not least, Steve Duin (an Oregonian columnist) began writing about Roosevelt's issues, which created awareness among Portlanders and inspired many to help out. Roosevelt High's story made the news: visit http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=091225/RooseveltHigh for the entire story.
There are many more schools like Roosevelt that need help. Some such schools are: Madison, Cleveland and Jefferson High Schools (in the PPS). There are a few elementary schools in the Beaverton School district that are kind of poor too; these schools are great places to volunteer and make a positive impact.
Here are some questions to think about:
~ What do you think should be/could be done to prevent future situations like this?
~ What can be done to improve current situations?
~ Would it be unfair to make neighborhood school attendance compulsory in the PPS? Why or why not?
~ Why do you think schools go into poverty in the first place?
~ Does a school's poverty affect the neighborhood it's in? How?
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