Still not enough, even for the basics of grades 6-9, much less electives, arts, languages, music and career pathways.

I also believe they share PE with the other academies.

In terms of academic benefit, not so much, unless something changes drastically in the near future. The girls’ academy opened with 180 enrolled, but the boys’ has only 55. Having so few students, they were allocated only 2 teachers. (But they still got a full-time administrator!) This for a magnet program that purported to be about business leadership/entrepreneurship. And the “academic silo” setup at Jefferson (3 tiny academies—the other 2 are co-ed) prohibits the sharing of staff or resources. Parents were complaining about the lack of a certified math teacher until the supt. hired one in Dec. from the sub pool, using sub teacher funds, for the rest of the school year.

Bottom line: insufficient enrollment to support a meaningful program inhibits academic progress. This is what happens when an idea the community never wanted in the first place is executed anyway with poor advance research and planning.

As you said, Seattlevisitor, an experiment.

For more information, you can go here:

http://joesschool.blogs.com/ol.....l#comments

and here:

http://www.blueoregon.com/2008.....chool.html

Good luck in your fight to preserve your middle school!

Another experiment. Any word on the effect of the 6-12 boys program on gangs? Academic benefit?

It is now two years later. In spite of VEHEMENT parental and community objections, the 6-12 programs were put in place, albeit in a different configuration than the one the former superintendent wanted. One neighborhood middle school was closed and immediately reopened as a magnet program for 6-12 girls; the equivalent 6-12 boys program is housed at Jefferson High. The other middle school that served that area is now a K-8.

So, in the end, no buildings were actually closed, and these programs ended up costing the district money because they have hired extra administrators to help run them.

Hope this info is helpful.

I am involved in a similar fight in Seattle where we have an aging middle school building that needs to be replaced and a High School in need of replacement or major renovation. Of course we are in the most diverse neighborhood and at the bottom of test scores etc.

The plan is to combine these two schools, saving the District millions, and been told it’s cutting edge. In researching I found an article stating the you fine school district considered a similar idea for Jefferson a couple of years ago. http://www.mgforum.org/News/Wh.....chools.pdf

Can anyone help shed some light on this?

Best wishes in your fight for equity and social justice for Portland’s students and families.

Seattle visitor
sealthrocks@yahoo.com