2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

The Tea Party Movement is rife with an underlying Hate theme that is undeniable. However small the numbers, the sentimentality is not lost on me, as an African American.

This whole "Tea Party" thing is reprehensable to me. Why weren't these people protesting when Bush was giving tax cuts to the rich and sending us in unbelievable debt? Does the strength of this "movement" have something to do with Obama's election?

This isn't covered enough by the media, and frankly it send shivers down my spine. ANY "movement" that gives racists and hate speech ANY legitimacy is dangerous. If this goes as far as I think it could, I feel I will become an ex-patriot one day. I cannot live in a place where I feel unwelcome. Even if it's my own country.

How is this more interesting or important than Earth Day? Blechh!

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
view in context

My experience may bring insight to the actual question posed about  the results of the report being unacceptable.

My 5 y/o son is in kindergarten here at Woodstock School. I recently moved us from Los Angeles were he attended a Pre-K class in LA Unified School District. In our neighborhood school in Korea Town (Downtown LA), he was the only english speaking child in a class of 25.

Instead of the class being an introduction to the language, the class was taught in Spanish, and the teacher stopped intermittingly to translate things to my son in English.

Being a low income single mom, this was the only resource I had available to us for any sort of childcare or pre-school. I moved my family away from LA because of the lack of access to education at LAUSD. I experienced it myself. I suspect their numbers are worse than Oregon's

My question is this; Does Oregon treat early ESL students in a similar manner as in Southern California? If so, to what extent? Shouldn't ESL at the pre-school stage be equally as important as any other grade level? MY guess is yes, judging by these test scores.

The students are the ones who suffer in the end analysis. In my opinion, Oregon's got to do better.

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
view in context