2014 National Convening Skills Presenations Portland Plan | Page 40

THE PORTLAND PLAN

Portland Today
School readiness: Research shows that early learning experiences, starting at birth, are the most significant contributions
to a young person’s success through adulthood. Yet, many children in Multnomah County lack access to quality and
affordable early childhood education.
At-risk youth: Many of Portland’s youth do not have positive adult role models or mentors, stable housing or adequate
financial and social support systems to increase their likelihood of success. Many institutions and systems that identify and
help at-risk youth are insufficient, siloed and hard to access. Lower-income households often move frequently, and this
instability comes at a cost to school districts as enrollment fluctuates — and at a cost to students who lose continuity in
their studies and social fabric.
Graduation rate: Only 60 percent of high school students in Portland’s five largest school districts graduate in four years.
Four-year graduation rates for many youth of color, youth in poverty, English Language Learners (ELL) and youth with
disabilities are even lower. The public reaps a significant benefit from investing in educational interventions: national data
shows that the typical high school graduate will realize a 50–100 percent increase in lifetime income and will be less likely to
be involved in the criminal justice system. See Educated Youth in the Measures of Success for more information.
Post-secondary challenges: Only one-third of local high school graduates continue their education after high school.
Many students are not exposed to post-secondary opportunities until late in their senior year — or at all. Participation in
post-secondary education, vocational training and workplace apprenticeships is disproportionately low for students of
color, immigrants and refugees, youth in poverty, English Language Learning (ELL) students and youth with disabilities.
Degree completion rates in local community colleges and universities are in the range of 35–60 percent, with students
of color, immigrants and refugees, and those with disabilities less likely to graduate. Those students who start but don’t
complete their post-secondary education are often at a compounded disadvantage: they have lost earning potential while
in school and also bear the costs of student loans without the benefit of a degree or certificate.
Lack of supportive youth-adult partnerships: Volunteering and mentoring resources and business partnerships
to support youth are neither adequate in number nor effectively distributed among schools and communities. Many
immigrant and refugee youth and youth of color would benefit from partnerships, including those with adults of their own
culture, but such partnership opportunities are significantly limited.
Health concerns: Youth living in poverty, youth of color, immigrants and refugees, and youth with disabilities experience
disproportionate barriers to receiving resources to meet their physical, mental, social and sexual health needs. Poverty and
food insecurity play a significant role in consistent attendance and youth achievement. In the 2010–11 school year, more
than half of all Multnomah County public school children were eligible for the Free or Reduced Price Lunch program.
Limited youth voice: Youth (ages 0–25) comprise nearly 33 percent of Multnomah County’s population but have limited
opportunities to participate in decisions that directly affect their lives, including education, public health and safety,
transportation, and neighborhood economic development, to name just a few.
Aging learning environments: Aging buildings and years of deferred maintenance are a concern for school districts and
for the public. For example, Portland Public Schools needs at least $1.6 billion for short-term stabilization projects such as
fixing leaking pipes and roofs. This excludes costs associated with the full renovation of existing schools or the construction
of new schools to meet 21st century standards.
Unstable funding: Changes to Oregon’s tax structure in recent decades have created a volatile and unstable funding
situation for our K–12 system. The results have produced school budgets that are in a near perpetual state of crisis.
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April 2012 | www.pdxplan.com