Portland State Magazine Winter 2011

FROM THE PRESIDENT President Wim Wiewel talks with Carole Smith, superintendent of Portland Public Schools, where educators hope the new Cradle to Career initiative will help identify strategies to raise achievement and reduce the city's high dropout rate. A new path for school success THE NEW YEAR bringsafrehapproach to an old problem: Far too many tudents drop out of high chool in Oregon. In Portland Public Schools, more than one in three teenagers who attend high school quit. Evidence is clear that school failure not only results in low-wage jobs, but al o touches everyone because of che ociaJ and taxpayer coses that follow dropouts, from chronic unemployment to welfare depen– dence. Our community must do better, and we at PSU are determined to be pare of the solution by developing a new path to success for young people in Multnomah County. Hundreds of education, business, and community leaders recencly gathered at PSU to launch a " radle co Career" initia– tive that goes beyond another report card on schools co crack educational, social, and econom ic progress from birth co job entry. We have estab lished key metrics co measure the performance of all tudents in Multnomah County and will hold educa– tors, service providers, and community leaders- and ourselves-accountable for results. This initiative is more promising than past efforts because it is based on proven strategies and on practices chat can be sustained over time. And ic i a counrywide approach chat includes PSU, the city of Porcland, Multnomah County, Porcland Public Schools and other school districts, as well as cl1e Leaders Round table, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, and others. All chese partners are coming together to identify the mosc effective ways to help children and families, raise srudenc achievemenc, and improve lives. That's a call order. Bue we can look at the Strive Partnership in Cincinnati as a model of what can be accomplished. More than 300 organizations worked togerher co adopt best practices in education and child ser– vices. 'fl1e results are impressive: After four years, Strive reports significanc increases in urban schools in graduation races and reading, math, and writing scores. Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of ew York system, helped create the Strive Partnership when she was University of Cincinnati's president. She was at P U ro help us launch our initiative and cited an example of how Cincinnati leaders focused on early chi ldhood pro– grams and preschool co better prepare chil– dren for kindergarten. Programs char didn't show evidence of progres had to improve or they lost funding. That is our goal for radle to areer– deci ions will be guided by data and analysis so chat only programs thac work gee upporc. Good intentions don't graduate kid . Results are what matter. Wim Wiewel PRESIDENT, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY