Oregon Public Broadcasting

Proposed changes to high schools in the state’s largest district are drawing criticism this week from some prominent school allies.

When Portland Public moved toward small high schools five years ago, two Northwest foundations helped with millions of dollars in grants. The foundations are done spending.  But leaders are critical of Portland’s plan to emphasize larger schools going forward.

Advocates acknowledge that small schools aren’t perfect. The graduation rates are too low, and dropout rates, too high.

Duncan Wyse chairs Oregon’s State Board of Education, and he runs the non-profit Employers for Education Excellence. He said small schools are showing real promise across the state – including in Portland. 
 


“Roosevelt, for example, one in ten students met the math benchmark five years ago – a four-fold increase. In reading, it’s gone from 20 percent to 45 percent. So real gains in performance. None of the schools in Oregon are where we want them to be, whether they’re large or small," he said.
 


Wyse said achievement data shows low-income and minority students are doing better at small schools across the state, than at larger ones. 
 
Wyse’s education non-profit helped invest $25 million over the last seven years to create small schools – often out of big high schools.

Much of that money came from Doug Stamm, and the Meyer Memorial Trust. Stamm says the results  have led him to offer this advice for Portland Public Schools. 


 
“Based on the data, it supports the continuation of Roosevelt, Marshall, and frankly the expansion of small learning environments at the high school level – as opposed to large, comprehensive high schools. I think the political reality is – that’s not likely to happen," he said.



Stamm argueed the move to larger high schools is not based on the achievement data for low-income and minority students.
 
“On the flip side, I’m not aware of data that shows that large comprehensive high schools address the needs of these particular populations," he said.
 


He said the district is trying to adjust to having fewer students and less money.  “It’s more of a budgetary issue that’s been put in the context of a ‘re-design’ issue. But it’s really, when it comes down to it, they have schools that for budgetary reasons, they need to close," he said.
 


Portland Public school officials didn’t return multiple requests for comment for this story. But they’ve said in the past that there are lessons from the small schools that will factor into their plans, even though the district is focusing on larger schools.

Duncan Wyse, with Employers for Education Excellence is wary. “The problem historically with large comprehensive high schools is that students get lost. We forget how many students drop out, are lost, and don’t benefit from that model," he said.
 


Wyse said improved relationships between students and teachers have been key to the small schools. He’d like to see that as a focus of Portland’s re-design. 
 
“There’s a lot of design work that needs to be done, and I think there’s a lot to learn from these small schools," he said.
 


Portland officials are planning to include a few small high school options, but they’ll be magnet schools.  And the principals of those smaller schools worry that low-income students might not be attracted to them. 



Ultimately, Doug Stamm with the Meyer Trust said he’d like to see Portland give the small schools a little more time, to see how much more they improve. 
 


“Bottom line is we’d like to see the small schools – and we think the data justifies it – expanded. Certainly kept intact, and potentially expanded. But the political reality is that that will be very challenging," he said.
 


That reality was further confirmed this week, when Portland signaled Roosevelt High’s three small schools would participate in a federal program for struggling schools.

Much like six years ago, when Portland launched small schools, the district is restructuring Roosevelt with the promise of millions of dollars.

Only this time, officials are counting on federal, rather than foundation, money. Read the analysis from the Oregon Small Schools Initiative