From News Center Maine: Author Rya Wooten. Watch the video!
Portland Public Schools presented its “State of the Schools” address Monday at Portland City Hall, sharing highlights and challenges the district is experiencing.
The plan focuses on five goals: equity, achievement, whole student, people, and systems.
Portland public schools is Maine’s largest and most diverse public school district. And while there are many successes to be proud of within the district overall, Board of Public Education Chair Sarah Lentz said there are opportunities to better support that diversity.
“Every year, we have educators winning all kinds of awards and accolades,” Lentz said. “We have students who are national merit finalist and semifinalist.”
Despite the many achievements, however, Lentz explained the territory comes with a unique set of built-in challenges.
“When we look across our student achievement data in the Portland Public Schools, we see some gaps that exist between students who are, say, multilingual and students who are born into English-speaking families,” Lentz said.
More than 6,500 students are part of Portland Public Schools. Lentz said 53 percent of the student population are students of color, and a total of 59 different languages are spoken.
Lentz said those students might need additional language instruction, from multilingual social workers or ed techs, and families may need translators during parent-teacher meetings.
In addition to teachers working to assist students who are learning English who also show gaps in achievement in core subjects, Lentz explained that roughly or 8 percent are experiencing homelessness or unstable housing.
Lentz said district leaders are working to address inequities by providing students from various racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds with additional instruction and resources.
The Foundation for Portland Public Schools is one nonprofit that supports the district, working alongside district leaders to implement systems that better support students of different backgrounds.
The nonprofit’s executive director, Andrea Summers, said they’re working hand-in-hand with district leaders to make sure students are successful.
One way they’re doing that is by investing in the Elevating Educators program, which helps ed tech’s get fully certified as teachers or social workers to work in the district.
“Students need to see mirrors of themselves,” Summers said. “And there’s amazing data that shows that when students of color have teachers of color their achievement all the way through college is stronger.”
The foundation also provides resources like free vision screenings and glasses, winter clothes, school supplies, loaner instruments for music classes, and other items for students who may be experiencing homelessness.
“We have students who arrive without proper winter clothing, without backpacks, without the proper things they need for school,” Summers said.
Despite the many challenges, educators in Portland’s Public Schools and directors of organizations that support them, like Foundation for Portland Public Schools, said they’re committed to making sure students within the district thrive.
