CEP Press Release

Contact: Linda Castello

(March 2011) 



For immediate release

 

Portland Public Schools and education advocates launch efforts to end racial disparities in school suspensions and expulsions

Portland Public Schools and a coalition of education advocates have reached a partnership agreement to address the problem of disproportionate discipline meted out to students of color.



Black, Latino and Native American students are suspended and expelled 2 to 8 times as often as white students in Portland Public Schools.  To address this problem of racial disparity in suspension and expulsion, Portland Public Schools (PPS) revised its discipline policies in 2009. It is now working with a coalition of advocates, Community Education Partners (CEP), to put those policies into action.



Community Education Partners, a broad-based coalition of community organizations focusing on education disparities, has been working with PPS to develop a plan that involves direct community participation within the schools with the highest levels of disproportionate discipline. Ten schools have been selected to take part in the pilot program which will unite parents, community members and administrators to review, develop and implement procedures and practices that will reduce incidents of referrals, suspension and expulsions.



The details of the collaboration will be developed during the rest of this school year. Each school will work on developing individual discipline plans that meet the needs of each school, but are in line with the board's policy on discipline. This would include developing consistent systems for collecting data by race and ethnicity.   In the 2011-12 school year, CEP will work with each participating school to put these plans into practice and follow the results.



Leading members of Community Education Partners are the Urban League of Portland, CPPS (Community & Parents for Public Schools), Portland Parent Union, Resolutions Northwest, Black Parent Initiative; Stand for Children, IRCO Africa House, Latino Network, Multnomah County Department of Community Justice, Multnomah County Commission on Children and Families, Juvenile Rights Project, and Portland Schools Foundation.

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Notes to editors: Community Education Partners works as a catalyst to change the educational system and stands united to ensure the personal success and academic achievement of all children.  CEP concentrates on ending disparities in treatment of people of color in Portland Public Schools (PPS), especially racial disparities in discipline practices.