Coordinated Efforts in Portland, Oregon Focused on Workforce Development for Out-of-School Youth

A Forum — October 21, 2005

Background

This forum highlighted the coordinated efforts in Portland, Oregon to provide an array of options which include both an academic credential and workforce development and training for out-of-school and at-risk youth. This was the third AYPF forum focused on increasing awareness of effective career preparation and workforce development policy and programs for disadvantaged youth and young adults, sponsored by the GE Foundation.

In Oregon, legislation provides for all state residents to have a right to a publicly-funded education until they receive a diploma or reach age 21. Thus, this “funds follow the child” mandate allows for school districts throughout the state to establish alternative education options either within the public school system or contract with private alternative education providers.  The district receives 100% of the state education funds per student and then pays alternative education providers for their actual program cost or 80% of the district’s per pupil expenditure. Many of the alternative education providers have tapped additional funding sources at the federal, state, and local level to leverage their available dollars and provide supplemental services to their students.

In Portland, the school district, along with nineteen community-based organizations including the local community college, have created a variety of alternative education programs to provide opportunities for out-of-school and at-risk youth to continue their formal education and receive workforce training.  These alternative education providers have formed a coalition (the Coalition for Metro Area Community-Based Schools) through which they are able to coordinate their work with the district and serve as a referral network for each other.   

Portland Public Schools

There are 48,000 students in the Portland Public Schools (PPS), of which 3,000 are served through alternative education programs that are run by the district or by community-based alternative schools. The CBO alternatives are part of the Coalition for Metro Area Community-Based Schools. Carole Smith, Director of Alternative Education Options for PSS, explained that this coalition includes programs of all sizes in all parts of the city. For example, one alternative school is operated by a homeless shelter and others are community-based organizations that offer services specifically for English language learners or teen parents. The programs have different personalities and different points of entry. A young person can show up at any program and either be admitted or be directed to a more appropriate program.  Of 332 students who left their regular schools before graduating in 2003-4, Smith said 289 (87.5 percent) were retained in the school system at the alternative schools. During the same school year, 1,900 students who had previously left the system re-entered through alternative schools and programs, and 62% stayed enrolled.

Open Meadow Alternative Schools

Founded in 1971, Open Meadow is a private, nonprofit community-based organization. As Executive Director Andrew Mason says, “Open Meadow is part of a continuum of services that the district has to offer.”  Over the course of a year, Open Meadow serves 700 students aged 10 to 24 in eight programs including its alternative schools. There are four students applying for every space available at Open Meadow, and those that are not accepted are referred to other programs within the coalition. 

Open Meadow’s programs can be broken down into three categories:

Core comprehensive academic programs
Open Meadow operates an accredited alternative middle and high school in a predominantly low-income neighborhood of Portland. The school has a $2.7 million annual operating budget.  As Mason explained, these students are pursuing statewide benchmarks and taking statewide tests in an alternative setting to their traditional middle or high school. Students begin working toward a diploma in a core comprehensive academic program in middle school followed by either a conventional or project-based high school, both which are operated by Open Meadow.  Through either high school program, students earn a diploma, not a GED.

Transition services
Often referred to as high school and beyond, these are combined programs through which students earn a high school diploma along with workforce training, internship placements, and postsecondary coursework.  These programs include Corps for Restoring the Urban Environment (CRUE) which provides students aged 16-21 field-based learning and community services projects through one of three crews, Technology, Natural Resources, and Social Services. Corporate Connections provides employment readiness training and an internship with eight local corporations.         

Supplemental services
Open Meadow contracts with the district to provide appropriate supports and programming for at-risk students with the intention of preventing them from dropping out.  This program, STEP UP, provides year-round supplemental educational services and leadership development opportunities at one of Portland’s high schools and its feeder middle schools.

In addition to its state education dollars, Open Meadow receives federal and state workforce development funding.  Mason said Open Meadow leverages federal Workforce Investment Act dollars to build partnerships with private companies that offer internships and curriculum assistance. Mason believes schools like Open Meadow are the “nexus between education and workforce dollars.”  Mason also mentioned that the Employment Training Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor is placing alternative schools at the center of bringing out-of-school youth back into the system, either to get jobs or further their education.

Portland Community College

“If kids show up, we find a place for them,” says Linda Huddle, Director of Alternative Programs at Portland Community College (PCC).  The philosophy of PCC Prep, the collaborative of alternative education programs based at PCC, is that all students have the capacity to achieve in the collegiate environment, even those who have not been successful in the K-12 system. Failure in high school is generally not due to lack of academic ability, but rather to problems with motivation, peer relationships, self-esteem, trust, family issues, study skills and/or language skills. A continuum of programs and services creates “access and alternatives for youth,” including MAP (Multicultural Academic Program) offering ESL and GED classes for English language learners, YES (Youth Empowered to Succeed) which offers GED classes, and Gateway to College, which provides an opportunity to complete high school using community college classes that also count towards an associate’s degree.

Students who participate in the Gateway to College are typically between 16-20 years old, with a GPA of 2.0 or below, and either out of school or on the verge of dropping out, but still hoping to complete a high school diploma. Thirty percent are the first in their family to attend college, 21 percent have a parent who never finished high school, and 39 percent work to help support themselves. If an initial evaluation shows that a student is reading below an 8th grade reading level, the student is referred to another alternative program either with PCC Prep such as a Pre-Gateway catch up class or YES or another program within the coalition such as Open Meadow.

Within the Gateway to College program, high school completion is aligned with career pathways. All courses are relevant for the student’s college or career goals. For example, students working in career pathways such as computers, healthcare, or auto mechanics are working towards a high school diploma as well as an associate’s degree or credits which can be transferred to a four-year institution. By the time a student completes the Gateway experience, which can last up to three years, the student is ready to enter PCC, a four-year college, or the world of work. 

The essential elements of PCC’s Gateway to College include small learning communities or cohorts during a student’s first term which prepare the student for classes in the PCC general population in the second term. The cohort is intended to help students set goals and solve problems, balance support with accountability, facilitate peer-to-peer support and establish effective relationships between students and instructors. Another essential element is the Gateway program’s location on campus and its full integration into the college. All classes are college courses for which students receive both high school and college credit   Also essential to Gateway to College is the staff.  Teams of teachers skilled in both K-12 and postsecondary education along with student resource specialists collaborate to serve students and provide advice, motivation, and referrals to social services if needed.

Gateway to College is funded through agreements with local school districts which pay a per-student fee based on actual attendance. “We don’t get paid if the student doesn’t attend,” explained Huddle.  Gateway to College provides free tuition and books but students pay college fees.  Students must maintain a “C” or better in all classes to remain in good standing in the program.  Last year, 71 percent of Gateway students met this benchmark.  Additionally, students take all required statewide assessments.

Huddle offered a “snapshot of achievement” by Gateway students:

• By June 2005, 135 students had earned either a high school diploma, an associate’s degree, or a GED

• 92% attendance rate
• 68% of the high school graduates continued their education
• 37% of those who leave the Gateway program without a credential also continue their education

In conclusion, Huddle said “exposure to college gets students headed in the right direction.”

Policy implications

Andrew Mason believes Open Meadow is raising the bar of programs available to out-of-school youth. He also believes there should be more flexibility in meeting the standards required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Attendance is one example. Schools should not be penalized when it takes longer than usual for a student to get through a program. “There should be some flexibility in defining success,” says Mason. Huddle agreed with Mason that more flexibility is needed on the target of completing high school in four years. “Keep the window open until age 21,” said Huddle. 

Huddle also questioned the requirement that English language learners take math tests even though scores aren’t counted: “So why bother with the tests?” she asked.  She further suggested that federal policies should encourage dual enrollment, especially for disadvantaged students. “Don’t write them off because of their prior experience,” she counseled.  Huddle also said students in early college high school programs should be eligible for financial aid through both state and federal programs. She noted that students in the 18-21 year-old age range have many financial issues, especially those who are transitioning out of foster care and have no health insurance or other financial supports.

During the question and answer session, Carole Smith said the state has decided to consider private alternative education options programs rather than schools. They are therefore granted more flexibility in assessments, teacher certification, and time to meet student goals. She acknowledged that there is some friction with regular schools which believe they could meet the same goals if they were granted similar flexibility in meeting them.  Linda Huddle said the state does not reduce standards for the alternative programs, but “how you get there can be different…alternative environments can design learning experiences appropriate for their populations.”

The final questions related to PCC’s project to replicate Gateway to College at 17 sites nationwide funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Several already underway including Clackamas Community College in Oregon, Riverside Community College in California, Palo Alto College in Texas, Georgia Perimeter College in suburban Atlanta and Montgomery College in suburban Washington, D.C. Additional information on the replication sites and process is available at http://www.gatewaytocollege.org/replication.htm.

Resources

"Helping Dropouts Break the Cycle of Poverty." (National Public Radio)

Presenters

Carole Smith

Carole Smith is the Director of Alternative Education Options for the Portland Public School district in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining the district, she was the Executive Director of Open Meadow Schools which received a Promising and Effective Practices award from the National Youth Employment Institute in 2003, and has twice been recognized as Oregon’s Alternative Education program of the year. Prior to joining the Open Meadow staff in 1982, Carole worked as the educational program administrator for Thompson Island Education Center in Boston, Massachusetts; as the program coordinator of a desegregation program for Boston Public Schools; as an evaluator for an adolescent alcohol and drug program; and was on the staff of Portland’s first neighborhood Youth Service Center. Carole served as a Commissioner for the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges for 10 years, and in that capacity had the opportunity to chair national and international accreditation site visit teams including schools in Egypt, China, Western Samoa and Poland. Carole served as the Chair of the Coalition of Metropolitan Area Community-based Schools (C-MACS) in Portland for five years. Carole has an Ed.M from Harvard University, a B.A. from Oberlin College and holds an Oregon Administrative Certificate. She is currently working on a doctorate in Educational Leadership at Lewis and Clark College.   

Linda Huddle

Linda Huddle is Director of PCC Prep Alternative Programs at Portland Community College, Oregon’s largest educational institution.  She  has been at PCC since 1999. PCC Prep provides alternative education services for nearly 1300 out-of-school youth 16 – 20 year of age annually through seven contracts with local school districts. PCC Prep’s philosophy is based on the belief that all students have the capacity to achieve in the collegiate environment, including students who have not experienced success in the K-12 system. To that end, PCC Prep has created a continuum of services that helps students achieve academic success, opens their eyes to post high school opportunities, and provides avenues to transition to the post secondary environment and employment. Services include Gateway to College (high school completion and academic-based workforce development), Youth Empowered to Succeed Program! (GED preparation), the Multicultural Academic Program (ESL), and. These services are available at all four campus locations in the PCC system. Linda leads the national replication of Gateway to College through the Early College High School Initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Gateway to College will be replicated at 17 colleges nationally by 2008.

Linda’s past experience includes Youth Program Manager for The Private Industry Council, Youth Program Director for Multnomah-Washington CETA Consortium, Employment Supervisor for Providence Hospital, six years teaching experience including migrant education and high school Spanish, and small business owner.  Linda holds a Masters Degree from the University of Oregon in Industrial and Labor Relations and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Oregon in Spanish and education.  Throughout her career Linda has served on numerous boards and commissions. She currently serves on the board of the Youth Employment Institute.

Andrew Mason

Andrew Mason is the Executive Director of Open Meadow in Portland, Oregon.  He has been with the organization for ten years.  Andrew came to Open Meadow when he was developing the program CRUE (Corps Restoring the Urban Environment) into a full-time alternative education program for high school students.  CRUE is an award-winning, innovative project-based programs that engages former dropouts in academically-rigorous community involvement projects as the cornerstone of the curriculum.  Program partnerships include Portland State University’s Institute for Portland Metropolitan Studies, The Wetlands Conservancy, the Northwest Health Foundation, and over one hundred other partner organizations, public and private.  In his time at Open Meadow, Andrew has established many new programs for high school youth including Corporate Connections, to employ graduating youth, Open Meadow’s Youth Opportunity program (YO), providing employment and post-secondary transition services to youth, and other project-based, social enterprise, and entrepreneurial ventures.  Andrew’s work with Open Meadow has received recognition from the United States Department of Labor, the National Youth Employment Coalition, the National Science Teachers Association, Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, the City of Portland, the Wetlands Conservancy, Tualatin Riverkeepers, and the Columbia Slough Watershed Council.

Andrew holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Portland State University.  Prior to Open Meadow he worked as a Crew Leader trainer statewide for the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, provided technical assistance to start-up programs, and served as a Crew Leader and Education Coordinator for the Cascade Education Corps in Forest Grove, Oregon.

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