schools in Oregon??? (Portland, Medford, Jacksonville: credit, homes, neighborhoods)

[UK*Tracy]

Should I be worried about putting my children in a public school in Oregon?
Is home schooling really the way to go?

If I put my children in a public school what are they going to learn?
What subjects are on the curriculum?

[Carol, Oregon coast]

Being a teacher, I happen to think Oregon schools are far better than the private ones. We teach the regular stuff...reading, writing, math, social studies, science. Depending on the area you live in, your child might have music, band, PE, swimming, community service projects, and at some grade levels, they earn money and take overnight field trips to historic Oregon spots or even to Washington, DC. In my area, it seems that the private schools can offer a religious perspective, which we can't, and they also take the kids whose parents feel that their child is never in the wrong at public school. My children attended public school in Oregon, Washington, and Calilfornia, and I think you have to be proactive in asking what courses are offered at the school you're considering. For instance, does the high school offer advanced math classes? Do they have a relationship with a junior college that will allow a student to attend both and earn college credit? What colleges/universities do students generally attend on graduation? They don't take mediocre graduates at Harvard or Pepperdine. Good luck!

[oregon_mom7]

my son goes to mcklinny schoolin salem and there are great its a small school and in the 1st grade and doing great the tachers tkae there time and hes learing

[freedom]

What does your children want to do with their life?

What is the reason for changing from Home school to Pub. School?

[ThanksABunch]

Hello. My son is in the 3rd grade and has attended a public school in Portland since 1st grade. I also have a lot of friends with children in public schools throughout the city..so I hear their views as well. Here is my view...and I'll preface by saying that my son's school is considered "excellent" because of high benchmarks. But in my opinion, his school is not excellent at all. This will be our last year in this school. The people are wonderful...but here is my list of goods and bads and that explains it best:

1. Overall, it seems that the teachers are very good for the most part. Although, many of them are pretty stressed..and that comes out in some negative ways.
2. Class size is usually very large (my son's class had 31 kids and one teacher)...so even if a teacher is great, it doesn't work if the class is large. Large class size is a HUGE problem here.
3. Budget cuts- art, music, and even p.e. is becoming more and more rare in our schools here in Portland. My child gets six weeks of art and music, thanks to the parent volunteer program....but nothing the rest of the year. My son has p.e. once a week and a very short recess.
4. State testing and hitting certain benchmarks become the priority and the well-being of individual children are pushed aside during test time. It really floored me.

We are leaving Portland soon and one factor was the school experience. However, there are many charter schools here that are good. There is a large community of homeschoolers..but we didn't feel that path was right for our child. There are lots of private schools with varying rates. You will have many options...and I do know that some public schools (like the west hills area of Portland) have smaller classes and more art, music, etc...but the neighborhoods are very expensive areas to live.

I hope I don't discourage you too much! But if I could go back and do it again, I would have stayed out of Portland Public.

Just my view and experience, for what it's worth.

Good luck!

[UK*Tracy]

That is what I am looking for. Your views be it good or bad.

I don't home school at the moment, nor do I want to in the future, if I can advoid it. Private is probably gping to be too costly.

We are moving to Oregon from England, two of my children currently attend public school and doing really well. My son, who's 13 wants to be either a Doctor or a Linguist. But that chould change! my daughter is 6 and wants to be an artist or a teacher or an art teacher!! They are both top students, and my son is involved in a gifted and talented programme over here.

So with a bit more info about us...your school views please..keep them coming. Thank you

[UK*Tracy]

Originally Posted by Carol, Oregon coast

Being a teacher, I happen to think Oregon schools are far better than the private ones. We teach the regular stuff...reading, writing, math, social studies, science. Depending on the area you live in, your child might have music, band, PE, swimming, community service projects, and at some grade levels, they earn money and take overnight field trips to historic Oregon spots or even to Washington, DC. In my area, it seems that the private schools can offer a religious perspective, which we can't, and they also take the kids whose parents feel that their child is never in the wrong at public school. My children attended public school in Oregon, Washington, and Calilfornia, and I think you have to be proactive in asking what courses are offered at the school you're considering. For instance, does the high school offer advanced math classes? Do they have a relationship with a junior college that will allow a student to attend both and earn college credit? What colleges/universities do students generally attend on graduation? They don't take mediocre graduates at Harvard or Pepperdine. Good luck!

What's mediocore?

[StealthRabbit]

Where in particular are you considering in OR? Schools vary a lot, and there are VERY good public Schools and VERY bad (same with private, and home schools...we've done it all.) Singapore has very good public schools , but Oregon... I am concerned your kids may need to advance a few grades, as US schools are pretty 'dumbed-down', to make sure everyone can come... Not sure of current UK academics, but when we lived in Asia and Europe, the expat UK kids were pretty 'advanced', as compared to USA. A lot of them had come out of 'boarding schools', so I may not have a very clear picture.

I think you will need to find a public school with advanced placement, or an IB (International Baccalaureate) program. Or find a private school. It really depends on where you are going to land. I think Washington State has an advantage as far as public education goes. (it varies per location too). Of most importance is finding a community that is really involved and supportive of schools (not just in approving extra taxes...) It is a real challenge to find that in the PNW, as compared with midwest and mountain states of USA.

We wish you well, this is a tough thing to do!

[UK*Tracy]

Thanks Janb we're thinking of the medford area. Do you know more about schools there?

[Carol, Oregon coast]

UK Tracy, mediocre is of medium excellence, ordinary. You have to be outstanding academically to get into those schools. The class size and "meeting the benchmarks" is a statewide issue. I have 33 students and no assistants in my room. I also have students ranging from special needs to talented and gifted. Knowing your childrens' career hopes, I think a bigger city, like Medford, can offer more variety in courses than smaller cities. You can check out the Report Cards (how they are rated) of Oregon schools at Oregon.gov Home Page. Click on education for more information that you ever wanted. That site will tell you how the district is rated and how each school in the district is rated. Having said that, Jacksonville Elementary in Medford is rated exceptional, which is the highest rating. The site has information on private schools, charter schools and public schools, statewide.