Why do Oregon public schools get such bad ratings? (Portland: 2015, house)

[Winnyard Bletch]

Time to move. This a culture of low standards.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

Yes, we need a top tier university but good luck with that! I am already talking to my oldest about going out of state for university studies.

I don't blame you at all. Luckily U. Washington is in driving distance, but the price tag for out of state....

[Nell Plotts]

UW is not heaven on earth, a lot depends on the student's major.

Architecture, graphic arts UO is as least as good. That said, we have more than enough graduates in those majors IMHO.

Urban planning - PSU is top notch.

UO software program is highly regarded, OSU & OTI have excellent engineering (tech hardware) and for OSU construction management programs. OHSU is top ranked in many medical fields.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

UW is not heaven on earth, a lot depends on the student's major.

Architecture, graphic arts UO is as least as good. That said, we have more than enough graduates in those majors IMHO.

Urban planning - PSU is top notch.

UO software program is highly regarded, OSU & OTI have excellent engineering (tech hardware) and for OSU construction management programs. OHSU is top ranked in many medical fields.

There is no doubt that UO, OSU, PSU have good programs and that education is subjective and that college is what you make of it. I'm just saying that they are underfunded in comparison to their peers which holds them back when you look at things holistically. This isn't a reflection on the intelligence of the students there, their career trajectory, potential, etc., it's just a dollars and cents issue.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

There is no doubt that UO, OSU, PSU have good programs and that education is subjective and that college is what you make of it. I'm just saying that they are underfunded in comparison to their peers which holds them back when you look at things holistically. This isn't a reflection on the intelligence of the students there, their career trajectory, potential, etc., it's just a dollars and cents issue.

I do agree that the university system is underfunded in Oregon, I would definitely like to see that change.

[Nell Plotts]

No doubt about that. When I attended the UO instate tuition was very reasonable.

Frankly I have seen underfunding university systems in CA and WA as well [we lived in WA for 15 years, DD lives in CA]. The same is true for educational systems as a whole. Unfortunately the states have promised to much in the way of pension which are eating those resources as an incredible rate. Then add to that the economic down turn and state legislators were left with what $ they couldn't avoid plus costs of required basic services (foster care, prisons).

It costs more per year to imprison a person guilty of a non-violent crime than to send them to college for a year.

There has been no real analysis of where to invest our tax dollars to obtain optimum societal results. They are just sticking their fingers in a leaky dam, IMHO.

[bler144]

Should be noted that at least some of the price hike at UO/OSU is only sticker price, not net price. Both schools are using much more aggressive discounting (high-tuition/high-aid) schemes than they were 20 years ago.

If you're in a group that benefits either from merit aid or need-based aid the cost can in many cases be even less than it would have been a decade ago.

That said, if you're someone paying full sticker price (someone has to pay the bills, after all), then sure, the shift in strategy is probably not to your benefit.

[Nell Plotts]

Like Stanford or Harvard.. tuition is negotiable. If your parents are wealthy, unless you are a national merit scholar with some science awards on your mantle,.. pay full price.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Like Stanford or Harvard.. tuition is negotiable. If your parents are wealthy, unless you are a national merit scholar with some science awards on your mantle,.. pay full price.

Heck, I have a buddy who comes from a middle class family that got himself a free ride at MIT for his Masters Degree, but then again the guy is also smart and worked hard for that....and also was born and raised in Portland going to Portland Public Schools. So the moral of the story is to work hard at an education and one can be rewarded with free or cheap college.

[PacNWMama]

"Oregon has always been an arts first, science...."what? who cares?" kind of place. There is very little structure or accountability for what a student actually learns."

Wow..nothing could be further from the truth about "arts first"! Show me evidence of that! Probably true about science but I have friends with kids in different public schools around Portland and there is little to no art. My son just graduated from PPS and the last time he had any real art instruction or opportunity was in private Kindergarten. And he went to a "9-score school on Great Schools" website.) Some schools pride themselves on having an "art program"..but this usually consists of six weeks, once a week, for an hour. Lack of art and physical education is a huge part of the problem. Also, very short lunches and recess make for a long, stressful day. It's not just about academics. It's the entire experience of how the day is laid out. Also, my son had tons of homework and tests. He was a stressed out kid for most of those years. I'm glad he's out but I wish I could have offered him a better experience.