My Monthly Column – October 2017

Our Promise to the Portland Community

By Xavier Botana

Earlier this month, the Portland Public Schools launched “The Portland Public Schools Promise” – our pledge to the community that our graduates will be prepared and empowered to succeed. The Portland Promise is our assurance to our students, their families and our stakeholders about what they can expect from their district.

Our district is the largest and most diverse in Maine. More than one third of our students come from homes where a primary language other than English is spoken. That means that in our classrooms, students learn side by side with students who have different worldviews and experiences. Together, they build new knowledge by challenging each other to think beyond their specific experiences and conditions.

Portland residents support their city’s public schools because they recognize that the vitality of their community is inextricably linked to quality schools.

Portland residents also recognize that our diversity is one of the greatest attributes of our school system. 

Another reason Portland residents support their public schools is because they believe – as our Founding Fathers such as James Madison did – that education and the preservation of our democracy are intertwined. 

The Portland Promise is the result of the work of the Portland Board of Public Education, Portland Public Schools faculty, staff and students and parents and partners – all working together to determine how to best fulfill our school district’s unique potential.

Through this initiative, we promise to prepare and empower our students for their future by working to realize the four goals established in our updated Comprehensive Plan – Achievement, Whole Student, Equity, and People.

I’ve discussed these goals here previously, but here’s a brief summary and our five-year targets for these goals:

·      Achievement: Every student will have the knowledge and skills needed to succeed at the next level and be empowered with a plan for what to do with that knowledge. Five-year target: 92 percent of our students will graduate college and career ready.

·      Whole Student: We do more than teach academics.  We are responsible for exposing students to a well-rounded education that connects them to their diverse talents and helps them develop the skills, habits and mindset for success in life. Our five-year target: 95 percent of our students will feel valued and connected to a caring adult at our school.

·      Equity: Our data shows that our financially advantaged students compete favorably with students from other school districts. Research suggests that, in fact, they’re better off because they learn in the diverse environment that is the Portland Public Schools. However, our data also shows that our financially disadvantaged students do not have the same outcomes. We are not alone in this challenge.  A recent report by the ACLU of Maine found that Maine students who are immigrants and members of minority groups experience harassment and discrimination in schools throughout the state. While Portland is a leader in providing safe and inclusive learning environments, there still is significant work to be done. As a district – as a community – we cannot allow factors such as zip codes, family income or education level, race or native language to define our outcomes. Our five-year target: a 50 percent reduction in academic achievement and opportunity gaps.

·      People: Without the most talented and diverse staff working as one to achieve the other three goals, we won’t be able to achieve them. We are committing to providing a work environment where our staff members have the skills and support that they need to realize expectations. Our five-year target: 95 percent of staff members are satisfied and engaged in the work that they do.

Our Portland Promise campaign is now underway. We’ll be communicating its message to the community through such means as posters on buses, banners on city streets, and announcements on the district’s website and in the community.

The campaign will showcase a number of our successful graduates who are doing amazing things in our community. Their experiences make it clear that the Portland Public Schools is a great choice for families and deserving of community support.

You can read about our graduates and learn more about the Portland Promise on our new webpage: http://www.portlandschoolspromise.org

My Monthly Column – September 2017

Portland Public Schools Supports Dreams of All Students

By Xavier Botana

It’s a new school year and our classrooms at the Portland Public Schools – Maine’s largest and most diverse school district – are filled with “dreamers.” I consider all our students to be dreamers because they all want to achieve the American Dream of getting a good education that prepares them for success in college and career. Our school district strives to encourage, nurture and support the future dreams of all our students, regardless of their immigration status.

Recent events – such as the racist-inspired violence in Charlottesville and the decision to end the federal “Dreamers” program that allows undocumented immigrants brought to this country as children to continue to live, work and study here – make this a good time to reaffirm the Portland Public Schools’ values.

At the Portland Public Schools, we recognize that our diversity is our greatest strength. For that reason, it is important for all of us to celebrate, respect, and honor our differences; promote practices that advance inclusion, and affirm our commitment to equity and social justice as part of the Portland Public Schools experience. We affirm that no one in our school community should fear for their safety because of their country of origin, race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion – or immigration status.

This past March, the Portland Board of Public Education passed a resolution underscoring that our district is a safe and welcoming community for all.

The board’s Resolution Affirming its Commitment to the Education of All Children & Making Portland Public Schools a Safe Haven for Students and Families stresses that our district is committed to following a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that no public school district can deny students an education based on their immigration status.

The resolution states: “The Board declares Portland Public Schools to be a safe haven for students and families threatened by immigration enforcement or discrimination, to the fullest extent permitted by law.”

This also is the time of year to recognize and celebrate the contributions, heritage and culture of Hispanic Americans, during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Hispanics and Latinos constitute the second largest racial or ethnic group in the U.S.

They also account for the vast majority of Dreamers – recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. That 2012 program has allowed nearly 800,000 people to live and work in the U.S. without fearing deportation. Now, Washington plans to stop renewing DACA work permits. The program ends in March unless Congress enacts a legislative solution.

Nearly 80 percent of Dreamers come from Mexico, a country right on our border. Those Dreamers included a young man who recently gave his life while trying to save fellow Texans from the floods caused by Hurricane Harvey. News reports say Alonso Guillén, 31, a radio station host, died when his rescue boat struck a bridge, throwing him into the floodwaters. Guillén had been in the U.S. since he was 15.

As Maine Sen. Susan Collins recently tweeted, Dreamers were brought to the U.S. as children and in many cases know only our country as home. Sen. Collins says Congress must act quickly to protect the Dreamers. I agree.

The Dreamers’ dilemma resonates with me because I was brought here as a child from Cuba. My family had to leave our homeland because of Castro. We were fortunate to enter the U.S. legally. However, as a 2-year-old, I had no say in the decision to become an immigrant, just like the Dreamers of today.

When my family came from Cuba, this country welcomed us with open arms. We've worked hard to repay that welcome. Dreamers also study and work hard. Their professions include being teachers and nurses, business owners and employees of Fortune 500 companies, and they also serve in our military. Dreamers are valuable and productive members of our society. Alonso Guillén serves as just one example of their contributions to this nation.

Our district’s policies, values and commitments require us to stand up against those who would intimidate and exclude, rather than nurture and include. This is what we believe; this is what we teach; this is what we defend.

My Monthly Column – August 2017

Welcoming Students, Families Back to School

By Xavier Botana

August is a time to savor the last weeks of summer. It’s also a time to for students – with help from their parents – to start getting ready for the new school year.

Those two statements aren’t contradictory. There are a few simple things that students and parents can do to help make the transition to school easier while still allowing time for summertime fun. They range from making sure students are registered before the first day of school to gradually switching to school sleep routines a week before school starts.

In Portland, the first day of school for students in grades 1-12 is Wednesday, Aug. 30. There is no school on Friday, Sept. 1, so everyone can enjoy a long Labor Day weekend. Then school resumes on Tuesday, Sept. 5, for all students, including pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. Sept. 5 is their first day.

To view the Portland Public Schools’ 2017-2018 calendar, go to our website, http://www.portlandschools.org, and click on “News & Calendars.”

If your child is new to the district and not yet registered for the new school year, please make an appointment at your neighborhood school to enroll your child. For more information, go to “School Enrollment” under the blue “Parents” box on our website.

Please don’t wait for the first day of school to register your child. It’s difficult for our schools to plan if they don’t know how many students they’ll have in the fall.

Also, many of our schools hold back-to-school barbeques, ice cream socials and other welcoming orientation events before the first day of school. You don’t want your child to miss out on those! Familiarizing students with their school and teachers beforehand helps quell first-day-of-school anxiety. Also, families are our valued partners when it comes to educating our students, so we look forward to meeting students’ families!

To find out about the events at your child’s school, go to that school’s website. You can link to school websites from the district website under the “Schools” tab.

I’d also like to remind parents of a new addition this year to the immunizations that Maine state law requires for students. Effective for the 2017-2018 school year, all Maine students entering seventh grade will need to receive one dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine before attendance is allowed. Pertussis (whooping cough) is a very contagious and potentially serious disease, so this new requirement will protect your child and others.

Also, families should be aware that this year’s ninth-graders will be the first to comply with a new state’s new proficiency-based high school graduation requirements. The Class of 2021 must demonstrate proficiency in language arts, math, science, and social studies.

This year, all high schools in Portland will align to common baseline expectations related to moving in the direction of a proficiency-based system. To facilitate that transition, we have decided that course grades and report cards won’t change. Instead, ninth-grade teachers will keep track of students’ mastery of graduation performance indicators in a system that parallels the traditional grade reporting.

I’ll be explaining this transition in more detail in an upcoming letter to parents. I want to stress here that we see great value in a proficiency-based learning model – which ultimately is about being clear about what our students need to know and be able to do in order to graduate from high school.

Finally, as the new school year begins, I want to remind parents how important it is that students attend school, starting from the first day. The start of school is a critical time when students and teachers get to know one another, build relationships and establish important classroom routines.

Students also need to continue attending throughout the rest of the year. According to Count ME In, the Maine affiliate of the national organization Attendance Works, “students who miss school frequently are less likely to read proficiently by third grade, more likely to fail in middle school and eventually drop out of high school. Missing school, even in kindergarten, has consequences.”

Schools, students, families and the Portland community: Let’s all work together to have a great start to the new school year!

My Monthly Column - July 2017

Education Is Key to the American Dream

By Xavier Botana

July marks my one-year anniversary as superintendent of the Portland Public Schools. As my family and I enjoyed the city’s fireworks display on the Fourth of July, I thought about how much I have come to love this community. Thank you to all who have made me feel welcome and supported here.

The celebration of America’s birthday also is a good time to remember the importance our founding fathers placed on education. Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to James Madison, “Above all things I hope the education of the common people will be attended to.”  Jefferson was convinced an educated public was necessary to preserve liberty.  

I had the opportunity to reflect on the importance of education in my own family’s life when I addressed Portland Adult Education (PAE) graduates receiving their high school diplomas in June. Many PAE graduates came here from other countries and overcame many obstacles to further their education.

My family also came to this country looking for safety and opportunity. Like the PAE graduates, we understood the importance of an education. My grandparents attended an adult education program, laboring to learn English so they could become American citizens. For us, education was the gateway to the American dream.

Now, I am proud to lead Maine’s largest and most diverse school district. We strive  to provide a quality education to all our students – whether they were born in this country or not. We want all our students to succeed in college and career so they can realize their own American dream.

I am grateful that the Portland community, which has supported and sustained a public education system for more than 270 years, has once again voiced its commitment to education for all in Portland through the overwhelming approval of our school budget. Clearly, the people of Portland reflect the timeless values of our founding fathers and our most recent immigrants.

As I look back over this past year, I’d like to highlight some achievements that will help guarantee our community has the great schools our students deserve.

One key achievement was updating our Comprehensive Plan, a road map aligning our district’s work with our mission and vision. Last fall, teachers, administrators, community partners and experts worked together to establish four goals – Achievement, Whole Student, Equity and People – that are designed to help us ensure that our students are prepared and empowered to achieve.  We also developed key strategies for meeting those goals and refined the ways to measure and report our progress toward them. The Portland Board of Public Education approved the plan in January.

We are already taking steps to realize the goals. One example is our Equity goal. Our district data shows we have a stark achievement gap between students who qualify for a free or reduced-cost school lunch (FRL students) and those who do not qualify. 

           

About 55 percent of our students are FRL students. We’re committed to achieving equity by helping those students. To do this, we are working to strengthen family partnerships and ensuring that all students have access to higher-level classes, such as advanced placement and our talented and gifted programs. We’re also reviewing current policies and practices to make sure we don’t have unintended barriers to equity.

Our People goal will help ensure the success of these strategies, by attracting and retaining the most talented and diverse staff possible.

As part of that goal, a joint Portland Public Schools-University of Southern Maine four-week summer program is now underway – designed to create a pipeline of diverse educators who more closely reflect the diversity of our students.

About 45 participants have enrolled and are experiencing teaching firsthand as interns in PPS classrooms this summer. They’re also earning college credits, tuition-free, by attending an introductory education course at USM.

Portland is an amazing and supportive community that believes in education. Partnerships with the Portland community and its world-class educational institutions are key to achieving our Comprehensive Plan goals.  This year has been a wonderful opportunity to meet and begin to work with all these partners. I look forward to many more years working to advance education for all here in Portland.