Lars Larson: Tutoring showed results on a budget

By Lars Larson
NW and national radio host,

The Northwest Nonsense

The board that directs Portland Public schools decided unanimously to blow 60 million bucks to buy and renovate a building for “black student excellence” instead of simply teaching black students how to read, write and do math.

Think of it as a participation trophy.

I’m amazed that Portland’s black parents and educators are NOT apoplectic but by all accounts, they’re not.

Then consider what they could have done with far less money and actual teaching.

A decade ago, Mississippi ranked almost last in America in K-12 education.

The state has almost the same number of students as Oregon and it has a much larger population of poor families and minority kids.

In 2014 Mississippi began a statewide tutoring program and refused to let 3 graders go on to 4th unless they could do the work.

The program only costs 12 million bucks a year, which would be a rounding error in the PPS budget

Today, Mississippi 4th graders have risen from dead last to 2nd in America in Math and 3rd in reading.

Oregon 4th graders today, 50th in America in reading. 49th in math.

But in Portland, in about 3 years, they’ll have a shiny new building that declares “black student excellence”…even if the black kids still can’t read or write.

That’s the Rose City Rap. Join me at noon on KXL for 4 hours of Honestly provocative talk. I’m Lars Larson