Tactics to Improve Student Outcomes

The two most important actions we can take to improve student outcomes are attention and attendance. 

Attention

We have the opportunity to increase the attention our teachers give to students by working to have the smallest class size we can afford. The research is there. It shows our youngest students achieve higher literacy and math skills in classrooms with less than 15 students. 

Portland Public Schools’ “Make It Happen” program is an example of how small dedicated group work pays off. The “Make It Happen” program has increased school attendance, homework achievement and appropriate behavioral skills by encouraging high school and middle school multilingual students to connect with their classroom teachers. 

I would like all students to have the opportunity to experience this type of coaching. I believe that this intense attention would give 4th through 7th graders a solid footing to excel in our secondary schools. 

Attendance

The second item is attendance. Going to school every day seems obvious, right? But we have too high a proportion of our students who fail to attend school daily. There are a variety of reasons including economic pressure, complex family issues and the recent impact of COVID. 

We can’t encourage and support students who are not attending classes.  My personal experience has shown that a student’s potential is maximized through daily interaction with the classroom teacher. Looking at Portland test results for high schools, schools with better attendance have students who show better results on the state standardized tests.

One prospective answer is to get the message out to parents and caregivers that daily school attendance benefits the student. This message might work best with parents from other cultures or who’s children are chronically absent. For example, school representatives of the Bonny Eagle school district visit families of chronically absent students to see if a solution can be found. 

As to students who must work, we would do well to identify them and consider other solutions so they can graduate with their class. Again, the Bonny Eagle school district is extending high school to 5 years for some students. Perhaps PPS’ high school of the future will help address this need. 

I believe we can improve student outcomes by increasing the attention/interactions with our students. This encouragement should improve attendance. I hope that the entire Portland community appreciates the dedication and commitment our parents, teachers and students make every day.