Rob Kremer tackles the cultural competency bill in the legislature and the letters to the Oregonian. I looked up PSU's mission statement for their graduate teacher education. Here it is:
Guiding Principles:
1. We create and sustain educational environments that serve all students and address diverse needs.
2. We encourage and model exemplary programs and practices across the life span.
3. We build our programs on the human and cultural richness of the University's urban setting.
4. We develop collaborative efforts that foster our mission.
5. We challenge assumptions about our practice and accept the risks inherent in following our convictions.
6. We develop our programs to promote social justice, especially for groups that have been historically disenfranchised.
7. We strive to understand the relationships among culture, curriculum, and practice and the long-term implications for ecological sustainability.
8. We model thoughtful inquiry as a basis for sound decision-making.
I would ask PSU to put some value into being guided by and pursuing scientific research. By making the above their guiding principles, they appear to be subordinating the proper role of the university to a secondary social agenda.
About Me
- Richard Meinhard
- I came up through the elementary and middle school teaching ranks in Iowa and California to land in degree programs at the U of California and U of I. My Ph.D. is in developmental psychology and cognitive systems theory. After teaching at the U of Portland in math and teacher ed, I began my own organization to bring research into the public schools. I also have worked for policy changes such as chartering that would open opportunities for change oriented educators.
