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Outside, the yard is tended by a corps of teenagers while their aging golden retriever Elmo greets visitors.
Inside, the over-stuffed couches, bay windows, and lace curtains invite you into the laughter and conversation. You sense a home where people like each other—where
the art over the huge mantle is charged with emotion, and the framed faces on bookshelves are exuberant and wearing graduation caps.
The area rugs scattered over polished oak floors are curled from years of wear and tear. You want to step on the edges. Don't bother because at least 100 pairs of shoes will scramble over them throughout the day with an even more relentless desire: To succeed in high school.
"We've been meaning to fix those," laughs Carole Smith, school director as well as student leader and friend.
But Smith and her staff are too busy fixing more important things.
The Open Meadow Learning Center is a private alternative high school tucked in a north Portland neighborhood. It's about as far as you can go before falling into the Willamette River. Students land there in an academic safety net after going about as far as they can go before dropping out of school—or society. Students like Angel, Mary, Veronica, Josh, Joel, and Nick had given up on high school (or high school had given up on them). As OMLC juniors and seniors, they now love talking about their future. Angel wants to be a pediatrician. Joel looks forward to his internship with the City of Portland. Mary's hoping for an interview with the Oregon Primate Center, and Josh has turned his energy from drugs and theft to championship boxing. Veronica wants to be a trauma nurse. Nick, who helped plant 2,400 seedlings, hopes to showcase the school's successful CRUE (Corps Restoring the Urban Environment) program at a national convention in New Orleans. Words like love and respect and no b.s. are sprinkled throughout their conversations about staff and each other. Despite their "at risk" label, to an outsider they act more like young college students. "I've heard these students speak in public and there's never a dry eye," says Jim Cruckshank, OMLC Board president and corporate controller for Schnitzer Steel. OMLC focuses on assessment, academic skill development, life skills development, pre-employment training, peer-advocate groups, group counseling, individual and family support, and transitions to work or college.
Relationship-based learning While the school's existence may be little known, there's no secret to its success. In a word: relationships. Creating strong, positive relationships with caring adults has been OMLC's mantra since it began in 1971as part of the teen drop-in "coffee house" days in downtown Portland. "We're distinct from many alternative schools because Open Meadow is relationship-based, not packet-based," explains Smith, executive director since 1982. "It's not a place where kids can power through to make up credits or do packets at home. Coming to school is part of our culture." The center's Advocate Groups are key to building strong relationships. OMLC teachers have two roles—as educators and as advocates for their students. Besides teaching classes, the "teacher/ advocate" works daily with groups of 10 to 12 students. They share problems, confidences, and feelings. Teacher-advocates will go to bat for their kids, and have been known to argue on their behalf at faculty meetings. They also work with parents and other organizations in the students' lives, such as counselors and probation officers. "In many cases, we provide the first positive relationship they've had with an outside adult," says Holly Anderson, a teacher-advocate. "It is also a very powerful force, more than even I imagined." Anderson had just learned that some of her students were having trouble making the transition to their new advocate, since Anderson will be leaving to start OMLC's new middle school. "I was surprised that some aren't able to make the transition —it shows how profound primary relationships are to these kids." Eighty percent attendance required Getting students to attend school is among Open Meadow's biggest challenges since many students were classified as "non-attenders" in public school. Ironically, OMLC's average daily attendance rate is 86 percent. The school's small size and low profile help keep OMLC close-knit, Smith says. With the lack of ano nymity, students who miss school are missed. Staff quickly follow up with the missing-in-action. An 80 percent attendance rate is required to pass classes. If students don't keep their attendance up, hundreds are lined up to take their place. Last year, OMLC admitted 87 of 650 who applied. Students earn admittance through a screening process in which they convince staff they will knuckle under and try hard. At the end of their 30-day probation period, they face the entire staff again to discuss their progress. The school is often the first structured experience for many kids "A lot of our students raised themselves, so they struggle with the rules," Anderson says. "But we love them and they know it. As they begin to learn respect for us and for themselves, they can address the issues that blocked their success in school. High-risk youth need consistency from someone they trust." Angel is a good example of that struggle. "I tried three times to get in, but I was just too busy being into myself," she says. "I was stubborn and angry." Angel was failing and had been expelled from public high school, then turned her "in-your-face" anger at Open Meadow. Today her attendance is near perfect and she leads school events. So what happened? Angel thinks about the question, nervously twirling her blond hair. "I think the reason is love." Like other students, Angel had given up on learning. Part of her defiance was to protect herself from failure. She came to Open Meadow unable to spell even the simplest words. She hid behind her computer, avoiding staff. She wouldn't even look at her own test results. She thought she was stu pid. She was ashamed, but didn't want anyone to know. "They pay attention to you as a person, and they don't let you get away with anything," she says. "I finally learned that I could learn. I can do more, read more. I never had a guilty conscience before, but now I have one whenever I even think about skipping school."
A safe place "OMLC creates a safe environment for students like Angel," says Smith, noting that Angel now has beautiful writing skills and is one of the school's strongest leaders. "Once she knew she could learn she was engaged in the process." Mary, stopping by to visit between classes, agrees. "Everybody cares here," she says, "You don't get brushed aside and have to deal with stuff alone. I kept saying I was quitting, well that was a year ago." Josh had taken a wrong turn in life, stealing cars and landing in a drug rehab center. "I took a look around and didn't want to be there," he said. "I needed to get back to business. I was outta there quicker than anyone, four months." At OMLC he caught up with school, started boxing, and has become a leader on the school's Student Review Board. The board influences decisions, including hiring new teachers. "I feel important because we have a say here," Josh says. What keeps him from slipping back? "I have a memory. And you're lucky only so long," he says. "I'd eventually end up in jail, so why start again? I think about having a family, a boat, you know, the normal things."
CRUE:
Joel, dressed in a crisp white shirt, bounds down the steps with a fist full of ties. He's dressing on his way to "one of those over the shoulder deals" with the City of Portland environmental bureau. "I'm helping them set up a database," says the clean-cut boy in wire rim glasses. He and classmate Nick are part of CRUE, OMLC's environmental work experience project with the Wetlands Conservancy. Last year they completed 42 service projects in the metro area. They were among the heroes who labored through the night to control damage during the Portland floods in 1996. And they point with pride to the nature work they do. "We planted 2,400 trees—that's a good feeling," Joel says. For Nick, CRUE made science come alive. His excitement for the environment comes through. "We've been working on the slough, restoring wetlands and water quality," he says. "Employers look for work experience, and I'm learning all kinds of stuff, like bioengineering and math." Teacher Andrew Mason sees the healing aspect of CRUE. "These kids have taken a beating on their own internal landscape," he says, "If they can clean up the world around them, it helps restore them. We work side by side, and when the opportunity comes up, I teach. When they make this sudden connection between learning and work, the questions pour out." Another student says it best: "I really like doing things for the community because I want to make up for the damage that I did to it before, and it makes me feel good about myself when I go home."
Classes in cubbyholes, bedrooms
Classrooms are small, perfectly sized to fit into the mansion's bedrooms, lofts, and dens. Class sizes average 12 students. OMLC is a fully accredited high school, on track with Oregon's Educational Act for the 21st Century. "It's exciting to know that what we've been doing all along is now considered mainstream," Smith says, noting their emphasis on applied learning. Classroom subjects include writing, journalism, English, literature, history, global studies, and government. Guests, such as actor/playwright William Harper from the Portland Repertory Theater, give special classes. Harper led a nine-week course culminating in professional actors performing the works of two student playwrights. And at graduation, every student gives the valedictorian speech. Outsiders credit staff "Open Meadow is the perfect example why Oregon doesn't need a charter school law," says Leon Fuhrman, Oregon Department of Education alternative education specialist. "It's the oldest program I know of and Carole (Smith) has always been able to attract staff who really care about kids. Itthe diversity of programs we offer that students, all with differing needs, can reach the new high standards. Why invent something new? We already have it." A department survey revealed that 80 percent of students in alternative education programs stay in school, Fuhrman notes. "I can't wait to see how they do with the CIM and CAM; I have a hunch they'll create a little jealousy." The CIM (Certificate of Initial Mastery) and CAM (Certificate of Advanced Mastery) are part of Oregon's Educational Act for the 21st Century. Students reach these milestones after demonstrating levels of knowledge and skills that indicate an ability to succeed in life—regardless of their chosen path—after high school. Jim Cruckshank, OMLC chairman, also credits Smith and her staff. "The staff is amazingly dedicated, which is what it's all about. They have created an environment in which kids want to learn." Multnomah County, which also contracts students at OMLC, sees commitment and rigorous standards as the school's strength. "They have outstanding leadership," says Bob Lewicki, alternative education program coordinator. "Carole is way modest. A lot of people have come and gone in those 20 years, but you can bank on their dedication." Smith's love of working with teenagers shows. She knows them all by name, and casually exchanges informed greetings with them. Her office takes up the mansion's parlor. There are no doors. When asked questions about the academic approach or research used in dealing with at-risk youth, her answers are simple. "We build assets in kids," she says, listing things like integrity, caring, decisionmaking, and resistance skills. "They need them to succeed." With a big smile Smith adds, "I like what we do. We are continually touched and awed by our kids. It's a genuine respect." Shannon Priem is an education writer from Salem. She also works as the public information specialist for the Oregon School Boards Association.
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This document's URL is: Home | Up & Coming | Programs & Projects: Northwest Education | People | Products & Publications | Topics © 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
Date of Last Update: 9/28/01 
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he 1910 landmark perched on a bluff over the Willamette River houses one of Portland's best-kept secrets.
