Portland Public Schools

Multilingual & Multicultural Center

The Multilingual and Multicultural Center oversees Portland Public Schools' English Language Acquisition Program for students whose home language is not English. To ensure equal access to educational opportunities for these students, the Center provides support services in the areas of classroom instruction, summer academic programs, staff development, curriculum and materials development, assessment, parent and community outreach, and advocacy.

Over the years, Portland's Multilingual community has grown exponentially and become increasingly more diverse. Currently, the district has over 1,800 students who come from homes where over 50 different languages are spoken. The students represent about 25% of Portland Public Schools' total enrollment; some 1,400 of them are identified as English Language Learners (view demographic data).

Come Rock Around-the-World!

Join us for an evening of dancing at a global rock and roll extravaganza. Learn dances from different cultures. Also, enjoy great hors d'euvres, a raffle, and a silent auction of multicultural goods and services. The auction will include gift certificates for hair braiding, international restaurants in Portland, and artifacts from around the world. Download event postcard (PDF format)

This event is the third annual fundraiser to benefit summer academic programs for multilingual students in Portland. The extravaganza will be held at the Italian Heritage Center, 40 Westland Avenue, Portland on Friday, March 7, 2008 from 7-11:00pm. Tickets are $25 in advance. Limited tickets for $30.00 will be available at the door. To order tickets, call the Multilingual and Multicultural Center at 874-8135.

If you can't come and dance with us because of another engagement, please consider getting a ticket or two. Remember this is a fundraiser. Thank you very much for your support.