District Vision
“All learners will be fully prepared and succeed in a diverse and ever-changing world.”
District Mission
The Portland Public Schools are responsible for ensuring a challenging, relevant, and joyful education that empowers every learner to make a difference in the world. We build relationships among families, educators, and the community to promote the healthy development and academic achievement of every learner.
Multilingual Learners (MLs) are a richly heterogeneous group bringing a wide variety of life situations and a wide range of educational experiences. The paths they take to acquire a new language and to adjust to their new cultural environment are varied and in keeping with their unique strengths, needs and experiences. Within the safe and welcoming school environment, administrators and teachers are given rare opportunities to tap the rich resource of knowledge and perspectives that MLs bring to school, and which, in turn, enrich the learning of all students in our classrooms. The role of the school and teachers is critical in supporting students’ identity development as learners, and in helping students shape a vision of the future in which they will take their place in a global economy. The Portland Public School system is committed to providing appropriate placement, along with curricular, instructional and related services to ensure that all students who are identified as English Learners are held to high expectations and are given the opportunity to participate fully and effectively in the schools’ educational programs.
To accomplish this, the Portland Public Schools’ Lau Plan details the legally-compliant procedural requirements and services provided to MLs, from Pre Kindergarten through 12th grade, including identification, assessment, placement and exit from English Language Development (ELD) programming, and pre-referral procedures to ensure appropriate identification of MLs requiring Special Education and Gifted & Talented services. The overall goal is to ensure equitable access to grade-level instruction that is meaningful, rigorous and engaging given the support needed for academic success. The education of students who are English Learners is the collective responsibility of all educators.
