FAQ

How is a charter school different from a traditional public school?
A charter school is a public school that operates independently from its local school district and is still accountable for student achievement and operational performance. A charter school is funded on a per student basis from state and local education tax funds and is bound by a legal contract (charter) with its sponsoring district. However, it is exempt from many forms of state education regulation and is governed as an independent non-profit, with its own board of directors.

The Portland Village School is sponsored by the Portland Public School District. Our charter school proposal was approved by the PPS Board of Education.

Q
What are Waldorf methods and how are they different?
Educational approaches incorporating Waldorf methods are designed with a deep understanding of child development. The method is partly based on the question: what is the best thing to teach a child at each age, what interests and inspires them at each stage of development? Rather than the question: how early can a child be taught each subject? 

Our educational approach is also multidisciplinary, centered on a 3-4 week subject unit called the Main Lesson Block. At Portland Village School, academic studies are integrated across disciplines such as art, science, math, and history. For example, students in a seventh grade main lesson history block on the Renaissance Period might be studying the lives and times of da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rafael, while at the same time creating their own "text books," complete with their own writings (in calligraphy) and drawings. Earlier in the day they might practice 3 part recorder music and recite poetry from the Renaissance, and later the same day, study the laws of perspective in Math class. The next day they would apply those laws in their own drawings and paintings.

Q
Do Waldorf methods support early reading skills?
Waldorf curriculum has a strong bent toward early-learning language skills including story-telling and oral traditions. This exposure, when integrated in lessons, serves to awaken the imagination and create a strong curiosity for successful introduction of reading and writing, in addition to introducing phonemic awareness through listening.

Q
What kind of child benefits from a Waldorf methods school?
Many different types of children benefit from Waldorf methods. Because the lessons involve multiple intelligences (movement, language, drawing) children can enter into learning in several ways. That said, Waldorf methods involves a structured approach that is centered around whole group instruction, rather than individualized work or programs where children rotate around lesson centers. However, because the teaching style and curriculum is centered around a child's developmental needs, children tend to be actively engaged in their individual learning in the group setting. As one Waldorf methods teacher refers to it: "teacher directed, child centered."

One of the major strengths of this type of instruction is the sense of community and cooperation that develops within the class--an open community that invites children in.

Q
Is Waldorf methods education ethnically diverse?
Historically, Waldorf education in the United States has been available only through private schools that have a predominantly middle or upper class, primarily white student body. Though many of these private schools have made an admirable commitment to economic and ethnic diversity by offering scholarships, the largest change in access to Waldorf education in the last decade has been its growing presence in public schools. Approximately 50 public and charter schools across the country use Waldorf methods, and these have thrived in a wide range of communities. The best known example, the Urban Waldorf School of inner city Milwaukee, Wisconsin is over 90% African American. Waldorf methods charter schools from New York to California use the deep developmentally focused pedagogy to give children from broadly different backgrounds a solid academic grounding and a love of learning. Existing charter schools in Portland use a variety of strategies to maintain a healthy diversity, and we have designed our outreach program to achieve similar results. One of our goals is to continue to build a school staff which reflects the kind of diversity we would like to see in our student body, all of which would mirror with PPS district's overall population.

 

Q
Does your school provide support for different kinds of learners and how do you support single classrooms for both "advanced" and slower learners?
While the lessons are whole class, different children can engage at different levels of complexity and/or progress at different speeds. For instance, grades 1 & 2 teachers offer ways to extend the Main Lesson for children who are more advanced to aid in their exploration beyond others in the group. For those needing extra support, individualized attention is offered by their teachers. In addition, parent volunteers assist the teacher with various reading groups.

Q
How are you different than private Waldorf schools?
Portland Village School takes inspiration from private Waldorf schools, but our principal model in designing the curriculum and classroom environment are the dozens of public Waldorf methods schools across the country. While the traditional private Waldorf curriculum serves as a framework, we have modified it to align with the Common Core State Standards for Oregon, as much as possible. We teach formal reading and writing earlier, and we are held to the same Oregon state testing regimen as all other public schools. We strive in the Portland Village School to ensure that these required annual tests do not intimidate or disrupt a child from their appropriate learning developmental cycle. Instead of instructing toward tests, our pedagogy puts great emphasis on ensuring that a child's learning and development holds primary influence on student performance.

It is important to understand that as a public school we cannot completely follow the strict, pure Waldorf educational philosophy as practiced at private Waldorf schools. The Portland Village School adapts a subset of the Waldorf educational philosophy, remaining as true to the ideals as practical within the public educational framework.

Q
What are the hours, programs, policies, and fees?
Our school is tuition free. We ask for fully tax deductible contribution of $195 per student for materials/activities. We also seek additional donations to the school throughout the year. For more on donating see the Support PVS page. We have a fee-based after care program through Vermont Hills Family Life Center (visit www.vhflc.org for more information).

The Portland Village School's calendar approximately follows the standard Portland Public Schools calendar.

Our class times are:

K-8th: M,T, Th, Fri 8:30am - 3:00pm
Wednesdays we release at 2:00pm in order to hold faculty meetings

Our educational programs include:

• World Language (Spanish)
• Music, both instrumental and voice
• Handwork, including knitting, sewing, and woodwork
• Movement for all grades

Other policies include:

• Dress code limiting logo-based and commercially explicit clothing exhibiting images of media characters or product commercial branding.
• Limited media access in school. Computers and television are not used in early grades; we provide educational information on beneficial effects of limiting screen time and encourage parents to limit their use at home to non-school days only.
• We are a junk food free campus.

 

Q
Is transportation provided; how will I get there?
We are close to public transportation. PVS does not have a bus service for students.