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Jackson County schools get positive test results From staff and wire reports A national education group has cited 96 Oregon schools - including nine in the Jackson County area - that have good state test scores, challenging the idea that students from some backgrounds are naturally poor learners. Many Oregon schools on the list are in rural areas or in small towns, or in urban areas with a high percentage of racial minorities. A study by the nonprofit Education Trust identified more than 4,500 high-achieving schools nationally with high numbers of minority students or those from low-income backgrounds. In Jackson County, the elementary schools that made the grade are: Butte Falls, Elk Trail, Evans Valley, Howard, Orchard Hill, Rogue River, Roosevelt, Sams Valley and Washington. The survey challenges the idea that poor or minority children are slow learners and that the achievement gap can't be closed, said Jeanne Brennan, a spokeswoman for the trust. "One question we have been asked is, 'Are you surprised by the numbers?' The answer is no, but a lot of people are," Brennan said. "There is a pervasive myth out there that certain kids can't learn." The Education Trust combed results of schools ranking in the top third in their states for minority enrollment or poverty levels. At least half the students had to come from low-income households or be black or Latino. Ric LaTour, an Oregon Department of Education official who works with high-poverty schools, said the top performers have strong leaders. They have monitoring of student progress, with quick adjustments in instruction when weaknesses show up and easily available extra help for struggling students. "There are some schools where teachers believe they are doing students a favor by not holding them to high standards," LaTour said. "These schools don't do that." On the Net: www.edtrust.org/main/index.asp Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.