The Metropolitan Learning Center (MLC) is an alternative public school serving Kâ€"12 students in Portland, Oregon, United States.
History
Couch School
In 1913 Portland voters were asked to consider a school budget that included new construction to modernize Portland schools. The dilapidated "Couch School", an 1883 structure that had recently closed to contain an outbreak of smallpox, would be torn down, and a new Couch School would be built in 1914 at a cost of $177,000.
The architect for the new school was Floyd Naramore, newly employed as architect and superintendent for Portland Public Schools. Naramore was responsible for many Portland school designs including Benson Polytechnic High School and Shattuck School. Reflecting modern standards of the day, Tudor Revival was chosen as the style for Couch School.
Both the 1883 school and the 1914 school were named for Captain John Heard Couch, an early settler whose land became known as the Couch Addition when Northwest Portland was platted.
Metropolitan Learning Center
In 1968, Amasa Gilman convinced Portland Public Schools to begin an experimental study environment at Couch School designated the Metropolitan Learning Center. Starting with 150 students from Couch School and other sites, the center encouraged students to create their own instructional environment. The center worked with Portland State College, later Portland State University, and Reed College to offer student teachers a central role in classroom instruction. According to Gilman, the plan resulted in fewer discipline problems and higher attendance than at the conventional Couch School. Eventually, the distinction between the conventional Couch School and the experimental learning center it was hosting was dropped, and the entire school came to be known as the Metropolitan Learning Center.
Student profile
In 2016, 91% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 35 students, 33 graduated and 2 dropped out. The student population during the same year was 79.9% White, 9.1% Hispanic, 2.1% Asian, 1.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, and 7% mixed race. As of 2017, less than five percent of MLC students are learning English as a second language.
Academics
According to MLC's 2017â€"2018 school profile, the school began "as a challenge to the notion that educational rewards must be extrinsic and maintains the belief that personal relationships between staff and students are paramount." Accordingly, MLC does not issue letter grades, instead using a four category rating system ("Exceeds", "Proficient", "Developing", or "Does Not Meet") to evaluate students. Each category is assigned a grade point average range to show how the ratings can be translated onto a 4.0 scale.
Notable alumni
- Max Records, actor
- Rebecca Skloot, science writer and author
- Courtney Love, singer and actress
- Tanya Barfield, playwright
See also
- Collegiate Gothic
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Northwest Portland, Oregon
- Northwest District Explosion
References
External links
- Metropolitan Learning Center
- Couch Addition Map
