Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: Charter Schools; First in a Series - What They Are

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: Charter Schools; First in a Series - What They Are:

Charter Schools; First in a Series - What They Are

by Melissa Westbrook

I plan to cover:

• what they are
• history
• the landscape today
• pros and cons

I do not intend for each piece to be exhaustedly comprehensive - I'm trying to give the broad picture of the issue. If you have additional info or links, please add them in the comments section. If I got something wrong, let me know via e-mail and I will check it and correct it if necessary.

Charters - What They Are

Charter schools are K-12 schools that are public schools receiving state education dollars (although they can, like regular public schools, accept private donations). The difference between regular and charter schools is that charters are do not have to follow all rules and regulations that apply to regular public schools. In exchange

Aww, gee shucks, we're influential

by Charlie Mas

The current issue of Seattle Magazine has an article on Seattle's Most Influential People of 2011, and, well, we made the list.


Here's the blurb:

MELISSA WESTBROOK AND CHARLIE MAS / bloggers, Save Seattle Schools Community blog

Tenacious, persistent and prescient: The bloggers behind one of Seattle’s feistiest public-interest websites (saveseattleschools.blogspot.com) have been called that, and more. Long before anyone was talking about a financial scandal in Seattle’s public schools, Melissa Westbrook and Charlie Mas were digging into public records, asking tough questions and firing off blog entries to keep the public informed. Many credit them with uncovering serious problems that ultimately led to superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson’s firing in March, but that’s not the duo’s proudest achievement. “What I see as our biggest success is that we have become a source used by parents, staff and