Ramona Hattendorf Sets the Record Straight
A message from Ramona Hattendorf, Washington State PTA Government Relations Coordinator:
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There seems to be confusion about WSPTA’s position on charter public schools.
There has been no change in the WSPTA position on charters. The association has qualified support. Please note "qualified." On this blog and others individuals have been posting assumptions and outright fabrications about what I personally am doing and supporting and actions that WSPTA is taking.
I know you value clarity, and while you like to inspire debate it is not your intention to spread misinformation.
To clarify various posts on your blog:
Nationally, PTA has a qualified position in favor of charter public schools:http://www.pta.org/topic_posititon_statement_support-for_public_education.asp
This means that while the association is not anti-charter, neither does it embrace all charters or all charter
This and That
The Times is reporting that Hamilton's 6th grade field trip to see The Hunger Games has been canceled. I'm not really surprised - I think an adult should see the film before a decision is made to show it to students. (And if you want a version of it, check out the Japanese film, Battle Royale, with the same theme of kids being forced to kill each other to stay alive.)
I am getting a press pass to go and hear Diane Ravitch tomorrow morning at the National Association of Elementary School Principals convention being held this week at the Convention Center. I have never heard her speak and I am looking forward to it. I also hope to speak to some principals from other states about their challenges and successes. The Association includes elementary and middle school principals. They are also sponsoring a day of service today for Hawthorne Elementary School in support of their new playground. (I attended an event at Hawthorne this week and there are a couple of threads to come out of that.)
The Snow Days waiver to OSPI has been added to tonight's School Board agenda as an Intro item. This had
I am getting a press pass to go and hear Diane Ravitch tomorrow morning at the National Association of Elementary School Principals convention being held this week at the Convention Center. I have never heard her speak and I am looking forward to it. I also hope to speak to some principals from other states about their challenges and successes. The Association includes elementary and middle school principals. They are also sponsoring a day of service today for Hawthorne Elementary School in support of their new playground. (I attended an event at Hawthorne this week and there are a couple of threads to come out of that.)
The Snow Days waiver to OSPI has been added to tonight's School Board agenda as an Intro item. This had
Board Community Engagement Failure
For all of their fancy talk about community engagement, the School Board has the worst community engagement of any department in the District.
Imagine a principal who conducted community engagement by holding two sessions a month, during which no more than 19 people could speak to the principal for no more than two minutes each. The principal would not respond to anything said, not at the session and not afterwards by phone, mail, email, or in person. People could, of course, send the principal email, but the principal wouldn't reply in 90% of the cases. Nor would the principal reply to 90% of voice mail messages. That's it. That's the entire community engagement effort from the principal. Would that be acceptable to anyone?
Could a program manager conduct community engagement like that? Of course not. Could the superintendent? One of them tried and was constantly hounded by the Board to expand and improve her community engagement.