Sunday, May 26, 2013

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Privacy Issues and Your Child's Future

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Privacy Issues and Your Child's Future:

Privacy Issues and Your Child's Future

I have a two-fold purpose to this thread.

One is to continue to provide food for thought about what your child's generation faces in terms of privacy.

Yes, I know, just as many say "advertising is all around them so who cares if it's in their test materials", I'm sure there are those of you who will shrug.  Whether we like it, think it's just the wave of the future or what, the fact is that things are going to be different for our children.

Two is to ask for help in trying to gather and organize information on privacy issues around testing.  This is needs to have an alarm sounded and loudly.  That I don't hear it coming from the PTA is even more troubling.  (And actually the national PTA loudly supports Common Core which is where the problem comes from.)

What's interesting is that state PTAs are sounding the alarm (I'll have to see if I can find out what Washington 

Seattle Schools This Week

Tuesday, May 28th
Charter Commission meeting from 10 am to 5 pm at TAF Academy in Federal Way.  Agenda.   Updates on finances, the Ex Director search, bylaws, etc.  Public comment is at 11:24 am and you can sign up at the meeting. 

Wednesday, May 29th
Curriculum& Instruction Policy Committee of the Whole Meeting: Growth Boundaries from 4-6 p.m. The agendais quite terse/vague so I'm not sure what they are really aiming for here.
This should be interesting as all the directors should be there and what they have to say about C&I vis a vis boundaries.

Work Session: General Contractor/Construction Manager from 6-6:45 pm.
A head scratcher, this one.  A work session to discuss a construction hire?  The agenda says nothing and has no presentation attached.

Thursday, May 30th
Operations Committee Meeting from 4-6 p.m., no agenda yet available.

Saturday, June 1
Board retreat from 10 am to 5 pm at City University, 521 Wall Street.  No agenda yet available.
I'm hoping this is the last Board retreat to be overseen by the Alliance for Education. 

Teach for America - Still Lots of Questions (and now, Pushback)

1) So how is TFA doing in our region?  From what I can see, not so great.  There are about 17 TFA teachers in the region.  Now as you may recall, a UW Vice-Provost, Dave Szatmary, had closely questioned the dean of the College of Education, Tom Stritikus, about the costs to UW.

Szatmary: What assurances does UW have that the enrollments in TFA will increase to 50 in year 2?  How long would we be willing to run the program at a loss if the increased enrollments do not occur?

Stritikus: This is TFA's growth plan,  They have hit their growth plans in virtually every district nationally.  If I