Seattle Schools Community Forum:
Seattle Schools Community Forum
Friday Open Thread
For the artists in your house, two guys, feet, a rake and some unusual mediums to work in. A thing of beauty is not always a joy forever.Saturday Community meeting - Director Sue Peters' first one at Queen Anne library from 11 am to 12:30 pm.What's on your mind?
JAN 30
High School Students - Input Wanted on Next Police Chief
Got a politically-minded high schooler with some time on his/her hands? From Publicola:Two of the most important members, in our opinion, of Mayor Ed Murray's police chief-search Community Advisory Committee, Franklin High School's Isaiah Bridges and Garfield High School's Jabari Cook—a pair of African American South End high school students in a city where the SPD has a strained relationship with
Washington State Charter Commission Meeting - Part Three
Trying to keep up; details to come. Also to note; the Times has not had one piece of news on this. Again, quite strange.Seventh application - First Place - an existing K-5 school for students with trauma, approved 8-0.Eighth application - Green Dot - approved 7-0 with one abstaining voteNinth application - King County Academy - denied 8-0Tenth application - Out of the Box - denied 8-0 Eleventh ap
Rave and Rant for Classroom Issues
Hearing from parents about classroom issues like homework. Below are two comments (off-topic in Math Adoption thread) and we have heard enough of these to warrant their own thread.Rant and rave away - please DO state things you like in your child's classroom as well as any concerns/unhappiness. Karen said...I'm a parent of a 1st and 3rd grader. I want my kids to know math facts inside and out. Cr
WA State Charter Commission Mtg - Part Two
First application - CAL Elementary - is denied, 8-0. Commissioners cited the evaluators' "deny" and noted not financially ready with little community support/input.Second application - Cedar River - is denied, 8-0. Third application - Coral Academy of Science - the probable Gulen-based charter - is denied, 8-0.Cyndi Willams, Commissioner said it was a good application but not wide-rangi
Live Blogging from Charter Commission Meeting
Starting out a bit disorganized with several people lost. But meeting appears to be starting on-time.Eight members of the CC are present (Doreen Cato has a health issue and is not going to be here - what that might mean for any given charter is unknown).President Steve Sundquist says law makes this process "complicated." If denial, must have reasons. If approved, attach any "con
JAN 29
Ballard High Teachers Say Yes to Later Start
From one Ballard teacher (via Facebook):Educators at Ballard HS voted today on a motion regarding moving the High School start times to a later time (switching with elementary). The vote was UNANIMOUS in support of the motion. The research, by the way, is also unanimous. Students learn better later in the morning.
Seattle Schools Math Adoption - What is Going On?
Update:First, here's a link to School Board policy (see top of chart "Selection and Adoption of Instructional Materials"). To review, here's what we reported (via reader Rick B) in early January:The top three programs are to be selected as finalists by Friday the 10th. Additional copies of these finalist programs will be ordered from publishers and distributed to ~5 locations around the
I Asked - Do You? (about guns at home)
From Washington Ceasefire:Asking Saves Kids (ASK) - Washington is a public safety education campaign aimed at encouraging inquiry by parents and neighbors about guns in homes where their children play. Our goal is to persuade parents that this conversation—to ensure that their kids play in a gun safe environment—is an essential parental responsibility.Despite the very real dangers of guns in proxi
Seattle Schools Updates Fieldtrip Volunteer Policy
(Editor's note - the district is making a distinct difference here between oversight chaperones and day fieldtrip volunteers - I believe that may be what "A" and "B" volunteer categories are but I have a call into SPS about that.) From SPS Communications:To ensure the safety of our students and volunteers, Seattle Public Schools has updated our Volunteer Administrative Procedur
Kid President Gives Us All a Pep Talk
This kid is great - listen up students (and everybody's a teacher). Get your learn on!
JAN 28
Seattle Times - A Confusing Place for Ed Information
Update:First, still nothing about the charter applicants and the upcoming Charter Commission meeting. Still odd.Second, there was an article this morning. about public school funding throughout the country that may give some insight into why our state legislature drags its feet on fully-funding education. To whit:nearly all states doubled or tripled the amount of money spent on public schools f
Bingo (or Drinking Game Alert) for SOTUA
I used to have bingo sheets for School Board meetings (particularly when we had an ed reform superintendent that had every ed reform phrase in the arsenal). It helped pass the time.So in honor of tonight's State of the Union Address, here's a mock-up for your own "education" bingo sheet for the President's speech.Possible words/phrase the President might use:- choice- college and career
Data Privacy Day
From Stay Safe Online:Data Privacy Day is an international effort to empower and educate people to protect their privacy and control their digital footprint.Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe. Data Protection Day commemorates the January 28, 1981, signing of Convention 108, the first legally bindi
Gun Violence at Schools and Campuses; It Needs to Stop
As you may be aware, there are two competing initiatives going to the Legislature (and, in fact, going before a committee tomorrow). One is SI 591 - Protect our gun rights and the other is SI 594 gun sales background check. Both are about background checks - one for and one against. You might want to consider contacting your own legislator on this issue. Look, do I think background checks for
Tuesday Open Thread
Coming up on Thursday is the one-year anniversary of the MAP test boycott. It's also the day that SEE (Social Equality Educators) are introducing their "Respect' slate of candidates to challenge the current SEA leadership. They are having a forum on Thursday at Garfield Community Center. Lead by Jesse Hagopian, a Garfield teacher who was named "Secondary School Teacher of the Year&qu
JAN 27
Washington State Charters; Six to Be Recommended for Approval by Charter Commission
Updates:It seems there are three Charter Commission members with conflict of interest issues with charter applicants. Two seem simple and one is quite problematic.Trish Millines Dziko is in a leadership program with the founder of Summit. That one is a big of a tough call to make because the relationship could be either just professional or just collegial but if not financial, I think she could
Washington State Charter Schools Update
Items of interest:- the Charter Commission is going to have a phone-in meeting tomorrow, the 28th from 9 am to 10 am. The agenda vaguely says " discussion of resolution process" and "bills currently under consideration." Dial-in number is 800-245-9874, Access code 7784207.- the Charter Commission will have a regular meeting this Thursday the 29th, in Seattle, from 8:30 am to
JAN 26
Why Do Students of Different Races Achieve as They Do?
In one heck of an op-ed by Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld in the NY Times Sunday Review, they lay out their case for the three conflicting (somewhat) reasons why students in different groups perform the way they do. The two authors have a book coming out called "The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America."It's long but worth it (esp
Seattle Schools This Week
A fairly quiet week in the district.Monday, January 27thSeattle Special Education PTSA General Meeting at 7pm. JSCEE Rm 2700. Agenda includes program services and enrollment issues for 2014-2015. Tuesday, January 28thCommunity Meeting with Director McLaren from 8:45-10:15 am at Highland Park Elementary.Thursday, January 30thA day to note as the Washington State Charter Commission is to announce wh
JAN 25
Highly Capable Services Delivery Model Task Force Nominations Open
The District is forming a task force to make recommendations to the superintendent on delivery model(s) for Highly Capable Services. This group will meet, investigate, discuss, and recommend the structure for the services that the District currently provides as APP.Here is a link to the form for nominations for the Highly Capable Services Delivery Model Task Force.Here is a link to the charge for
The Latest Re-Definition of "Curriculum"
Seattle Public Schools has re-defined the word "curriculum" no fewer than six times in the past four years. It seems to change with each new Chief Academic Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, or Executive Director of Curriculum. It also changes anytime the District needs to weasel or make other people (the Board or members of the public) appear ignorant.Here is th
Odds and Ends
Several items I thought might interest you.Frida Kahlo, a favorite of mineOne is a new video from Dove soap, straight from the Sundance Film Festival where it "premiered." It's an 8-minute video about an experiment with teen girls, their mothers and cell phone photos called "Selfie." Worthy viewing, I think. My favorite line, from a girl, "Social media is widening the de
About Race
There's an article by Joel Connelly in the PI that there was some irony that one of the first acts of our new mayor, Ed Murray, was to go to see the Race exhibit at the Seattle Science Center. (It has now ended.) (Thanks to Johnny Calcagno for the heads up.)The irony is that just across the way at Seattle Center is Center School where Seattle Public Schools allowed one family to upend a vital c