Seattle Schools Community Forum:
SPS News including Open Enrollment
Seattle Schools Community Forum
SPS News including Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment starts the week after next week's Mid-Winter break and runs two weeks thru March 7th. All forms must be returned either in person or online to Seattle Public Schools by 4 p.m., Friday, March 7, 2014. Here's the info from SPS. Also the Enrollment FAQs have many answers to questions. (Oddly, the district's Facebook page has nothing about this.) But, to keep in mind:the district
Student Survey Coming about Teachers but Why?
Several weeks back I became aware that some Seattle PTAs were working with the district, students on the Seattle Youth Commission, SPS Research, Evaluation & Assessment and "teachers associated with Teachers United" on a student survey. To whit via McClure PTA:--The work is to conceive, define and implement a structured survey of students' perceptions of their teachers. - The object
Seattle Schools' Tours
Have you been on a tour yet? Where and how was it?Had a friend who went to an IBX meeting at Ingraham and said it was absolutely packed to the rafters. I recently got a private tour of Sand Point Elementary (which I had never been to and had wanted to check out). Very impressive. For those of you who wondered how well a new start-up school can do, here's proof. And, it's a team effort with the
Friday Open Thread
Good story on Garfield teacher Jesse Hagopian in Seattle Met.The Times editorial board weighs in on the North Center Kids/Cascade program and oddly, completely leaves out Cascade. Naturally this baffled a couple of readers who ask, "What is the about? Why would the district do this?" But paint a complete picture? Not the Times.Best wishes to all your loves this Valentine's Day - be t
FEB 13
Saying Goodbye
I've been through a lot of changes in my personal and professional life in the past year or so. Actually, I'm still in a sort of transition period, but that period and those changes will be complete in April. Among other things, I'll be moving away from Seattle, which has been my home since 1987. For the past several months I have been splitting my time between Seattle and Charlottesville, Virgini
Seattle Capital Programs
I attended the Board Work Session yesterday on Capital Programs and Plans. It was both informative and annoying.Attending were Directors McLaren, Patu, Blanford, Peters, Peaselee and Martin-Morris. Director Carr, like at last week's Board meeting, was not in attendance. Staff included Superintendent Banda and the head of Capital/Facilities, Flip Herndon. Dr. Herndon gave the entire presentatio
City of Seattle Neighborhood Summit
Mayor Murray is having a neighborhood summit on Saturday, April 5th from 9 am to 1 p.m at the Seattle Center's Pavilion Room.They have a survey going on for citizen input before the event in order to help shape it. To learn more about the Seattle Neighborhood Summit, you can email SNS2014@seattle.gov or call 206.684.8069.This is a good opportunity to let the City know how you feel about schools a
Seattle Schools Math Adoption Committee Work
I attended the Math Adoption Committee meeting a week ago. I stayed about 2 hours (out of a daylong meeting). I didn't have high hopes at the beginning as the meeting seemed disorganized and slow to start. The meeting was monitored by staffers Anna Box and Shauna Heath. They first went over the discussion from the Board-asked-for Work Session that had occurred the day before about the math adop
Read This
Read this guest column by Colin Pierce, IB Coordinator at Rainier Beach High School, that appeared in the Seattle Times Education Lab.You can comment there on the Seattle Times site.
FEB 12
Here's the Tradeoff for Tech versus Buildings
I'm off to go listen in on the Work Session this afternoon about Capital Program Planning. I was talking with an aide to a City Councilperson yesterday about this very issue. Apparently the staff and families at the NW Center for Kids have been very active in reaching out in all directions to try to stay in the SPS building they currently occupy. He was mystified at how there could be two groups
SPS Meetings Tomorrow
Both the Operations and Audit&Finance Committees have meetings tomorrow, Thursday the 13th. In addition, there is also a Work Session. Audit&Finance and Operations both start at 4:30 p.m. and the Work Session on Technology starts at 6:30 pm.I call this out because Operations and A&F did not have their agendas out until yesterday. Again, I have to smile and wonder. These are very le
Washington State and Regional Ed News
Looks like most of the operations/technology levies for Puget Sound regional schools are passing - Bellevue, Lake Washington, Issaquah, Northshore, Mercer Island, Shoreline, Federal Way and Kent. Bond measures for buildings - which have to have 60% to win - are a mixed bag. Bellevue's, at $450M, was passing easily while Lake Washington's is just short at 57% for their $775M measure (larger than SP
Teach for America Contract Due to Expire but Hires can Continue
Seattle Public Schools' Agreement with Teach for America was approved by the Board on November 17, 2010. The agreement terminates on August 31, 2014 unless renewed by mutual consent of both parties. I don't believe that a majority of the current Board would vote to extend it. The Agreement has been more divisive than effective.Teach for America in Seattle has been mostly about angry debate. While
FEB 11
Is School Funding Fair (throughout the nation)?
Well, that would be no but here's the latest National Report Card on school funding by the Education Law Center at Rutgers. The authors are Bruce Baker, professor in the Department of Educational Theory, Policy and Administration in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University , David Sciarra, Executive Director of the Education Law Center (ELC) and Danielle Farrie, Research Director a
Tuesday Open Thread
One of the most cherished memories of my childhood is gone. Shirley Temple Black died today at the age of 85. She gave laughter and hope to many after the Depression. It's hard to pick a favorite moment from her films but her dazzling dance ability was apparent when she danced with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in the The Littlest Rebel. Or my favorite song, On the Good Ship Lollipop fro
FEB 10
Seattle School Board Meeting
RBHS Coding TeamIn support of teacher Jon GreenbergThis thread will cover the last School Board meeting last Wednesday, Feb. 5th. All directors were in attendance but Director Carr. The Rainier Beach High School T.E.A.L. team (Technology Education and Literacy in Schools) gave a presentation on coding work they have been doing. There was a large crowd primarily around transportation, former Cen
What is the Purpose of Education, K-12 and Higher?
Such a question. I looked into this question when I was asked to speak about public education before a group of young early-leader Dems. If you go back to the start of our country's history (even before we were a nation), it was about intellectual thought. Being able to read was the key factor. (The other key factor in public education? Local control but that's a subject for another day.) Bu
FEB 09
With What Money?
In yet another "look how backwards Washington State is and how terrible public education is here" op-eds at the Seattle Times, their newest one features Robin Lake of the Center on Reinventing Public Education. Basically, our state is not doing enough to train more STEM graduates. I use that word "train" deliberately because she seems to think you can just churn out these grad
Seattle Schools This Week + Updates
From SPS Communications:Superintendent Banda made several principal appointments Feb. 7 , including: • George Breland, Cleveland High School;• Maria Breuder, McGilvra Elementary School;• Dedy Fauntleroy, John Stanford International School; • Robert Gary, Madison Middle School; • Jo Lute-Ervin, Kimball Elementary School;• Mary McDaniels, Madrona K-8; and• Dan Sanger, Bryant Elementary School.I see
This and That
Surprise from a reader (and I agree) - a figure from a Danny Westneat column.Did this surprise anyone else? 2370 kids, about 5% of all of the students in Seattle Public Schools, are homeless? I had no idea it was that many.From the Week in Geek: The physics of the Winter Olympics. Good piece to show to the kids as you watch some amazing athletes in action. (Those kids on the snowboards give me
FEB 07
Shooting Roundup
The Stranger Slog has a weekly child shooting roundup and hey, one story is local.From Q13:PUYALLUP — Neighbors say they never heard a gunshot, but saw what happened next. “The young man was sitting in the driveway just rocking back and forth saying; I shot my best friend, I shot my best friend,” neighbor Carol Sharick said. ... Police say five boys were in the house hanging out after school, the
Friday Open Thread
One Community meeting on Saturday, Director Carr, from 8:30-10 am at Bethany Community Church.It is Neighbor Appreciation Day in Seattle this Saturday the 8th. Nearly all the Seattle fire stations will be open so it's a good time to take the kids to meet your local firefighters.Superhero ladies re-imagined by artist Celeste Pille. I like this.Speaking of heroes, GI Joe, the very first action fi