Seattle Schools Community Forum:
Seattle Schools Community Forum
Rainier Beach and Basketball Greatness
Interesting story from The Classical (an independent sports website) about Rainier Beach High School and its history of basketball dominance.Locally, it's known as the best place to get Vietnamese food. It is perhaps less well known as an astonishingly fertile cradle of basketball talent, although it's that, too. This is a place that has produced more current NBA players than just about any other
All and All Your Kid is Just....
Another brick in (the data) wall.
Data Walls in Classrooms (Coming to a School Near You?)
Read this article by Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post. It should cause you to consider what is coming. Following on the heels of that article is her next one where one privacy expert says this could violate FERPA.Really, the photo, from Caledwell County Schools in North Carolina, says it all. In some places, parents and teachers are getting tired of embarrassing kids. New England Public R
Urgent: Contact Senator Murray's Office Today on NCLB Waiver
Education Week is reporting that Senator Patty Murray will be meeting this weekend with Education Secretary Arne Duncan about Washington State waiver request for NCLB. Really good insights from Education Week:Washington State is in the unfortunate position of being just one of four that had its NCLB waiver put on "high risk" status by the U.S. Department of Education. The Evergreen Stat
Update on NW Center Kids and Cascade Parent Partnership Building Tug-of-War
Here's the latest on this story:From My Northwest: So far, the only response from the school district came in an email saying they'll let Northwest Center know the next step after enrollment numbers are in on March 7. By that time, Northwest Center will have just three months left to figure out a plan. From The Stranger Slog, now we have a Seattle legislator involved:The Northwest Center understan
Friday Open Thread
A new initiative is coming on student data privacy in Washington State but here's the latest from California via the NY Times. California has always been a frontrunner on this issue and this bill may be one that our Legislature could use as a template (along with the bills now going in Georgia, NY, and Colorado). This is an issue that is gaining steam. This says it all:“We don’t want to limi
FEB 20
More Legislative Updates
From Mary Griffin of the Seattle Special Ed PTA: SHB 2605 is a step backwards in Washington state’s efforts to make our education system more transparent and accessible for parents. That’s because this bill will make it harder, not easier, for parents to know and understand school district policies regarding restraint and isolation of students with disabilities.Right now, for students with IEPs an
FEB 19
Seattle Schools' Student Survey of Teachers
Update: I have received some new info - via the City - and either we have a case of Who's on First or SPS is not being forthcoming with all it knows about this student survey of teachers. I have word that one school has been working on this - with Teachers United and possibly school staff as well as the Seattle Youth Commission - for almost two years. I'll let you know all the details when I get
Washington Legislator Town Hall Weekend
Many Washington state legislative districts are having Town Halls this Saturday with some or all of the elected reps from each district. This is the most complete list I could find but if you know of others, please post them in the comments.It's a good time to let them know about issues like:funding the McCleary decisionstudent data privacynot wanting schools to get A-F gradesthe need for capital
FEB 18
Washington State Legislature Gets Busy on Education Bills
Major news on two important education bills in the Legislature.First, the State Senate REJECTED a teacher-evaluation bill that would have changed using student test scores in teacher evaluations from "can" to "must" because the feds wanted that change. The feds were using - as a carrot or stick, take your pick - federal funds. Superintendent Randy Dorn has been moaning about
Seattle Schools' Principals - Who Gets to Go Where?
Long ago, I used to say that having a great school is like a three-legged stool partnership with teachers/staff and parents and principal. After my personal experience and years of listening to parents' experiences at other schools, I revised that because the biggest leg really is the principal.I feel that way because the principal sets the tone, the focus and usually has a lot of ability in crea
Tuesday Open Thread
UW's department of Computer Science & Engineering has DawgBytes: A Taste of CSE which is their K-12 outreach program. They have lots of fun events as well as offering a UW CSE student to come out to your school to talk to students. They have an e-mail list so you can get regular updates of events.Remember the story, There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a fly and The House that Jack Built? H
FEB 17
Presidents Day Presidents Quiz
I did horribly. I don't know my presidents well. Let's see how you do.
Women and Political Office
On the heels of the depressing news that the Washington State Legislature is mostly white, middle-aged and male, I urge women and any women in a minority group to consider running for office (or supporting a friend who may want to run).I have helped walk candidates through running for School Board (with help from great former directors and others) because it's important to know what you are gettin
The Worst Person In the World
With a tip of the hat to Keith Olberman, I would like to nominate state senator Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane) for "Worst Person in the World" this week.Mr. Baumgartner has introduced a bill before the state senate that mocks the state supreme court's McCleary decision. This is guy who complained about the waste of time when the senate squandered fifteen minutes naming a state oyster.Wh
Things that Make You Go, Hmmm
Update: here's a new one. So if this is just a little pilot student survey of teachers, why is it the most hugely read post 4-1? That is way off the charts for normal post hits. (Naturally some of the hits are the same people but when it gets off a certain amount, you know there is a lot more traffic. And on a holiday weekend.) Someone called this a "tempest in a teapot"; I don't t
FEB 16
Seattle Schools This Week
Update:Schools are closed. Is the district? I would say they are likely technically open. But I personally know a couple of staff who won't be around much. It is also my experience that during holiday breaks, JSCEE powers down somewhat. Call if you'd like, there may be a chance you will catch someone there.End of updat.eNo Director Community meetings on Saturday, either.At the Rachel Maddow s
FEB 15
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