Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

3-5-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:







TFA Decides to Try Something New
Me and my hero, Diane Ravitch I plan to go to the Board soon and ask that the district's contract with TFA be ended.  There are two reasons. One, it seems like a lack of real support for the district's own fledgling Seattle Teacher Residency to support another teacher training program.  All SPS' attention and efforts should be towards STR.Second, TFA has just not been popular here in the least.  O

An SPS Parent Weighs in on her Unhappiness
Over at Crosscut, the director of the (mostly)charter think tank that is the Center on Reinventing Public Education, Robin Lake, weighs in on customer service at SPS.She doesn't directly reference the program she is writing about (why, I don't know) but she's talking about Advanced Learning.  Her funniest line?These are minor inconveniences, though, compared to the flippant way the system responds

Petition Against Cuts in SPS School Budgets

There is a petition against cuts in school clerical staff - which will primarily affect high schools where, frankly, they can least take it - to send a message to the district. There is a minute-and-a-half video of the issue by Mary Smith who works in the office at Ingraham.  Mary is a long-time SPS school employee and I have been acquainted with her and her work now for over 10 years.  Mary has s


3-4-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Here's Some Homework - Common Core Style From a mom in NY State:  My son's KINDERGARTEN homework. I hold a Master's Degree and have won multiple Emmy Awards and my husband is a Lieutenant in the NYPD. We couldn't figure it out. It's a SAD SAD SAD state when two well educated parents can't help their child with their KINDERGARTEN homework. This is what you have to l