Seattle Schools Community Forum:
Seattle Schools Community Forum
Special Education Speaker Monday, April 28th
Seattle SpEd PTSA April Meeting7 pm Monday, 4/28/2014Rm 2700, JSCEE 2445 3rd AveSeattle's SODO neighborhoodDr. Nicole Swedberg will present practical tips and information on:How to help your child If your child is dyslexic?How to best support your dyslexic child at home?What skills should your child be learning? How can you get your child access to these skills?How can your child’s school (and
Friday Open Thread
Good article from Edutopia about helping students evaluate online research. I think it's written for teachers but I think it might be useful info for parents as well.We will have to wait and see what happens with the denial of Washington State's NCLB waiver by Sec'y Duncan. Frankly, I think it is likely to be a ripple rather than a wave of problems.What's on your mind?
APR 24
TFA: Troubled Waters in Seattle
I had been waiting for this story to come out. It's just what I thought because it is the reality of TFA in the Puget Sound region. No real success at all. Districts? Just not interested or finding plenty of fully-qualified teachers right here in Washington State. From Non-Profit Quarterly:Maldonado was also feeling the conflict, but also noted that TFA’s national office had stumbled in dealin
WA State First State to Lose NCLB Waiver
From Sec'y Duncan:As you know, Washington’s request for ESEA flexibility was approved based on Washington’s commitments to carry out certain actions in support of key education reforms. In return for those commitments, we granted your State and your local school districts significant flexibility. However, Washington has not been able to keep all of its commitments. Thus, although Washington has be
Advanced Learning: Crumbling Faster and Faster
Remember that Leonardo DiCaprio movie, What's Eating Gilbert Grape? The SPS version is, "What's Going on with Advanced Learning?" What appears -to me - to be happening is that Michael Tolley and Shauna Heath are quietly making a lot of decisions behind closed doors and quietly spreading them out through the schools. Spectrum principals, either on their own or thru Tolley and Heath, se
Race to Nowhere Showing at Orca K-8
FYI, Dear Community Members, We are excited to announce a showing of the groundbreaking film, "Race to Nowhere”. The documentary is a call to action for families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens. Join us Friday, April 25th for a screening of the film followed
APR 23
Duncan Gives No Hint about WA Waiver in Interview
In more in the long line of stuff Arne says comes this interview with Education Week. But, NCLB waivers ARE brought up and, in specific, Washington State. But Duncan is both direct and coy.And he pledged to get one long-awaited initiative done that could also have a far-reaching impact: an overhaul of regulations that govern teacher-preparation programs. "They will get done," he said.
Testing Issues Nationwide
From Diane Ravitch's blog via the group, FairTest:Today’s technical problems, which disrupted computerized testing in many Florida districts, are far from unusual. Many other states have experienced similar failures, according to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), which monitors standardized exams across the country. Earlier this month, the statewide testing systems in Kan
Seattle Schools Special Education Meeting
I did not attend but this is an open thread for any discussion for anyone who did attend.
This and That
To note for tonight's Board meeting agenda; the Jane Addams Middle School BEX IV construction item has been moved to the May 7th Board meeting by the Superintendent. No explanation given. The Superintendent has also asked to remove the Reduction in Force (RIF) item from the agenda. I confirmed that this is because there will be no RIFs sent out. As well, the bill to fix facade restoration at F
APR 22
Tuesday Open Thread
Is your 5th grade and up student looking for a great sport that offers individual achievement as well as the benefits of participating on a team? Seattle Canoe & Kayak Club is having an Open House on Sunday, April 27th and Saturday, May 17th from 10 am -1 pm. Come join us at the Small Craft Center on Green Lake at 9:45AM. Get to see the competitive Junior Team finish their training session,
APR 21
Big Ed News Roundup
Stories that have come across my computer over the last few weeks on a variety of issues.Arne Duncan - the things that Arne says.So first it was those "white suburban moms" thinking their children and their schools were really something. He said opposition to Common Core came from "fringe" groups. The Daily News says those against CC are "drunk with right-wing hysteria.&
Death and Adultery; More Common Core Homework
Honestly, these things come across my radar on a near-daily basis as schools and districts go the Common Core way. This from Breitbart(emphasis mine):Breitbart Texas also covered this type of assignment in the article Orwellian Newspeak Coming to Common Core Classrooms Everywhere. It's a reading and response writing genre popping up in classrooms labeled contemporary realistic fiction. It is a C
InBloom CEO Shuts Down inBloom
Second update: a reply to inBloom's withdrawal from NY city parents who have been very in the thick of this fight.Yet the statement issued by inBloom’s CEO reeks of arrogance and condescension, and makes it clear that those in charge still have not learned any lessons from this debacle. The fervent opposition to inBloom among parents throughout the country did not result from “misunderstandings”
APR 20
Seattle Schools News Roundup
From SPS:Seattle Public Schools seeks members for School Family Partnerships Task force Seattle Public Schools is starting the process of revising the current School Family Partnerships District Plan. An important part of the review is to engage with our families, staff and community members and gather as much feedback as possible to help revise our school family partnerships efforts over the next
Seattle Schools This Week
Tuesday, April 22nd"Open Mic Night" on Special Education, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Rainier Beach High School, 8815 Seward Park S. Families of Seattle Public Schools are invited to join experts from Louisiana State University and the TIERS Group (Teams Intervening Early to Reach all Students) during two Open Microphone Nights to give feedback on Special Education services. Seattle Public Sc
APR 19
OSPI Thinks Duncan Will Bring Down the NCLB Hammer
According to an article in the Seattle Times, Superintendent Randy Dorn thinks the DOE will lose its waiver from NCLB. Washington State would be the first state to lose a waiver. (Other states may also lose their waivers as well by the end of their school years.) (As usual, the Times makes the link between the teachers union and the Legislature. Is that really the entire story of why the Legisl
More Thoughts about Race
Two thoughtful articles have come across my computer about race and education.The first is from the blog, The Becoming Radical written by P.L. Thomas, a professor at Furman University. Professor Thomas' blog subtitle is "A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness and the article that caught my eye is entitled "Are We (Finally) Ready to Face Teacher Education’s Race Problem?" I find this i
