Tuesday, July 8, 2014

7-8-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:





Washington State Charter School Updates
There are three letters of intent for new charter authorizers districts- Tacoma, Highline and West Valley in Yakima. In 2013, there had been 13 school districts from around the state that submitted a notice of intent to become authorizers.  Only Spokane followed thru.  Tacoma was in that first group but not Highline or West Valley. Spokane School district has three letters of intent. Moose Project

Tuesday Open Thread
There two good (among many) good independent bookstores I want to call to your attention.  One is the new Phinney Books.  I haven't visited yet but have heard great things about their ability to help you find the right book.  When it comes to kids, that's a good thing.  The other store is Ada's Technical Books on Capitol Hill.  It's a very cool scientific bookstore with great events. Is your teen

The History of Board Priorities
At the most recent Board Retreat, the Deputy Superintendent, Charles Wright, told the Board, in a rather elaborate fashion, that if the Board added a bell time switch to the list of Board priorities, it would have a severe impact on the staff's work. Nearly every department would bear part of the burden and nearly every current initiative would be delayed. The claims were an obvious exaggeration.I

7-7-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News RoundupNorth Carolina is poised to exit from Common Core.  They also passed a student data privacy law earlier this year (and I'll be working to get one passed in the Washington Legislature).  North Carolina was one of the first states to embrace Common Core, now in place in more than 40 states. But support among some conservatives for the standards