Friday Open Thread

Looked like the word "boobies" will be used in a Supreme Court case over two girls, who in 2010 were then 12 and 13, who were trying to raise awareness for breast cancer.  They violated their school's ban on bracelets and wore pink bracelets that said, "I heart Boobies!"  A lower court said the district didn't prove the bracelets had disrupted learning.   The district won't back down and has hinted it will take it all the way to the high court.  (What's interesting is that the district sees this as interfering with their right to make policies about discipline versus the girls' belief in free speech.)

A new website about Native Americans called - what else - Native American News.  Has news from around the country on a variety of topics including public education.

The Times got off a nice little shot of support for their favored School Board candidate in District IV.  They had yet (another) editorial about PTAs sharing fundraising dollars.  I thought it odd given they had written about this subject earlier in the year. 

This one covered no new ground but did manage to sneak in a quote from Suzanne Dale Estey (she seems to think parents will be "motivated" to share their money and obviously hasn't read the comments here).  But did they quote any current Board member? No.  Did they quote Sue Peters?  No.  Did they ask Sue Peters?  No.  Has Dale Estey been on anyone's radar as an education leader you could quote before this race?  No.  That's the Times.

There are no Director Community meetings tomorrow.

What's on your mind?

Comments

Lynn said…
Here's something from the Times that I can support: Why the School Day Should Start Later.
Anonymous said…
What the heck is the holdup with the MAP scores? Why the cryptic messages on the source?

confused

Eric B said…
Later start times for secondary students is going to be delayed for another year beyond 2014-15 unless the Board makes it a priority. If you want it to happen, please get in touch with the Board. It may be that the Board thinks it's a priority, but that it was somehow miscommunicated to staff. In any case, a clear message needs to be sent that planning will start now if it's to happen next year.
Sabine Mecking said…
We got an e-mail today from SPS that our APP test dates are tomorrow (Saturday) at 11am at Olympic View Elementary School. How is that for short notice?
Anonymous said…
Eric, no way no how that secondary students will start later next year, even though the arguments for it are worthy. It's a change to the system akin to these boundary discussions, and in fact larger in some ways. There are Metro transportation issues, after school employers, school staff, athletics and other extracurriculars, effects on K8 students and a host of other considerations to move that direction.

Keep the pressure on, but don't expect the planning to happen this year. Unrealistic.

Project Planner
Patrick said…
I'm just trying to imagine a district with so few problems that they will take an "I (heart) boobies" bracelet to the Supreme Court.

The big selling point for the MAP was quick results. This isn't fast enough to use for placement.

Linh-Co said…
Last Sunday the Times had an article about White Center Heights and its accomplishments as a turn-around school.

Teacher Jump-Start Turnaround at White Center Heights Elementary

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022125372_edlabwhitecenterxml.html

What this article fails to mention is that WCH started using Math In Focus: the Singapore Approach, last year. Too bad this is omitted. Before last year, the school was using Everyday Math.

Unfortunately, Enfield is quoted in the article saying,“It’s not about some whiz-bang new curriculum."

I know the curriculum alone is not the answer and there were other things involved, but it did have significant impact.
Lynn said…
In case anyone else is waiting to hear about APP testing dates, the tentative schedule is on the Advanced Learning web page.
Benjamin Leis said…
I know at least 2 more schools elementary schools in the district switched math curriculum this year. Does anyone know what the total is now that have opted out of EDM? The situation would be comical except for the fact it means various PTSA's etc are footing the bill now for textbook/materials and the fundamental inequity.

Ben
Linh-Co, thanks for that. Boy, that is big piece to leave out. Hmm, wonder why Enfield did that.
Linh-Co said…
Enfield can't take credit for bringing in Math In Focus. It was brought in before her time from a push by Highline parents.

We had a private meeting with Dr. Enfield when she was Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction and asked her to enforce the the supplementation of Singapore Math. She told us there were no official supplemental curriculum, even though Carla Santorno got EDM approved by selling it to the board with a "promised" Singapore Math supplement to address the numeracy and fact fluency.
Linh-Co said…
@Ben

Here's the short list and I know I'm missing some. There was at least one school using Jump Math but I can't think of the name.

Alki - Singapore Math

Thurgood - Envision

Boren - Singapore Math

Schmitz Park - Singapore Math

Beacon Hill - teacher created Chinese Instructor taught in Chinese.

Thorton Creek - TERC (3rd or 4th year)

North Beach - Saxon (2002)

John Muir - ST Math (First year)

Montlake - Envision

Lincoln - My Math

Salmon Bay - TERC in some classrooms - I'm not sure about the entire school
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said…
I am reposting for Anonymous at 11:17 am (you need to post using a on or two word pseudonym): Anonymous said...
In the SPS Distric Data Summary of 2011 African American children and youth are overrepresented in 2 SP. ED. catagories. ONE Intellectually challenged (mental Retardation and Emotional and Behavioral Disturbance)
Both listed in the DSM-IV the professional manual that defines mental health disorders. by law no one should be placed in Special Education without a Sp Ed. diagnosis. So in Seattle 1. 7% black students have been diagnosed with one of the following:
ADHD, Anorexia, Bulima, Bipolar, Tourette, SED, Schizophrenia, Autism, anxiety, Oppositonal Diorder, Conduct Disorder, etc. while whites students who make up the majority of SPS students(white students) only 0.4% have been diagnosed with a Emotional Disturbance Disturbance!

According to SPS data even mother nature has discriminated against black students by making 0.7% of these kids mentally retarded, while over 50% of SPS students (white students) have a rate of mental retardation at 0.2%.

Mental Retardation is define by low IQs, adaptive skills, and being under the age of 18years. Black children do not have a prevalence of DOWNS, FRAGILE X, Genetic disorders, or any other congenital, environmental, or biological reason for Mental Retardation. Some uneducated people will blame the drugs or poverty in the black community, but even in these 2 examples whites are still the majority and have the greater numbers poor and on drugs.

The Federal Government should come and shut this whole school system down, sue the SPS school board, fire the administrators and change the instructional staff that deny Equal Educational Opportunity to Black children and Youth. SPS has violated the civil rights of black children through racist educational practices (bias test, tracking, grouping, counseling, funding, etc), racist teachers who are first to administer the frontline tactics of low expectations, cultural incompetence, racial prejudice, 'stereotype threats', and harsh/cruel punishment; the ethnocentric curriculum and instruction methods of a nearly all white female teaching base subject 12 years of education on black children that consist of 90% white male canons.


SPS must be called accountable for misclassification of Black Children within these 2 Sp. Ed. catagories that changes the trajectory of their lives forever

For those who care about Black Children, IDEA, EQUALITY IN EDUCATION, Fairness in Discipline and Stopping the long and injurious abuse of BLACK CHILDREN in Seattle Schools, it is time to demand ENOUGH IS FINALLY ENOUGH!
Anonymous said…
Melissa or Charlie, Could you please comment on this scenario if you have a chance:

-In a self-contained Spectrum classroom, the teacher decided to create an advanced math group, with the rest of the class at the "one year ahead core standards." The teacher said that kids would be placed in the advanced group based on state/district test scores, in-class assessments and "teacher observations."

-All but one of the APP-qualified kids in the class was placed in the advanced group. One APP-qualified kid, who scored a high 4 on the spring MSP and 97% on the spring MAP was not included.

If a differentiated curriculum is set up within a Spectrum classroom, should all APP-qualified kids be included in that advanced grouping, or is it solely at teacher discretion? Other thoughts on this scenario?

Thanks!

-SPS Parent
Lynn said…
From the American Psychological Association, an article on Neurobehavioral effects of poverty. The article ends with four ways psychologists and other behavioral health professionals can help address these difficulties.
Eric B said…
Project Planner, I'm going to push back on this. I don't dispute that this is complex, but I think that you're bringing in more than it needs.

Transportation is already being completely re-worked. If we incorporate start time changes now, it can be done once instead of done now and done again later.

After-school jobs, extracurriculars, and athletics are issues that need to be addressed through community engagement. I am sure that they will negatively impact some families, but is that 5% or 30%? We won't know until we go out to families. School staff can help with athletics as well.

I'm not sure what issues school staff would have, but again, go out to the schools to find out. We already have a model to follow at Hale.

The path forward is out there. Once we start going down it, I am sure we will find that it isn't as bad as we thought. We just need to start. Like you said, this is about the same size of an issue as boundaries. Boundaries are on a 6-month timetable (start in June, finish in late November). If we start on start times now, 6 months puts us in May.
Unknown said…
I am glad to hear from Annoymous at 11:17. I often wonder where are the voices of outrage over this issue.

In Annon 11:17's post, he or she identifies a major issue with the overidentification of black children in special education, particularly the role of the most stigmatizing category, intellectual disability. Even more egregious is the fact that 30% of Native American Students are identified for special education. OSPI has found that bias in evaluations, and for some children the lack of sufficient evaluation was found to play a part in Seattle, and the district has had to perform tasks related to this issue for the last 3 years, but clearly needs to do more.

People should be outraged: the effects of being mis-identified as as intellectually disabled has a lifelong impact.

Similarly, over representation of black students occurs in other categories, such as emotional/behavioral or health impairment (ADHD). The district needs to do more in this department. Banda made a step in this direction when he hired someone with experience in this area as Executive Director of Special Education (Zakiyyah McWilliams). Whether she can make a dent in this problem remains to be seen.
Anonymous said…
On my mind...

I just finished filling out paperwork for the group health clinic at my child's school. It asks for a lot of very personal information and requires signatures re: FERPA and HIIPA. I have paid attention to the warnings folks have issued here about privacy rights for students. What risks are there in submitting this paperwork, with regard to privacy and my child's records?

Any thoughts on this are much appreciated.

uncertain
Anonymous said…
uncertain -

This story comes to mind:

In school clinic sets up teen abortion

another parent
Unknown said…
Uncertain,
You raise an important issue. The thing that I think everyone needs to know is that traditional "health records" become "educational records" when supplied to the school. This means that health records which would fall under a different standard of privacy under HIPPA in a clinic become subject only to the rules of FERPA in a school-based setting. For this reason, you may wish to be careful regarding family background, psychiatric issues, or stigmatizing issues, etc., that are not relevant to the issues served in that setting. I often take a black marker and redact records that may not be relevant to health care providers or educational service providers.

Although "another parent" raises the issue of teenage abortions without consent, the fact is that teenagers have that right no matter what and it doesn't have anything to do with FERPA or HIPPA. This can be a very upsetting topic for parents no matter what.
Quick Question said…
Quick question someone may know the answer to. Do terms grades appear on high school transcripts or just semester grades?
Anonymous said…
Why are MAP school delayed so long this year. Last year (and others) it took maybe 1-2 weeks from time of the kiddos last test for the scores to appear. Why so long this year. Do the classroom teachers have the scores already - since they supposedly use them to 'guide instruction'?
impatient
TechyMom said…
adding to the math list...
McGilvra is using Envision and Reflex Math (an online fact-practice game that builds automaticity).

Enivision is still a bit word-problem-heavy for my taste, but at least the word problems don't have confusing grammar that the college educated adults in the house can't figure out. My kid loves Reflex so far.
Spruiter said…
Regarding math curriculum other than EDM. Jane Addams K-8 has switched to Envision math for K-5 this year. They are piloting the curriculum for the district, it is not PTSA funded. There are other schools participating in the pilot as well, but I'm not sure which ones.

So far, we really appreciate the change!
Anonymous said…
SPS Parent, I don't see how one can comment on your scenario. How do you know that all of the APP-labeled kids in the class are in the advanced group? Are you asking if strictly labels and test scores should drive classroom placement? I would guess that most (non-APP) sites have in-class differentiation subject to the teacher's observations.
Is this your child? Have you spoken to the teacher if you think the placement is not optimal?

Cal
mirmac1 said…
uncertain,

Parents should stop and ponder, as you have, "why does a group health clinic have to access to my child's private health and educational information?" It seems to be de rigueur that someone's life story should be accessible at the stroke of a keyboard. With Data as God, providers and teachers are considered deficient if they can't regurgitate a kid's grades, MSP scores, and FRL status. Sometimes I wonder how my generation and the one before it managed to do so much without flaming out.

At least with respect to so-called School/Community Partners (like this clinic), parents wield the power of the pen. Just say no. If they refuse to serve your child, I would gladly file a discrimination suit on behalf of all children treated as data bytes.

Unfortunately, there are still "institutional" parties that can get massive amounts of data WITHOUT parent consent. And they are accountable to no one. The Fed Family Privacy Compliance Office is toothless and is just waiting for that pension. The district has no safeguards in place to ensure data is not misused or mishandled. Parents will never find out HOW or WHO has their child's data. Finally, who is liable when hackers inevitably access student records?

Just say NO
Anonymous said…
Coe is piloting "My Math" by McGraw Hill.
QA Mom
outraged said…
No one believes that black parents don't care, or they are on drugs and too poor to care about their children education. No one believes that black parent don't care, when their children are thrown out of their schools, or placed in special education for emotional disturbance and mental retardation. For no pediatrician/developmentalist diagnosed this mental retardation before Seattle public schools, no pastor, neighbor, grandparent screened the emotional disturbance before the child attended Seattle Public Schools. Everyone KNOW that SPS is financially awarded for Black Children as cognitive deficit students, or mentally ill. Everyone knows that white people get employment, $$, titles, and Gates treasures from creating dark deficit kids. And sadly, even 'black folk' who want white acceptance, more than save a black child give these maltreators the proof that "not all black people are concerned about the abuse of black children". Outrage, of course we're OUTRAGE! And NO new tags for black kids "at risk", underserved, spEd; no statistics on blacks drug abuse, as whites lose their minds of meth, no referring to blacks as poor with the 'Baby BooBoos around" wil shut down the OUTRAGE for the abuse of innocent children NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE!
BL said…
Lowell is piloting "My Math" this year as well.
Lowell is also in year 2 of piloting "ST Math" as a supplement.
LN said…
My daughter's school piloted 4 different math curriculums last year. They only took MAP in Fall and Spring. Her scores have been completely consistent since she started in K. Last Spring, her math MAP dropped 10 points. They say that's to be expected. Wonderful since those scores are now the gatekeepers for qualifying to take the CoGat!! LAME!
Anonymous said…
Some good news. Just saw this on the SPS website, 16 Additional Schools to have no K Tuition

There is also a proposed tuition drop.

The 16 schools added for free K are: Alki, Arbor Heights, BF Day, Gatewood, Greenwood, Jane Addams K-8, K-5 STEM at Boren, Lowell, Olympic View, Orca K-8, Pathfinder K-8, John Rogers, Sand Point, Stevens, Tops K-8 and Viewlands.

-StepJ
Linh-Co said…
Spruiter said...
Regarding math curriculum other than EDM. Jane Addams K-8 has switched to Envision math for K-5 this year. They are piloting the curriculum for the district, it is not PTSA funded. There are other schools participating in the pilot as well, but I'm not sure which ones.

While it's great that the kids are getting something other than EDM, I have to wonder why are we piloting math programs when the Elementary Math Adoption Committee has not even been picked or convened?

Who is making this decision?

The fix must be in for Envision or My Math. Members of this committee are not notified until November 15.
What's up with that?
SPS Parent, that's quite the scenario. My thought would be:

1) did the principal say this was okay for this teacher to make this judgment call? Because this isn't her just rearranging kids; these kids are in specific programs.

2) do the parents all know this? Not that they necessarily have any input but yes, they should know what is happening in their child's class.

Uncertain, you have Hipaa on your side which is a good thing. But I think if your child was enrolled in a F/RL program (or other kind of tutoring program) that wanted info on your child, they might be able to access it via the health clinic. I honestly don't know for certain at this point. It's a good question and I will find out.

As for the teen having the abortion, I will have a thread this weekend on some of these teen issue.

But understand, when you give permission for your teen to access a school health clinic that means mental health (and the counselor does NOT have to tell you anything unless the child is a danger to him/herself or others).

A teen may access birth control including abortion and in this state, you do not have to be told.

This is all stated in the form you sign - maybe not this starkly - but it's what it means.
Unknown said…
@mirmac1,
There are very good reasons for school nurses to have access to students' health records. Jeepers! I'm telling you that I as a nurse, I have seen scenarios at my kids' school where there was no medical information. It makes things very difficult in emergencies (like when a kid is having problems breathing--very scary!) The problem is when other groups, as you pointed out, think that they need that info, too, and even more so when they want personally identifiable information.
Linh-Co said…
I also find it interesting that Envision is a Pearson product and My Math is from McGraw-Hill.

Our current math programs include Everyday Math from McGraw-Hill and CMP2 from Pearson. I wouldn't be surprised if these big publishers offered our district a "sweet" deal for these pilots.
Disgusted said…
Estey's PAC sends out another "hit" piece.

Does anyone ever recall other school board candidates that utilized a PAC?
Mary, it's not for the school nurses - she's talking about the health centers in all the comprehensive high schools and some middle schools.

Two different things.
RosieReader said…
By state law from (I think) age 14 on, youth in Washington State have the right to access mental health and reproductive health without parental consent. If you want your high schooler to have access to free, convenient health care, then most definitely sign the forms and give them access to the clinic in the high school. If you would prefer to make it harder for them to access care, don't.

We all hope we have raised young people who will come to us when they have a health issue, physical or mental. But we should also make sure our kids have access to trusted adults when they feel, for whatever reason, they cannot reach out to us. I view the high school health clinic as one such resource.

I am skeptical about the comment that because the clinic is in the school HIPAA doesn't apply. That's certainly not my understanding. Mary Griffin, do you have a source that supports you? Here's a somewhat old publication that suggests that health records from an on-school clinic (as opposed to a school nurse) are protected by HIPAA. http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/doc/ferpa-hipaa-guidance.pdf
Unknown said…
@Rosie Reader, mirmac1 and unsure,

The comments regarding the provision of medical services by an outside provider that I made were incorrect.

If an outside provider, such as Group Health or Swedish, is providing services, then the clinic records are covered by HIPPA. HIPPA is generally thought to be a better privacy law, and as such the district would be unable to share your student's records, as would any outside entity.

There are very good reasons to have clinics in schools, and I think it is good to have them run by outside entities for several reasons, including privacy.
Anonymous said…
SPS parent, I know you asked Melissa and Charlie specifically, but I'm going to chime in here. Melissa indicated the teacher shouldn't be making changes since the kids are in specific programs, but if I'm understanding you correctly they are actually NOT in different programs. If kids elect to participate in the Spectrum program, whether they are APP-qualified isn't really relevant. They are in Spectrum, not APP. APP-qualified kids who are enrolled in Spectrum are not entitled to something different than what the Spectrum kids get.

If the teacher is actually differentiating instruction and providing opportunities for some to work beyond the Spectrum "one year ahead" level, you would expect there to be a high degree of correlation with APP-qualification status (as was seen in the case you noted), but there may be exceptions in either direction (e.g., APP-qualified kids not making it into the highest math group, or Spectrum-qualified kids who do make it in). Assuming the teacher has based the placement on classroom-based assessment of students' capabilities rather than just using APP status as a proxy, it shouldn't be a problem.

That said, if the child seems to be inappropriately placed, I'd inquire with the teacher.

HIMSmom
Anonymous said…
It looks like a new version of the boundary plan is out at http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=294923. Of note, there's no further reference to the possibility of APP in West Seattle. Does that mean it's off the table, or just that it wasn't a "major change" to call out in the highlights?

-wondering
Anonymous said…
Wow. If you live literally across the street from Eckstein you are now out of boundary in this version.

-StepJ
Anonymous said…
With no grandfathering, as I read it.

And APP in Eckstein and Whitman.

TC
Anonymous said…
I live south of Eckstein. We were in Bryant, now we will be in Wedgwood. My kids will have to drive (not walk) pass Eckstein to get to JAMS. In contrast, my kids could have walked to Eckstein. Gratis. There are 12 public school kids on my block (more, but they go private Catholic and Waldorf). 12 kids x 3 years middle school = 36 student years of bussing the District is obliged to pay for. This is just one block. I know this story of walkability being mangelled is repeated everywhere. Especially in the south.

Does anyone want to guess how much money this will plan all totalled will cost the District in the long run?

Hey, even better: does the District know how badly these gerrymandered boundaries are going to cost them/us?

Obviously not. It would be nice if the Board asked for that info. Not that they would get it, of course.

Kids really should walk or bike to school when ever possible. Helps their brain function, helps their body be 'school ready'. Helps classroom dynamics. And, helps test scores. Oh well. Not for this neighborhood.

I did think the Board's feedback was more priority to walking where possible. I wonder if the Board is going to try and push this, or, just roll over. I am betting the latter.

-bus 4ever
Anonymous said…
Bus4Ever, I don't see what you're seeing. It looks like the northern boundary of Eckstein is 75th, then curving a bit north toward the lake. If you're south of Eckstein and currently at Bryant, I don't see anything on the district's plan that would assign you north to the JA zone.

Northender
Anonymous said…
Northender,

Check the individual elementary boundary maps for Wedgwood and Bryant to see the changes. The Middle School maps don't display as much detail.

There is a section south of 75th and west of Eckstein that was previously Bryant and is now Wedgwood.

Bus4Ever's situation makes another good point in favor of switching to Geo Zones vs. Feeder Schools for middle school.

-StepJ
Anonymous said…
To TC:
AND Hamilton - at least for a couple of years according to the map.
3 way split. Really?
APP mom
Anonymous said…
It is clear that APP screamed the loudest and didn't want to leave their neighborhood. Now kids in general education within a short walking distance to both Eckstein and Whitman will need to ride the bus because APP didn't want to. This makes no sense to me and will greatly increase the number of students affected by the changes. I would be interested to see the number of students that will need to change schools with this newest plan. My guess is that it is close to half of the middle school students in the north end (if not more).

- kitty
Anonymous said…
Kitty, APP did not advocate to stay in the neighborhood. Quite the contrary. You need to get the facts straight before blaming APP.

Kp
Anonymous said…
Pearson owns the bulk of the math products out there these days. A word of advice for anyone attracted to the "online" aspect of Envision - their website design sucks, and frequently doesn't work. It is not accessible to anyone with disabilities (i.e. screen readers for vision impairments, enlarging text, using alternative access methods to "scan" through), and they make little updates occasionally that screw up the entire system. Read the fine print carefully - make sure the right materials are purchased, and don't fall for the "use the teacher manual online and save money" line, because teachers will end up printing put what they need, and it will cost more than just buying the little teacher folders. Plus the amount of printing this program requires is quite high, the little color consumables "magazines" in K-1 are pricey and cannot be copied, and the textbooks are of shoddy quality: paper used for pages rips easily, covers scuff and tear easily, and the teacher manuals don't always match up with the student books, and lots of mistakes. Ironically many of the activities found in EDM that so many of you seem to hate, are also found in Pearson Envisions, only repackaged.
There is also a big push with the Pearson product to take the math tests "online" so you can have "instant data", plus "test prep" for those high stakes tests like PARCC that Pearson is a part of. Their multiple choice tests and test question bank has pre-prepared shallow questions, and where does that data go? I asked one time, and the rep quickly changed the subject.
With Pearson, you pay a lot, and get very little.
Sometimes the devil you know.....

Ugh, Pearson
Anonymous said…
KP,

I don't think there was one voice for APP, but I recall a fair amount of discussion around the fact that APP was suppose to be located where the students live and therefore, APP should be at Eckstein over Jane Addams. You are correct, I do not know that it was APP families that had that view point. BUT, I doubt the school district made that change out of the blue....

-kitty
Anonymous said…
Kp above
Anonymous said…
argh! 2nd try.

Kitty- North AAP's position was to not split and to not to be put in neighborhood schools lest we get kicked out again. That said, yes, there are/were different viewpoints but the most vocal to have APP at Eckstein were those that I read on this blog from Charlie and a couple of other commenters. While I like this option personally, I would never advocate for it at the expense of my neighbors who will be assigned to JAMS if this current plan is approved. NE APP families may be OK with this decision (not necessarily thrilled as it still means a split), but I really don't think it was advocated heavily by those within APP. Maybe it's the district's way of making the split more palatable.

kp
Anonymous said…
Was this plan released at 7pm to ensure absolutely no one could be contacted at JSIS? There are going to be a lot of unhappy families - I'm thinking about those living 50 ft. from Eckstein that are no assigned there.

shocked
Anonymous said…
Speaking as a Gen. Ed. parent in the midst of neck deep APP students...

I think it is outrageous that kids living across the street are drawn out of Eckstein.

At the same time every single APP family I know has campaigned hard to keep APP middle school kids out of the NE due to the severe overcrowding in the area.

I don't know of any APP parent in the NE that has pushed to keep their middle school kid in the NE. They have been pushing instead to keep a cohort together (not split 3 ways) until more information is known.

Outrage against APP will misdirect anger and allow the District to slide.

It is not right to draw kids across the street from Eckstein out of boundary. Please advocate against an obvious injustice vs. the diversionary APP stuff.

-StepJ

Lynn said…
StepJ,

Who do you think should be kicked out of Eckstein to correct that?
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
WS said…
Jump Math is a non-profit organization with a great, nearly free math curriculum, used by at least one SPS school with success.
Anonymous said…
Kitty, zero current APP parents that I am aware of advocated for this plan. No, the district did not give them what they wanted. They gave them/us exactly what we asked not to have happen - a split, based on wild, unheard of, unhinged growth projection numbers, without which the cohort size is too small to run. And honestly I always thought Charlie said he liked this to make a point about politics in school board decisions, not because he actually wanted it. This will be fairly convenient for me, physically, but I think it is bad for the APP program and very bad for capacity. You need fewer kids in middle school in the NE! you have a program that can bus them almost anywhere in the city, and they willbe happy to go, so long as there are enough of them! Use it!

If I had to wildly speculate, I would say this has something to do with Sharon Peaslee's extreme vendetta against APP, and some horse trading with the other board members. If they had much input.

-sleeper
Anonymous said…
Charlie's comment about PTA fundraising in response to the Seattle Times article by Martin:

"The amount of money raised by PTAs at affluent schools doesn't come close to the additional funding provided to low income schools.
What equity goal does Mr. Martin have in mind? What is his definition of equity? Where is the finish line?"

The WSF (or whatever they call it these days) doesn't come close to addressing the needs of students in highly impacted schools. Any attempt to justify the inequities in PTA fundraising (by perpetuating the myth that SPS middle class families are funding allocation victims) demonstrates ignorance and insensitivity toward the needs of these students.

If you want to keep the money within the school that raised it, just say so! The fact is that high numbers of students living in poverty usually require more funding--it is cynical to use this as a rationalization for keeping the PTA money. The funding is a small attempt to level the playing field, after all. Isn't that what you have been calling for the past few days, Charlie?

--enough already

Anonymous said…
Huge apologies and I stand corrected! But any guess as to why the school district would make such a radical change to the boundaries when no one had advocated for this change?

Good to know that many will be against this most recent plan. Hopefully that will bring back one of the other plans that was better...

-kitty
Anonymous said…
Kitty, how refreshing it is to see dialog here! I wish the blog general went that way!

Alas, I have yet to see 'better plan'. The S/SE is still scrambled. Walk zones are still not maximized. And none of this can 'stick' because the District is trying to draw boundaries 6 years out for buildings that don't even exist, so obviously, those boundaries will fail, because the uncertainty is so great.

The 'plan' is an overreach that is trying to do too much all at once, and causing a lot of heart ache and misalignment in the meantime is very real.

-hoping for better
Anonymous said…
Power in this city is south of 75th and north of the Ship Canal. Language immersion, APP, low FRL

--equity ha
Anonymous said…
It really is like the district wants to make Hamilton an uber school- uncrowded, very rich, app, language immersion, and will do anything to anyone to get it. The funny thing is no one is asking for that. I looked through the comment cards, and there were about 300 on APP. 295 saying please don't split, or at least wait 3 years, and about 5 saying they liked the old plan(I think since their app kid would go to Hamilton). Zero on moving app to eckstein.

-sleeper
Linh-Co said…
@ Ugh Pearson - I would love to learn more about Envision from you. Could you email me at rickbmail@yahoo.com?
Anonymous said…
APP to Eckstein makes sense.

like it
Anonymous said…
Anyone notice Board agenda item to lease to Africatown?

Anonymous said…
My middle schooler wants to see Ender's game after reading the book in 5th grade and have invited a couple of friends. One parent said no, gonna boycott due to author's anti-gay views. Fine. I get that. Then again, I was talking to my kids, where does that leave the likes of Ronald Dahl, of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame,who was quite the anti-Semite? In the end, we figure we can still enjoy their work while being mindful of the authors' views. I told them I rather have them read widely even of views that might be distasteful and hateful because awareness of what is out there is powerful armor.

Anyway, we are going to go see it, though my choice was Gravity, since I got out voted.

parent

Christina said…
Again with the cruel timing for NE Parents with power outages, the MAP Results for Fall 2013 Session are now on PowerSchools/Source/PoS...
Lynn said…
parent,

One of my kids is boycotting the movie for that reason. It's killing him - he really enjoyed the book. He says the difference is Roald Dahl is dead and no longer profiting from his work.
Charlie Mas said…
Just a little note for clarity...

I did say, strenuously, that compliance with the Board policy on program placement practically directs the superintendent to place NE middle school APP at Eckstein rather than JAMS.

Is that a good idea? Is it a bad idea? I have no opinion. It is, however, the only placement that complies with the Board's policy.

If the Board doesn't like it, then they should amend their policy, not just violate it.

I think it would be a good idea for Seattle Public Schools to act like an orderly institution that makes decisions which are in compliance with their own policies as well as state and federal laws. I think it would be a good idea for Seattle Public Schools to make decisions which are consistent with their stated values and core beliefs.

I didn't write the policies, the laws, the stated values, or the core beliefs. I just reminded people of them.
Charlie Mas said…
The amount of money provided to schools with high concentrations of poverty comes from sources other than the WSS. It comes from the state in the form of LAP dollars and from the federal government in the form of Title I funding. This funding, which used to be called compensatory funding, is typically in excess of $250,000 a year and exceeds $400,000 a year at a number of schools.

It is far in excess of the funds donated by PTAs.
Lynn said…
Charlie,

I'm confused about something the district announced Friday. They are providing free all day kindergarten at 16 more schools than originally planned. The 27 schools already doing this receive extra funding from the district. These new schools are using LAP dollars to pay for it.

Are those LAP funds usuallly allocated to specific schools? What are they usually spent on? Lower class sizes? Tutors?
Anonymous said…
Charlie,

I am quite aware of LAP and Title I money. The Martin article said that there is district money allocated in addition to these funds, too.

Of course the money exceeds PTA donations, and it should! The funding is intended to help children who are living in poverty get some educational assistance that will help give them a chance to have better otucomes.

Like I stated before, this money does not begin to meet the needs of students in highly impacted schools, and research bears this out.

And your point is? What does this have to do with PTAs wanting to keep their money?

--enough already
Charlie Mas said…
"The WSF (or whatever they call it these days) doesn't come close to addressing the needs of students in highly impacted schools. Any attempt to justify the inequities in PTA fundraising (by perpetuating the myth that SPS middle class families are funding allocation victims) demonstrates ignorance and insensitivity toward the needs of these students."

Just keep moving the finish line or, if you can't move it, hide it.
Anonymous said…
Charlie,

I no longer work in SPS, so I was not aware if they include the LAP and Title I with the WSS (as I believe they once did) or figure it separately. Therefore, I called it all WSS in my first comment.

But the point remains the same: You tried to justify PTAs keeping their own money by saying that the lower income schools get so much more. I say that the money for schools with higher concentrations of poverty does not begin to meet their needs (which research confirms), but is a small effort at leveling the playing field.

It is cynical to use this money to rationalize not sharing fundraising monies (like they do in Portland and other places). If you and others think the PTAS should keep the money to themselves because they raise it,
then own that.

It has nothing to do with the funding that highly impacted schools desperately need.

--enough already
Lynn said…
It has everything to do with the fact that our schools are seriously underfunded. PTAs might be more willing and able to fundraise for other schools if they felt their child's school covered the basics. (Reasonable class size, decent math curriculum, art and music classes.)
Anonymous said…
Note on Ender's Game movie, Orson Scott Card makes no money on this movie. He has already been paid long ago. He makes no more money on the movie since he sold the rights to the book to have the movie made.

You can see the movie without worrying about him making any money off of it. The movie is a pretty good adaptation.

HP

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