McDonald Principal to Switch to CTE Head Next Year

The McDonald International school community received a letter today from principal Dan Golosman, letting them know that he has been tapped to head CTE sites around the district.

He said that the school community would be involved in the "first round" of seeking a new principal and that he would stay with the school until the end of the school year.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Where does a language immersion school find a qualified principal within the district ranks? The most talented leaders seem committed to their schools and the least talented aren't fodder for a language-focus school

NE Questioning
Anonymous said…
Why are the language immersion programs even allowed to operate? The immense benefit of learning a second language is offered to a very few lucky students who live in the right neighborhoods. These are option schools in name only. The programs are costly to run and parents are expected to foot the bill, making it hard to impossible for some families to participate. Not fair, not equitable. Why?

Citizen
Lynn said…
I think the immersion schools are an odd model. Schools in other countries teach a second language to every student. Do they use immersion programs? It seems like it could be done with a daily lesson - just like reading and math.
Stats Mom said…
No, they are not in 'name only' they use the same tie breakers than any other option school to allow students in. Parents are asked to contribute to fund an additional instructional assistant- and only in those school where the FRL is not high enough to provide for the additional funds, but if you can't give there is no requirement, that is incorrect.
Stats Mom said…
@Lynn Immersion schools are a well researched and proved model i.e. http://carla.umn.edu/immersion/index.html
Research shows one learns a language best by being surrounded by it, and earlier is better as shown by the UW I-Labs research. Not sure why you find it 'odd'?

Also it is a common model in many countries, where they are called bicultural or international schools (also American schools); sure many countries also do one lesson a day but it depends on how many resources you devote to it and the level of fluency you expect.
Stats mom, your comments raise a good point.

How are the immersion schools doing in fluency for students who pass thru the various levels? I've never seen any discussion or data on this point.
Jet City mom said…
Id like to see a school that uses ASL as an immersion language.
Some kids, such as those w dyslexia, have a real problem learning another language, but if they want to go onto further education, they must have it.
ASL not only can be easier to learn for those students but it can open career pathways.
Additionally kids who have limited hearing deserve to be in a school in their community with their peers, not forced to move.
Stats Mom said…
@Melissa
I agree, further as a Immersion school parent I'd like to see more formal assessments, we were told that kids might be given a test this year but 'it was unclear if there was money'. At least at my kids school this year we are getting separate language report cards. As with other programs in SPS, if you are going to do it do it right (and fund it)


Anonymous said…
I see immersion schools as being significantly different from other schools in terms of resources, funding, and the quality of education that they provide. It seems unfair to me that people who live in the neighborhood get to send their kids there, but others have to go through a series of tiebreakers. Anyone who lives in Seattle should have an equal chance of getting into a language immersion school via lottery. -NP
Anonymous said…
I see immersion schools as being significantly different from other schools in terms of resources, funding, and the quality of education that they provide.

NP, are you referring to immersion schools in general, immersion schools in SPS, or particular schools? And what outcomes are you using to measure the quality of education they provide?

kitty
Anonymous said…
So, if your fundraising goal isn't met, how do you decide how to spend fewer dollars? You are asking parents to pay the salaries of the IAs. If there isn't enough money, what do you do? Do some classes go without an IA? I've heard that there is immense pressure on parents to give all they can, through multiple fundraisers.

As for the fairness of the tiebreakers, the language immersion schools in the north end are in wealthy neighborhoods. They are populated by upper middle class families who can afford to keep this bloated model afloat. These are families who have the money to intentionally buy houses located in the geozone for these schools. There are very, very few students who come from other neighborhoods.

In the south end, the IAs are paid for by Title 1 and LAP funds and are meant to support ELL. Using these dollars to fund language immersion is a misuse and, I believe, very wrong.

North end language immersion schools are pretty much charter schools, taking resources from the district and from parents so that a few students can get special programming that the majority of students to not have access to. This is not basic education. Learning another language is a valuable skill, but it should either be available to all kids and paid for by the district, or not at all.

Anonymous said…
sign the above

fed up
Anonymous said…
fed up,

I never felt immense pressure to donate a lot...

Yes, if there isn't enough money raised, some classes can go without IAs. They prioritize them in the younger grades, when kids don't know the language as well. Makes sense.

The language immersion schools in the north end are not in wealthy neighborhoods, comparing them to many other neighborhoods in Seattle? Yes, the families in these neighborhoods have the money to intentionally buy (or rent) housing in these neighborhoods, as is the case in any neighborhood. There are plenty of much more expensive neighborhoods than these.

You many believe using federal ELL money for immersion is just plain wrong, but unfortunately for you, dual immersion is an evidence based model that is an allowable use of such funding.

North end language immersion schools are pretty much charter schools? Bizarre. And many schools have special programming that the majority of students to not have access to--Montessori, STEM, environmental ed, social justice, biotech academy, film program, etc. Are those also not basic education? Should they all be provided to everyone, or not at all? Do you really want in system in which everyone gets exactly the same basics, and nothing else?

kitty
Anonymous said…
Yes, the option language immersion schools are in wealthy neighborhoods. And if you think that all families have the financial means to rent or buy in whatever neighborhood they please in order for their children to get the kind of education they prefer, your privilege has made you blind.

I don't think that all schools need to offer the exact same program, but I do want a system in which the school district makes sure that programs are accessible, equitable, and sustainable. I want a system in which poor kids and rich kids have the same chance to go to a great school. I want the school district to stop relying on parents to fund teachers, staff, and school supplies.

The fact that a PTA has to raise $500,000 to keep the program going is unconscionable. This topic is being discussed over at Soup for Teachers on Facebook. You should check it out. I'm far from alone in my opinion.

fed up




Anonymous said…
@Kitty, I am referring to language immersion schools in SPS. Language immersion programs provide many advantages to students. We all know that language learning occurs most easily in the early grades and those skills stick with students for a lifetime. I see access to these types of programs as critical to all learners.

Language immersion is very different from Montessori, STEM, film academy, bio tech etc. Those programs are great, but they don't confer the same kinds of benefits. For example, to get into a selective 4 year college, students need to have 3 if not 4 years of a language in high school. Hard to accomplish for many students when they also have to juggle all of the other academic, volunteer, music, and sports requirements to be competitive. But a kid who comes from a language immersion school can enter high school at an advanced language level, take the AP exams, scores a 4 or 5, and move on to the other classes he or she wants to take. In addition, high school students have the option of applying for the WA state "Seal of Bi-Literacy". If they take a test (offered through OSPI) and demonstrate their fluency in a foreign language, a special seal indicating their language proficiency and accomplishments goes on their high school diploma. The other programs you mention don't come near to conferring these types of tangible and marketable benefits.

I want all kids to have access to language immersion through a magnet school approach where people enter a lottery to get a spot at that school. I do't think language immersion should be limited to certain neighborhoods. I agree with fed up's comments above. -NP
Anonymous said…
Below is more information on the Seal of Bi-Literacy from the weblink below
http://www.k12.wa.us/WorldLanguages/SealofBiliteracy.aspx

Why the Seal of Biliteracy?
Over 40 percent of Washington State jobs are tied to international trade, so it is critical for students to develop proficiency in English and other languages to maintain competitiveness. The bilingual skills of students for whom English is not a first or dominant language represent a tremendous potential resource to the state. Also, English students who follow long sequences of world language study and practice increase their marketability in the workplace. In addition to career advantages, studies also show numerous cognitive benefits for students learning more than one language, including enhanced working memory, attention, flexibility and creative thinking. All of these attributes will be valuable in students' futures.
A report on the state of global education in Washington State (PDF)
International Competitiveness Strategy for Washington State
Language Learning in the 21st Century
Foreign Language Enrollments in K-12 Public Schools: Are Students Prepared for a Global Society? (PDF)
-NP
Anonymous said…
NP, I think you overestimate the benefit these immersion programs provide. I do not believe immersion students get a higher quality education overall than their peers, and in fact, they are hindered in some ways. They do get earlier exposure to a world language, but the level of fluency they develop may surprise you. (I know the 6th grade teacher was shocked and disappointed at the level of her incoming class!) Most immersion students, if they stick with their language ( and I know many who do not), enter high school only about a year ahead of where others who take a language in middle school place. They should all have time to take enough language in high school to get to the AP or IB level and qualify for that seal of biliteracy. AP language classes are not primarily filled by immersion students.

But I DO agree that it was a dumb move to place two immersion schools right next to each other in a crowded area that lacks sufficient access to neighborhood schools.

kitty
Anonymous said…
Then why even have such an ineffectual and expensive program, Kitty? I think it's so privileged families can feel like their kids are getting something super special.

fed up
Anonymous said…
fed up,

Your argument that we only have them so privileged families can feel like their kids are getting something super special doesn't hold up when (1) we have them in lower income schools as well, and (2) everyone else seems to want this model and decries how unfair it is that these schools aren't more accessible and/or more widespread.

And why do so many people of all types--"privileged" or not--want language immersion? Because, when done well, it can be very effective. Do I think SPS does it well? Absolutely not. Nor do many others families who have gone through it. Personally, I think the north end schools would be better off if they dropped the immersion aspect, but that's just me. If SPS did meaningful evaluation of its programs, we might have data to shed some light on the issue.

It's unfortunate that SPS placed two international elementary schools right next to each other in the north end, but blaming the neighborhood for that isn't really the solution.

kitty

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