tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post2307817565906152980..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Small Schools Experiment, Oregon-styleMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-46146075919668716442017-06-16T16:39:29.985-07:002017-06-16T16:39:29.985-07:00When the members of the admission committee read y...When the members of the admission committee read your applicants have to provide the readers with some idea of who you are as a person. This is why it is so difficult for students to be able to write a great statement of purpose for graduate school. <a href="http://www.graduateschoolstatementofpurpose.org/" rel="nofollow">graduate school statement of purpose</a>aliyaahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06184256288293330921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-59160626455261006592008-06-29T18:24:00.000-07:002008-06-29T18:24:00.000-07:00t.You make an excellent point that schools are com...t.<BR/><BR/>You make an excellent point that schools are complex systems. I disagree strongly with your statement about confining myself to only WASL data.<BR/><BR/>Look at the data available for the 2006-2007 school year and you will find WSHS doing much better than the picture you paint.<BR/><BR/>The fact that Gates and other overhead interference rarely supported the WSHS 4-period day can not be over-looked as a contributing factor.<BR/><BR/>Please post some real data here or send me some.<BR/><BR/>Ms. Santorno spouted generalities but never produced anything in the way of data.<BR/><BR/>Thanks,<BR/><BR/>dempsey_dan@yahoo.com<BR/><BR/>Looks a bit corrupt when the union fails to move a grievance along required time-lines and then has a hearing in June of 2008 at least 6 months off the required time line.<BR/><BR/>Business as usual in the SPS.dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-79737051176266533622008-06-26T08:54:00.000-07:002008-06-26T08:54:00.000-07:00Dan- Your chart makes an important point. It seems...Dan- Your chart makes an important point. It seems that you have been cherry-picking your data previously to make your own conclusions. Your earlier entry said, "just as WSHS made great strides" referring to their WASL score improvements! You can't have your cake & eat it also. There has never been any DATA to show that it was only the 4-period day which led to the WASL scores improving. As we all know, and as the REA's report on the WSHS program noted, "...it is important to remember that similar increases occurred at all high schools across the district." <BR/>If you had looked at more data, other than just focusing on WSHS's WASL scores, you would have seen a much darker side of the picture- SAT scores, "N" & "D" grades (especially for minorities, up to 60% of students), AP test scores, current drop-out rates, attendance, suspensions... all this data you choose to ignore in your blind support of the 4-period schedule. It's finished and it's time to move on. Let's start to focus on what works for students!SPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12726295210572942506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-11829919601316480702008-06-25T23:32:00.000-07:002008-06-25T23:32:00.000-07:00Hey Rugles,The problem is there is apparently zero...Hey Rugles,<BR/><BR/>The problem is there is apparently zero in the way of effective leadership.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://mathunderground.blogspot.com/2008/06/wasl-and-iowa-tests-itbs.html" REL="nofollow"> Check these Charts here.</A><BR/><BR/>Click on the charts for easier reading.<BR/><BR/>So where is all this going ????<BR/><BR/>Looks a lot like going nowhere at greater and greater expense.dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47413487956102949572008-06-25T11:29:00.000-07:002008-06-25T11:29:00.000-07:00Doesn't seem so appalling to me. They had an idea,...Doesn't seem so appalling to me. They had an idea, and committed some money to it. If the results are not much different than if they had not done anything, where is the harm? <BR/><BR/>Additionally, it gives the kids who didn't do any homework, or only took one legitimate class in their senior year something to blame for their own under performance.rugleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303636114796314295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-40966893703305839102008-06-24T22:35:00.000-07:002008-06-24T22:35:00.000-07:00If you look at the impact this had on West Seattle...If you look at the impact this had on West Seattle High it was distruptive as plans that had been made by the teachers and staff were disrupted by Gates Foundation interference.<BR/><BR/>If that was not enough, just as WSHS made great strides amid Susan Derse's exit, the Central Admin further frustrated the West Seattle Teaching Community with the mandate to move to six periods.<BR/><BR/>If you read carefully it is apparent that one size does not fit all...... and yet that is MG-J's plan uniformity will bring a better situation ... why would anyone think that?<BR/><BR/>We see Franklin and many other places coming to the realization that believing in a fantasy will not make it true. Time to engage reality.<BR/><BR/>Could we please begin to objectively evaluate the data rather than distorting it to serve the purposes of the adults at the expense of the children and families.dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42348686297098441952008-06-24T12:55:00.000-07:002008-06-24T12:55:00.000-07:00I heard the leader of the Gates Foundation's educa...I heard the leader of the Gates Foundation's education on the radio. (I don't remember his name.) His experience was all from private schools. He thought the reason the "small school" idea was good was because it worked so well at Lakeside. Therefore it would be great for public schools to follow that model. How naive.xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15089729204559806236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-45168797020686229042008-06-24T00:08:00.000-07:002008-06-24T00:08:00.000-07:00There is another aspect to the small school drive....There is another aspect to the small school drive. The research to date had documented that "small" is not enough. The small schools (as a tendency) that have worked very well also have a "Vision". <BR/><BR/>So if a school wanted to be a small Arts school theme they have to hire strong Art and music teachers and develop core programs around that. For struggling students that probably means taking extra art/music classes, and maybe stretching the history class with strong emphases on the role of art/music in history... or maybe music theory emphases in math class. Yes, the students need enough math and science credits to graduate, but it takes a strong emphasis around the theme to attract struggling students and to then "hook" them.<BR/><BR/>Although SPS just took the money and ran w/o seriously trying to implement the small school theme, even neighboring districts serious about small schools appear not to be focusing on their themes enough to give credit to the research emphasizing that "small" is not enough if there are not numerous other improvements.John Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13900354438889978405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29476781983515455582008-06-23T22:48:00.000-07:002008-06-23T22:48:00.000-07:00Interesting- the title of this article is, "Oregon...Interesting- the title of this article is, "Oregon's small-school experiment slow to see results." Two years ago (11/05/06) the Seattle Times had an article with a very similar title, "Small-schools experiment has yet to yield big results."<BR/><BR/>It is appalling that the Gate's grants (and others) can use our children as "experiments" with huge strings attached to the money on how schools operate. In Seattle, the 4 high schools which bought into the Gates grant (and resulting D.O.E. grant) brought in mandated "differentiated learning" in 9th & 10th grades, banning any honors classes (even self-selected). It may work in smaller class sizes, and at lower grade levels it can be quite successful, but in high school it rarely succeeds due to the "extremely wide band of proficiency" of students. Five years later, Franklin has decided that differentiated learning does not work, and they are bringing back honors classes next year so that they can focus on all four individual "house" levels more effectively. (WSHS and Nathan Hale are still struggling without honors classes in the lower grades because of these grants).<BR/><BR/>What else did the 2006 Seattle Times article say? "The experiment- an attempt to downsize the American high school- has proven less successful than hoped. The changes were often so devisive- and the academic results so mixed- that the Gates Foundation has stopped always pushing small as a first step in improving big high schools. Instead, it's now also working directly on instruction, giving grants to improve math and science instruction, for example."<BR/><BR/>Gee, it took the Gates foundation how many million dollars, experimenting all those years on our kids (and still continuing in Oregon), to come to a "new" conclusion that any parent could have recommended in the first place, had they just asked the parents first!<BR/><BR/>The 2006 article continues, "Going forward, the foundation is advancing a core curriculum that all high schools students would be expected to take, (the Gated foundation director)said. And it wants to help improve math and science instruction by backing efforts to increase math requirements for high-school students, and to train more math and science teachers and pay them better." Gee, once again, ask the parents first and we could have all that extra millions to put into the actual classroom instruction!SShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13186930069077910007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-25428734318168897382008-06-23T15:40:00.000-07:002008-06-23T15:40:00.000-07:00"It points to the fact that even the great Bill Ga..."It points to the fact that even the great Bill Gates doesn't know everything about education "<BR/><BR/>Why would Mr Gates know *anything* about education?<BR/><BR/>Funny, but the other big Gates Foundation push is third world medicine, vaccines and all that. But does the Gates Foundation presuppose that they know everything about medicine and dictate how to deliver care? Or do they consult with medical and third world professionals in the field and defer to them? Why don't we see this sort of reporting on fiascos with the Gates Foundation medical philanthropy? Because the Foundation lets experts do their jobs without micromanaging and experimenting? <BR/><BR/>Why doesn't the Gates Foundation offer education the same respect?Dorothy Nevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17108759281089768738noreply@blogger.com