tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post5650844359543713269..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Strategic PlanMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21372363206747053182013-05-17T10:08:29.096-07:002013-05-17T10:08:29.096-07:00Strategic plan gives us good value in school or ev...Strategic plan gives us good value in school or even at business. This one better way we can be able to achieve our target goals in life, it allows people to gain good benefits from having that very unique plan in school or in business. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.whowritesbest.com/" rel="nofollow">custom writing service reviews</a>.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07561525387368971855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-59964940997046124162013-02-16T13:35:56.177-08:002013-02-16T13:35:56.177-08:00Big Lie: Thanks. I am disappointed that more tea...Big Lie: Thanks. I am disappointed that more teachers do not take their union solidarity seriously. I did my level best to get the teachers at my school to vote for Muhs but most of them simply did not vote.<br /><br />At the same time, we are so inundated with work and paperwork and meetings that even I have quit going to meetings since January. I would have heard that had I attended. I'm simply overwhelmed. The teachers in my school are the walking dead. <br /><br />I've given up trying to understand it. And even less do I understand how to solve it. At some point, shouldn't the superintendent have a clue about the workload on his own teaching staff? <br /><br />Good teaching cannot come from a sleep-deprived and depressed workforce. But of course here I'm speaking to the choir.<br /><br />So long as education is the new political football, I doubt much will change for the better. But thank you President Obama for realizing that we do need earlier intervention with pre-K. Now let's hope he is successful.nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-16510948144636675122013-02-16T08:24:32.145-08:002013-02-16T08:24:32.145-08:00n at 2/16/13, 12:50 AM
in a nutshell, teachers ar...n at 2/16/13, 12:50 AM<br /><br />in a nutshell, teachers are selected by SEA leaership, IMNHO the main criteria for selection being how aligned the teachers are with SEA-WEA political cowardice and sell out-ism.<br /><br />I'm told that at the Monday 11 Feb RA a young woman teacher asked very pointed questions about the selection process to Jonathan - Bafia at some point went on defense with some clique-ish insider excuse that if there were elections, then the selection would just be a popularity contest. Given that 75% of the SEA members didn't vote in the year ago SEA Presidential election, given that SEA's facebook has about 950 likes and the Support Garfield facebook has over 6000 likes, maybe something popular would, maybe something NOT be insider clique-ish b.s. - maybe that would be a good idea? <br /><br />Cliques and 'democracy' and<br /><br />TheBigLie <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-55591679857765263252013-02-16T00:50:57.723-08:002013-02-16T00:50:57.723-08:00Thanks, Sue P. I still don't see how teachers...Thanks, Sue P. I still don't see how teachers are selected unless via the organizations and district staff members listed. I wonder how many teachers are included? <br /><br />Perhaps I'm off base, but isn't Charlie's question one of academics over management? And who better to provide academic input that a wide diversity of teachers themselves? nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-19187709235462018332013-02-15T13:01:21.817-08:002013-02-15T13:01:21.817-08:00@mirmac1: now we have the RoadMap Project. I urge ...@mirmac1: <i>now we have the RoadMap Project. I urge you to read the grant proposal on their website. There is a little of there for everyone, including data analysis consultants.</i><br /><br />For others who aren't aware of this, here's a link to the <a href="http://www.roadmapproject.org" rel="nofollow">Road Map Project web site</a>. I've been poking around their site, but haven't run into a grant proposal yet, do you have a direct link?<br /><br /><i>There's Pre-K readiness, there's college preparedness. But there's alot of opening the kimono with regards to your child's personal info. Gee, did you learn that through community engagement. I'm sure it was through phony feel good meetings like the SP Taskforce.</i><br /><br />You're absolutely right about the kimono opening. All this P20 stuff is intended to track each individual kid from preschool through college (and beyond, to their first jobs as well, if they can get that data). It's tied to edu-reform throughout the country. Look up SLDS (Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems) to find tons of information about these kinds of projects.<br /><br />The <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/faq_grant_program.asp" rel="nofollow">NCES Grant FAQ </a> states:<br /><br /><i>These data systems securely follow students from early education through the workforce and facilitate the disaggregation, reporting, and analyses of longitudinal data.</i><br /><br />and: <i>In addition, states have developed Memoranda of Understanding for data sharing, access and reporting when working with other agencies, universities or outsides researchers. </i><br /><br />So we can see that they are collecting data, disaggregating it and providing it to 3rd parties (like these guys: http://www.choicep20.com ?), none of which we have any control over. Or do we? <br /><br />Mirmac1, there was a recent question about public directory information, and the right to opt out. Are you aware of any way to opt out of this type of data collection and dissemination? I want to opt out <i>right now</i>.dwnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-79178289765550196042013-02-15T12:11:25.441-08:002013-02-15T12:11:25.441-08:001. Ideas MUST be paid for.
2. Therefore, the step...1. Ideas MUST be paid for. <br />2. Therefore, the steps necessary to implement the ideas must be figured out.<br />3. Ideas (aka "Best Practices") should be prioritized. <br />4. People who can't do #1-3 within 2 weeks should be fired and put on a do not rehire list. <br /><br />2PagesIsEnoughAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42747811526549945142013-02-15T11:13:42.479-08:002013-02-15T11:13:42.479-08:00I absolutely agree that a 72-person committee is a...I absolutely agree that a 72-person committee is a recipe for futility.<br /><br />When I write that the previous strategic plan was a management plan, I mean that it was focused on creating structures to allow managers to their jobs.<br /><br />Take a look at the <a href="http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/communications/strategic%20plan/plan_strategies_summary.pdf" rel="nofollow">summary of the plan</a>.<br /><br />Yes, it included curricular alignment, but that was to better define the teachers' job duties and thereby facilitate their performance reviews.<br /><br />The development of assessment tools was, again, a management tool more than a teaching tool.<br /><br />The school segmentation was all about management, not teaching.<br /><br />They were supposed to fix the many dysfunctions of HR - that's management.<br /><br />They wanted to implement performance reviews. That's management.<br /><br />They wanted to improve their central admin technology. That's management.<br /><br />They introduced Project Management. That's management.<br /><br />The current strategic plan, Excellence for All, was and is a management plan, not an academic one.<br /><br />I think that the Strategic Plan should be focused on moving the institution towards fulfilling its mission. The Mission of the school district is to educate students.<br /><br />I would like to see the plan more focused on what happens for students in the classroom than what data is available to central administration.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-26214150786309958002013-02-15T11:10:19.467-08:002013-02-15T11:10:19.467-08:00"If so, shouldn't it be a lot shorter? Ju..."If so, shouldn't it be a lot shorter? Just one page with 2-4 measurable goals?"<br /><br />You'd hope but with this huge a committee.<br /><br />For the record, I didn't apply and wouldn't have. I think the size is too big, I think there are those who will attempt to dominate the discussion and the district has already hired a consulting firm. <br /><br />I wish they had just asked for imput instead of this overwhelming committee. I am going to try to make some of their meetings.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-53951268475261972852013-02-14T21:20:30.857-08:002013-02-14T21:20:30.857-08:00WSDWG wrote:
"I'm going to go out on a l...WSDWG wrote:<br /><br /><i>"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I smell a rat. A 72 person committee? <b>Sounds like something intentionally created to ensure little consensus on anything</b>."</i><br /><br />Nobel Prize winner in Physics <a href="http://www.feynmanonline.com" rel="nofollow">Richard P. Feynman</a> served on the California Math Textbook adoption committee in 1964.... He said if you want a quality result get 5 very knowledgeable experts together ... if you want a mess put 20 to 100 :"wanna be experts" together.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.textbookleague.org/103feyn.htm" rel="nofollow">Annals of Corruption</a> "Judging Books by Their Covers".<br /><br /><b><i>"State adoption proceedings still are pervaded by sham, malfeasance and ludicrous incompetence, and they still reflect cozy connections between state agencies and schoolbook companies."</i></b><br /><br />Seattle School District proceedings are apparently modeled on the "State adoption proceedings" from California of 50 years ago.... some things never change.... the monied elites are still controlling these games.<br /><br />OMG- A 72 person committee?<br /><br />If one expects a change, a constitutional amendment limiting campaign contributions to public officials' campaigns will be a necessary start. Sen. Bill Bradley believes this could be enacted in 10 years if the public would demonstrate adequate concern.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2012/05/07/Bill-Bradley-Super-PACs-Are-Killing-Democracy.aspx%23page1#page1" rel="nofollow">SuperPACs are killing Democracy</a>dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48567530822987980422013-02-14T16:44:19.862-08:002013-02-14T16:44:19.862-08:00I'm going to go out on a limb here and say tha...I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I smell a rat. A 72 person committee? Sounds like something intentionally created to ensure little consensus on anything. Then will come the declarations of "failed bureaucracies" and "too much process - 72 people?" along with the ever-present "Seattle can't get anything done" theme as a predicate to a push for Mayoral Control over the schools. <br /><br />I feared this with the 30+ person FacMac committee, and I fear it even more now. That's just way, way too many people for any committee, IMHO.<br /><br />SueP and MichelleB have their work cut out for them, that's for sure. <br />WSDWGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-55601789164315121862013-02-14T16:17:28.368-08:002013-02-14T16:17:28.368-08:00Speaking of absurd =>
"In 2008, the Seatt...Speaking of absurd =><br /><br /><i>"In 2008, the Seattle School Board unanimously approved Excellence for All, <b>aimed at ensuring all students graduate from high school ready for college, careers and life.</b> (</i>fine example of an aspirational BS goal that is impossible to reach<i>)<br /><br />The plan is <b>based on best practices nationally</b> (</i>no research would show that "Discovery Math" and a variety of language arts practices pushed were very effective... <b>hardly best</b> .. but Nationally pushed by the Ed Elites<i>) and input from more than 3,000 staff and community members. The plan includes <b>clear and measurable goals</b> (</i>many of which no sane person would have believed were attainable... and yet school report cards were based on student grades rather than measurable test competency -- huge mismatch for Aki Kurose)<i>- with strategies to achieve them – for students, schools, staff and district.</i> --- (except very few if any of those strategies produced the results needed to attain the original <b>clear and measurable goals</b> ... the absurd goals)dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-2104307523684280442013-02-14T15:43:08.125-08:002013-02-14T15:43:08.125-08:00(cont'd from above)
In addition, five slots w...(cont'd from above)<br /><br /><i>In addition, five slots will be available via random selection. To be eligible to serve on the taskforce in one of the open seats, you must be a Seattle resident and contact Anita DeMahy at 206-252-0040 or andemahy@seattleschools.org by Jan. 17, 2013 to nominate yourself. Please include your name, phone number, email address, and if you are affiliated with a school or community organization. Each person will be assigned a number and a random drawing will take place to fill those slots.<br />Taskforce members must be able to commit to at least four of the five meetings listed below. Substitutes or proxies may not be sent in your place. This is to guarantee consistency and reflective discussion throughout the process.<br />o Wednesday, Feb. 6, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.<br />o Tuesday, Feb. 19, 4-8 p.m.<br />o Wednesday, March 6, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.<br />o Thursday, March 14, 5-9 p.m.<br />o Wednesday, May 1, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.<br />All meetings will take place in the John Stanford Center’s auditorium, 2445 3rd Ave. S. Please note that taskforce membership is on a voluntary, unpaid basis.<br />Task force members will offer feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the District’s current strategic plan, develop student and District profiles, give feedback on the vision, mission and core beliefs of the District, and make recommendations on strategic goals and initiatives. Those selected for the open seats will be notified by Jan. 25.<br />The updated Strategic Plan is expected to be presented to the School Board for introduction at the June 19 Board meeting and for action at the July 3 Board meeting. Five regional meetings will be held in April to gather additional feedback from the community on a draft of the Strategic Plan. In addition, the process will include a way to provide feedback online before a School Board vote, expected in July.<br /><br />The current Strategic Plan can be found online at http://bit.ly/ExcellenceForAll<br /><br />### Media contact: Lesley Rogers (206) 255-2811 or larogers1@seattleschools.org</i><br /><br />Source: http://www.seattlecouncilptsa.org/article_607.shtmlsuep.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17281578510716234624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62188320403460014152013-02-14T15:41:48.711-08:002013-02-14T15:41:48.711-08:00Hi n,
I don't know the profiles of all the te...Hi n,<br /><br />I don't know the profiles of all the teachers. I'll have a look. In the meantime, I would expect the district would post the list of the task force members on its site, like it did last year for the supt. search community task force. (Quite a few of us were on that committee too.)<br /><br />Here's some info (from the district) on how the task force was formed:<br /><br /><i>January 10, 2013<br /><br />News Release<br /><br />Seattle Public Schools to update Strategic Plan, seeking community volunteers for task force<br /><br />Seattle Public Schools is starting the process of revising the current Strategic Plan, Excellence for All. The updated plan will guide academic and operational priorities for the next three to five years and include ongoing benchmarking to measure the District’s performance.<br />In 2008, the Seattle School Board unanimously approved Excellence for All, aimed at ensuring all students graduate from high school ready for college, careers and life. The plan is based on best practices nationally and input from more than 3,000 staff and community members. The plan includes clear and measurable goals - with strategies to achieve them – for students, schools, staff and district.<br />“The current Strategic Plan was very ambitious and put the District on the right path,” said Superintendent José Banda. “Although we have seen increases in student academic success, we must do more to ensure each student receives a high quality education. An updated Strategic Plan can set us on that course.”<br />An important part of the review is to engage with the community and seek as much feedback as possible to help shape the goals of the District over the next three to five years. Pivot Learning Partners has been hired to consult with the District, gather feedback from the community, and assist in the development of an updated plan.<br />A key element to gathering feedback is the formation of a Stakeholder Taskforce. The taskforce, made up of approximately 60-80 people, will be a diverse group that includes parents/guardians, teachers, principals, district staff, and community and business leaders. Members will include the organizations/individuals selected by School Board members who served on the Community Focus Group during the Superintendent search last April. Members are also being selected by the Seattle Council PTSA, the Special Education PTSA, higher education community, labor partners, district staff, and community organizations. School Board Directors will appoint two members each.</i><br /><br />(cont'd)suep.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17281578510716234624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-79756465653185262072013-02-14T15:13:42.685-08:002013-02-14T15:13:42.685-08:00"Best Practices" smells like the down to..."Best Practices" smells like the down town business boys speak. <br /><br />In my book, any strategic plan over a page is worthless because isn't never referred to, contains contradictory directives, and has plenty of hidey holes in which people justify all manner of decisions.Catherinenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21961634667370279482013-02-14T15:09:29.823-08:002013-02-14T15:09:29.823-08:00Charlie -- I am like Greg. I am not sure I know w...Charlie -- I am like Greg. I am not sure I know what an ideal strategic plan should look like, and what levels of detail it should include (good thing I am not on this committee, interesting though it is). <br /><br />Could you give me an example of what strategic plan elements (of an academic plan) might look like with respect to one of your listed items? I like a lot of the ideas that people have thrown out; I just have no idea how those do or don't fit into a strategic plan -- and if they are in there, what they look like (in terms of goals, action items, measurables, etc.)<br /><br />Hate to be so dense here. I think this is one of those times where it is a lot easier to identify what I DON'T like in the existing than it is to describe what I think should replace it. Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09923777229601243321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-84013164032779916762013-02-14T14:18:48.529-08:002013-02-14T14:18:48.529-08:00Also, Sue P., what is the make up of the teacher r...Also, Sue P., what is the make up of the teacher representation? Elementary, middle, high school? Regional diversity? SES school diversity? Right brain vs. left brain thinkers? (The last one was sort of a "ha ha" but truthfully, in my experience, we end up with an awful lot of listmakers and few creative thinkers!)nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3798083738469383562013-02-14T14:14:21.022-08:002013-02-14T14:14:21.022-08:00Another question for Sue P: How do teachers get s...Another question for Sue P: How do teachers get selected for these committees? I've been in the district over twenty years and I've never known a teacher who was asked to participate and one who did participate in any venture like this. Who do you have to know? <br /><br />I'm not interested but curious. Who makes these selections and how is it that diverse teachers are included?nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-50068796290632108662013-02-14T12:34:23.959-08:002013-02-14T12:34:23.959-08:00Well, that is why I said "best practices back...Well, that is why I said "best practices backed by research"... I'll grant that you can find research that backs just about anything (eg Discovery Math), but maybe we can go with "backed by academic consensus and proven in practice."Eric Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47567443600580822032013-02-14T12:07:36.982-08:002013-02-14T12:07:36.982-08:00WOW!!!
If the Strat Plan uses the term Best Pract...WOW!!!<br /><br />If the Strat Plan uses the term <i><b>Best Practices</b></i>, then I want the SPS to show that any practices deemed Best Practices actually are worthwhile. .... Best because the SPS says so just does not cut it.dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62050531216177813942013-02-14T11:10:49.637-08:002013-02-14T11:10:49.637-08:00I want it to be a plan. The last SP was "We ...I want it to be a plan. The last SP was "We will do X in Y years," where X was anything from increasing numbers of kids reading at grade level to reducing dropout rates. Those are all great things, but they're not a plan. A plan has actions attached, for example, "We will increase the number of children reading at grade level in 4th grade by replacing the K-3 reading curriculum and ensuring that all teaching is done to current best practices backed by research." Eric Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-53391642372289510162013-02-14T10:37:58.028-08:002013-02-14T10:37:58.028-08:00Melissa/Charlie,
I wrote a somewhat long post her...Melissa/Charlie,<br /><br />I wrote a somewhat long post here last night, and I saw it posted, but now it's gone. Can you please check to see if it's just been marked as spam or something by blogger? I really hate this captcha stuff, it seems to interfere in weird ways. Thanks.dwnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-6549228528449372472013-02-14T08:31:07.327-08:002013-02-14T08:31:07.327-08:00I want them to look at math. They need to fix the ...I want them to look at math. They need to fix the curriculum and stop the failed discovery math approach. Our students need to become proficient so they are not placed into remedial math in college.<br /><br />S parentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48762817441930435662013-02-14T07:10:56.515-08:002013-02-14T07:10:56.515-08:00If I were King of The District I would divide up i...If I were King of The District I would divide up into 4 districts. I believe this district is too big. It is more concerned about processes, adult employment, and what it looks like politically than educating children. Smaller districts would be more cohesive, agile, and have a grater ability to focus on the kids.<br /><br />-King for The DayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-72660252148812392632013-02-14T05:55:37.015-08:002013-02-14T05:55:37.015-08:00repost of a great point(pick a pseudonym or risk d...repost of a great point(pick a pseudonym or risk deletion:<br /><br /><i> Anonymous said...<br /><br /> I hope the strategic plan focuses on bottom-up accountability. Specifically, that means measuring parent and teacher satisfaction with district services, then acting on substantive concerns. In other words, I want to see the district focus on improving what they already do, not look to do new things. After all the churn of the last few years, there's a lot of messes that need to be cleaned up before anything new is taken on.</i>mirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-10417471255388880652013-02-13T21:30:42.124-08:002013-02-13T21:30:42.124-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com