Middle Schools in Seattle
Conventional wisdom in Seattle is that there are some very good elementary schools, and some very good high schools, but that middle schools are problematic (perhaps with the exception of Eckstein). I certainly know several families who have sent children to public school in Seattle for K-5 and 9-12, but have gone private for middle school.
If you have concerns about middle schools in Seattle and want to have conversations with others who share your concern, Communities & Parents for Public Schools (CPPS) of Seattle is offering you that chance.
I received the following notice from Stephanie Jones, Strategic Organizer for CPPS of Seattle:
If you have concerns about middle schools in Seattle and want to have conversations with others who share your concern, Communities & Parents for Public Schools (CPPS) of Seattle is offering you that chance.
I received the following notice from Stephanie Jones, Strategic Organizer for CPPS of Seattle:
I’m looking for parent representatives from across the city and from different types of schools, to join a study group that CPPS is forming about middle school education in Seattle – defining what a high quality middle level education should look like; what Seattle does or doesn’t do to support parents’ visions of high quality middle school; and how to engage parents and community members in discussions about improving our middle schools.
Scheduling is the hardest part, so forgive the short timeline, but we are scheduled to Meet initially EITHER on Tues., November 13th at 6:30 pm OR Sat. Nov. 17th Between 11:45 and 1:45 – location TBD. I will have opportunities for folks to participate beyond the group if they cannot make the first meeting, or would like to engage in follow-up discussions. Hopefully, we’ll launch an online discussion, as well as some community forums in early 2008.
Interested folks should contact Stephanie Jones at stephaniej@cppsofseattle.org or by phone at 206/604-4408. I am eager to hear people’s perspectives, regardless of whether or not they can immediately participate."
Comments
I certainly know several families who have sent children to public school in Seattle for K-5 and 9-12, but have gone private for middle school.
Same story in Olympia. In fact there is an academically oriented private Middle School - Nova (grades 6,7,8) located reasonably close to Olympia High School and its feeder Washington Middle School.
Much of the dissatisfaction at the middle school level comes from what parents view as substandard academic programs. Way too much cutting and pasting etc.
Olympia SD against the advice from the Olympia High School Math Department recently adopted Connected Math Program at the middle level. This further alienated parents concerned with academic performance in Middle School.
Actions like these at the middle level may have led some people to vote against the 50% majority. When administration is perceived as ignoring substantive academic improvement, any request for lessening voter control will face increased opposition.
I do wish that the science program were more challenging and consistent and I wish they had access to a broader range of electives. If you're not into instrumental music, Washington's offerings are mighty thin.
When I look at the kinds of classes available at other middle schools - media, world languages, drama, interesting technology classes, etc. - I wonder why Washington, with an enrollment of just over 1,000, can't offer those sorts of classes as well.
When students use a class period as a T.A., that is a sign of failure.
I'm not saying that it is a bad school, just more relaxed than she is use to. And no challenge work or different rubrics available.
Some friends with high schoolers believe that middle school is an academic holding pattern while kids navigate puberty, then it gets more rigorous in high school.
If that is true someone forgot to give the memo to the music teachers. That program is rigorous & differentiated.
Of course I would guess that the APP program at Washington would be satisfying, the problem is that not all kids have access to such a challenging rigorous curriculum.
Both the NYT and the Washington Post have done series on middle school and the challenges and changes. I remember one article in particular in the WP about how gifted kids are much happier in middle school now that there's rigor.
Back when I was teaching high school math in the late 1980s, there was lots of buzz about a new math curriculum that was being developed to fix the problem of middle school math, where the traditional textbooks had new material on about 15% of the pages. It sounded wonderful, yet the result was Connected Math. What a disappointment.
I avoided some of the problems by sending my kid to middle school part time and homeschooling the rest. Not being required to be at school until a reasonable hour meant he also avoided the sleep deprivation struggle. Nor did he have to deal with middle school drama full time. In addition, we had him skip a year, only attending middle school for two instead of three years. Now he is attending high school full time and doing fine.
Eckstein has a wonderful 6th grade science program. My son had been in APP elementary school. The Eckstein science class is regular program, not for accelerated or advanced students. Yet, this class has been the only class ever where my son learned something new almost every single day of the year. And they had to think like scientists. Many of the exams were lab practicals.
He did no other formal science curriculum (but we are science literate and science topics do come up in conversation). He took the 8th grade wasl which includes science in which he scored comfortably in the 4 range.
How did you work out your son's school schedule when you homeschooled part time? Did the school agree to put him in the classes he wanted during the time period he was there?
Needless to say, our other children followed the same path. Public Elementary, Public High School, but private middle school.
The district does not seem to be willing to do anything about the dismal middle schools in Seattle.
Since this district has zero interest in using their own promotion / non-promotion policies k-8
or the classroom disruption law RCW 28A 600.020 - what is the likelihood for a reasonable middle school environment in SPS?
you on spot on with your comment:
"The district does not seem to be willing to do anything about the dismal middle schools in Seattle."