Attended the NE Regional Meeting Last Night
I attended the NE Regional Meeting on the NSAP transition plan last night. I estimated at least 65 people in attendance. Tracy Libros of Enrollment led the meeting with Phil Brockman, NE Executive Director for the NE there as well as Ann Chan, the new Chief Talent Officer (although I note that the district doesn't label that office as such). I would have loved to talk with her about TFA but not enough time.
I did manage to hand out information about TFA to about 25 people and only one of them had heard of it (and he was a teacher). I had to leave before the "reports out" but here's what I wrote Tracy:
I am hoping that things might be tweaked by the next meeting. I really think there might be more useful information/suggestions to come out of these meetings for both the Board and the staff if there were more time for questions/discussion, fewer table topics, and one-topic tables for those who want to discuss just one thing (with a couple of tables for those who want to discuss all topics).
I did manage to hand out information about TFA to about 25 people and only one of them had heard of it (and he was a teacher). I had to leave before the "reports out" but here's what I wrote Tracy:
- I think maybe you should not do as big/long an overview. I think parents were confused and it seemed to take a lot of time. It's not that it wasn't good information but I think parents want the time to ask questions and/or discuss.
- I think the number of transition plan topics are too many. I think you should be asking about geographic zones, open choice seats, and capacity and building management/utilization. I think asking parents, especially in other regions, about West Seattle or Rainier Beach or Garfield isn't going to help you or them. I think the majority of parents want to know about the zones, the open choice seats, non-attendance area siblings but most of all how we are going to face capacity management are really the key issues.
- Which brings me to the discussion tables. My suggestion is to scale back the topics (see above and depending on region) and then ask people if they want to self-divide into one topic tables. I got the feeling from my table that some people really wanted to suss out middle/high school capacity issues. It might get you some better info/suggestions if people do want to concentrate their efforts in this way. You could still have a couple of tables where any/all topics could be discussed.
- Also, I thought you were pretty clear about the non-attendance area sibling issue and surge capacity being maxed out but maybe you should just state what you did say last night and tell people that's it. Meaning, you said that there is no ability to do more surge capacity this school year BUT that some attendance area sibs do get in. Then say, we really can't and won't be able to do more. Because while I see it wasn't on the topic list, it came up anyway and I didn't know how to tell this guy that there wasn't much more that could be done.
I am hoping that things might be tweaked by the next meeting. I really think there might be more useful information/suggestions to come out of these meetings for both the Board and the staff if there were more time for questions/discussion, fewer table topics, and one-topic tables for those who want to discuss just one thing (with a couple of tables for those who want to discuss all topics).
Comments
The list went on. No real answers. One person, I think a teacher, asked for the district to truly participate in community engagement and provide some answers or follow up to the common threads of the evening. District folks said that would be difficult to achieve. Makes you wonder...
The community's needs and desires do not trump the desires of the Ed Reformers. Those go first.
This will not change one bit until MGJ and several Board members are gone.
Professional Responsibilities, 4c:
Unsatisfactory:
The teacher’s communication with families about the instructional program or about individual students is sporadic or culturally inappropriate. The teacher makes no attempt to engage families in the instructional program.
Basic:
The teacher adheres to school procedures for communicating with families and makes modest attempts to engage families in the instructional program. But communications are not always appropriate to the cultures of those families.
Proficient:
The teacher communicates frequently with families and successfully engages them in the instructional program. Information to families about individual students is conveyed in a culturally appropriate manner.
Innovative:
The teacher’s communication with families is frequent and sensitive to cultural traditions; students participate in the communication. The teacher successfully engages families in the instructional program, as appropriate.
-goose
For example, Ingraham's student population is in quite a bit of flux. The total attendance numbers aren't changing much, but grades 10-12 have about 30% of students living in the current assignment area, while grade 9 has about 60%. Does this mean that the school will fill up over time? If so, does it make sense to move assignment area from Ballard to Ingraham or parachute in APP students?
Anything they put out now won't be right, just because there's a lot of uncertainty. But any data is better than no data.
Thanks!
So the district really has people tied up in knots because we have no real data except for the October numbers to go on.
Last year the following happened:
X% of SPS 8th graders became 9th graders.
Y% of 8th graders in their neighborhood school (and Z% went to these other schools).
We have how ever many 6th, 7th, and 8th graders this year.
If all of these percentages hold constant, we can expect a certain number of high school students at each school from our current 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes.
The percentages won't hold constant, but it's the only way we're going to get halfway reasonable data. If I had the source data, I'd do the math myself in a day or two. Unfortunately, I don't have the source data readily at hand and it would be a heck of a lot easier for SPS to do it.