Open Thread Friday
RIFs. Three-day weekend. About 3 more weeks of school.
Tuesday Open Thread
The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested. It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio. (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Comments
As we continue to grow, we will also be adding a new administrator in the fall. Her name is Marella Francois. She is currently a principal at the night school program. She will be with us on special assignment and will be supervised by our regional director. We look forward to her joining our team and becoming part of our school next year. Gregory and I will both be here as well.
Does that seem ridiculous to anyone else?
But getting a new staff for this year hit Meany's veterans hard...whose approach, according to [Marella] Griffin, did not fit the new system.
...In all, 19 of last year's staff of 31 teachers left or were asked to leave the school.
Griffin said she sought out elementary teachers for her new staff because she considered them better at teaching in long blocks than middle- and high-school faculty. Of those who left or were told they didn't fit at the new Meany, she said, many were too narrowly focused on a single subject and didn't have the breadth of experience - or lacked subject-matter endorsements on their teaching certificates - needed to handle the combined social studies-language arts and math-science blocks.
So what's the "special assignment" at Lowell? With the number of teachers leaving and the number that need to be hired, there will be around 10 new teachers at Lowell next year.
"The mother is in-your-face angry, complaining loudly enough to be audible up and down the third-floor hallway at Madison Middle School.
"The target of her tongue-lashing - her daughter's sixth-grade teacher - isn't backing down, either, and the result is a raucous jumble of accusations.
"Into the fray steps Marella Francois-Griffin. Instantly, you can see who's going to win this one.
"Soothing, coaxing, calming, she brings the volume back down again. "I'm just asking for you to give me some time to look into this," she tells the irate mother. "I will work with you and make sure your daughter is successful."
The mother stalks away but calls back later and reluctantly agrees not to take her daughter out of school while Francois-Griffin investigates her complaints. "I'll win that parent over. It's just going to take time."
"It's the same thing she did with her school when she became principal in 1991. With determination and persuasion, she got the staff and parents to accept a new teaching model called accelerated learning.
"What it means is no more separating students into honors classes, regular classes or remedial classes. Every student is held to the same high honors-level standards. Francois-Griffin, 53, first heard about the idea during a presentation when she was an assistant principal at Madison, located in West Seattle.
"I figured what's good for the gifted and talented kids ought to be good for all," said Francois-Griffin, who lives in the Skyway area with her husband.
"It took a year, but she got 100 percent of her staff to support the idea, although eight of them left the school the first year it was implemented. Parents threatened to leave, too, but few did."
Granted that was 20 years ago, and her ideas may have changed -- but someone willing to lose eight teachers over implementing a one-size-fits-all model doesn't sound like a great match for Lowell.
Helen Schinske
Meany Principal Getting Some Heat, Seattle Times, 5/23/97, Dick Lilly
Last fall, Seattle's Meany Middle School opened its doors as a completely revamped "magnet school" with a special math, science and arts curriculum...
...Now, as the school year winds down, Meany's principal is under fire from parents who blame her for failures in communication, curriculum and discipline.
There are dozens of Meany parents who'd like to see Superintendent John Stanford remove Marella Griffin now because they're worried that if she stays on the job, good teachers will leave.
...But several teachers who've left Meany were driven out by Griffin, according to teachers who spoke only on condition of anonymity because they fear for their jobs. Griffin threatens teachers with whom she disagrees with loss of their jobs or negative performance reviews, they allege.
Does not bode well.
"What it means is no more separating students into honors classes, regular classes or remedial classes. Every student is held to the same high honors-level standards."
That may work for some theoretically, but I've had 2 kids go through Madison Middle School with the optional in-class "Challenge" program that simply is not effective for many kids. What kid will willingly take on extra work which is not required & not built into the assignments?
Many teachers did not even encourage kids to take on the extra assignments and seemed to reluctantly give only "busy work".
My youngest learned early on how to work the system with the minimum effort and still keep good grades. If a rubric says each paragraph should have 5 sentences for an "A", then why waste effort writing a 6th sentence?
(Don't you wish we can do that in the real world where we can get the new "Carnegies" and the Wall street bankers to share some of the wealth and feel a little of our pain (with a little differentiation, like ok, they can keep the 10,000 foot manse with the helipads)? Cause you know, "it is for the good of all.")
That is the mantra and by golly we are sticking with it. Anything else and it's fingers in my ears. La, La, La!!!!
-Excellence for all
MIA honors-level standards
Anonymous said...
article from Helen:
"What it means is no more separating students into honors classes, regular classes or remedial classes. Every student is held to the same high honors-level standards."
That may work for some theoretically, but I've had 2 kids go through Madison Middle School with the optional in-class "Challenge" program that simply is not effective for many kids. What kid will willingly take on extra work which is not required & not built into the assignments?
Many teachers did not even encourage kids to take on the extra assignments and seemed to reluctantly give only "busy work".
My youngest learned early on how to work the system with the minimum effort and still keep good grades. If a rubric says each paragraph should have 5 sentences for an "A", then why waste effort writing a 6th sentence?
Yep, it sure does and I encourage you to talk to the Math Manager. They probably haven't even considered this issue specific to this particular cohort of students.
The existing Lowell parents probably know best which of the 3 scenarios are most likely.
-skeptical-
Don't rule out that it could be two or even all three situations at Lowell.
-- betting on a trifecta
The district had suggested that Meany's teaching staff would have to reapply for their jobs if they wanted to keep them. But now Stanford says there will be no wholesale movement of teachers from the school. It will be up to Francois-Griffin to work with the existing staff on the new curriculum and encourage those who don't take to Meany's new direction to find other jobs within the district.
Many have said Stanford was the Ed Reformer in sheep's clothing. This was pre-NCLB, mind you.
So who needs kindergarten, right? Just mix up all ages and teach everyone at the 12th-grade level, for however many years it takes them to reach that level. Easy-peasy.
Helen Schinske
My older kid is a good fit for APP, but how do I get her into it at the high school level if she's been in private school for middle school?
I figure folks here would know!
thanks...
signed,
No Longer an SPS parent
CAn you spell REJECT?
CPould not make it during her tenure at Meany filling Stanfords baby.
The most nast y principal I have ever encounterd.
A reject she is and I am sorry for Lowell.
Typical, could not make it in the buildings where the work is really performed but was sent downtown after her failure where the rest of the Central admin. rejects exist and waist money.
Hory shoot, I thought she was long dead.
They "promoted" her after the Meany debacle and then surplused her program... which is the SOB procedure they used to use to get rid of an administrator.
Lowell is already a disaster -- a principal and assistant principal who's only management philosophy is intimidation. I almost wonder if this is a deliberate tactic to destroy the entire program at Lowell.
ZD
Group them, test them, throw extra resources at the neediest and get every kid working as hard as they can.
Drill Sargent
Your thoughts on "Differentiation" are right on. I have yet to find a controlled study that shows "differentiation" to be effective.
The "Ed establishment" has quite a history of abysmal fads. The club of blind faith certainly has little use for controlled research. I would love to see some results from UW CoE Math Education Project .... say along the lines of ROI (Return on Investment).
The University of Chicago closed the College of Education some years ago ... baloney should not be a university product.
Note in regard to Return on Investment ... Schools of education are great for universities ... the students pay the same tuition as other schools ... but the costs are significantly less than most other schools ... those Ed Schools are a money maker .... especially when one tosses in all the grant money.
It is clear that if the UW college of Ed ranks in the top ten nationally ... we have a nationwide embarrassment ... "Schools of Education". The SPS is still listening carefully to UW ... check the results of the last 5 years.
UW CoE MEP is still providing professional development in math ... in spite of the horrible MEP track record....for results are not important.
-- Dan Dempsey
APP exists as cohort in HS, but not as a separate program....officially. Again officially...students in 8th grade APP program are guaranteed a place at Garfield. Starting next year they are also guaranteed a space in the IHS IB program. For the most part, many of these APP students who choose to attend Garfield take AP classes. Many of the APP kids choose other schools, but I think the majority still select GHS.
Anecdotally, my kid is still attending class with most of the kids he went to middle school with. There are a few kids who went to private middle school or other middle schools (mostly TOPS) who are in his classes, and in addition there are multiple grade levels in each class (10th, 11th, and 12th grade students in his calculus class for instance).
So, an entering 9th grader cannot join APP, but they can find challenging curriculum and a cohort of students with similar interests when attending any public HS school with a strong program.
Drill Sargent
From your lips to the Superintendent and Board's ears.
-excellence for all (but only if you are members)
Links to listen (after the fact) are here:
http://kuow.org/program.php?id=23538
You wrote: repeat the mantra and be a good cheerleader, will keep doing it- with fingers in the ear.
I think we can apply much the same analysis to the UW CoE "resistance to change" from its M.O. of promoting "Ed" nonsense to advocating for effective evidenced-based practices.
To stay in good with "Club Ed Elites" requires a lot of mantra repetition, belief in fads, and cheerleading.
The current "Club Ed" practice of faith in "fads" has served those in power well for the last 20 years ... look for no boat rocking or any changes in the future given the "Club Ed" culture.
Sure wish I knew: How UW CoE Math Education Project professional development was funded? Clover Park School District is now receiving MEP assistance. (Who pays for this crap?)
-- Dan Dempsey
"Group them, test them, throw extra resources at the neediest and get every kid working as hard as they can."
See, this is where TFA has the potential to shine, as TAs, teaching assistants. After a year of helping a teacher and a class of 30 + (more realistic than 22), we'll see if the TFA corps members have what it takes.
To me, this makes sense, because I also believe that teachers should be in charge of their schools. With this kind of ultimate reform, we'll solve a multitude of manufactured problems all at once. Think of the trumped up hue and cry over The Deficit. You make 50 % of the deficit disappear by immediately rescinding the Bush tax cuts. Just like that.
Who is more qualified than a master teacher to run their school? No one. Gates grew fat on the work of others. It's the Microsoft way. Let others slave over code, then after their contract expires, take credit for their work and move ahead. Don't just move ahead, bury a few bodies along the way. How exactly does a person like this decide he knows how to educate when his greatest legacy is pitting teams against one another, leading to botched products and failed acquisitions? He was lucky.
I don't want my kids to be educated based on dumb luck. I want experienced teachers who love what they do. I want new teachers to be mentored through experience instead of Ponzi schemes.
If teachers rule, the downtown lard melts away. Deficits at the Stanford Center? What Stanford Center? For those who think the SEA and other unions are't "popular" or have failed to serve a purpose, their reason for existence changes dramatically. Will they be needed at all? The same goes for what we call a school board. They'll become more of an advisory board, made up of people who are imminently qualified in education and related and supportive fields. The board you know today would only exist in a teacher's nightmare.
Teacher power will solve the market share and achievement gap/opportunity gaps. Who better than a teacher to know how much $ they need and how much support their students need. If you disagree, you'll meet directly with the teachers in charge of your school. It's all out in the open.
All the bucks we save go directly into the classroom, as well as mentoring and advancement for teachers. The path toward mentoring more great teachers is to give them respect and autonomy. By the very nature of this system, teachers who aren't in the right professional will gravitate out of education and into other professions. The accusation that teachers are the root of the problem is rendered meaningless.
With an open system that is effective, accountable, and above all, caring, students and parents will cheer. And if you don't like this system, well, that's where private school or one of those school corps like Edison or Green Dot serve their purpose. They'll do as well as the market dictates, won't they?
The control freaks at the Dept of Ed and Gates will see this plan as all out anarchy. That's OK, because anarchy in its truest form is the antidote for corruption and hidden agendas.
True reform = Teacher take over.
If the following is the case:
"He took Integrated I back in 8th grade, which was a combination of Alg 1 and Geometry. Then he took Geometry in 9th grade, and Algebra II in 10th grade."
Your son would be well prepared for a test of Algebra I skills and knowledge ... if the Algebra II course covered the WA State Standards for Math. Note an Algebra II course normally begins with a review of Algebra I skills before moving into Algebra II. .... but Who knows what is going on in Algebra II courses now that teachers are supposed to be using "Discovering"? I doubt Anna Maria could tell you either.
-- Dan Dempsey
Currently we have a system in which the teachers are blamed by the Admin for not making the math program work. The Admin has no interested in examining the research and changing to a program that would work.
Put teachers in charge of making positive changes in their school ...that looks like a good plan for improvement over the current pile o' crap mantra driven mumbo jumbo leadership.
Reading is now also on its way to the toilet in grade 10 testing.
=========
Try this data piece: Grade 10
Reading Pass Rate for Black Students
year.... Seattle .State ... Difference
07 WASL 61.40% 65.00% -3.60%
08 WASL 66.60% 69.50% -2.90%
09 WASL 66.80% 69.80% -3.00%
10 HSPE 58.10% 65.70% -7.60%
Reading Pass rate grade 10 Low Income Students
year.... Seattle .State ... Difference
07 WASL 62.80% 68.20% -5.40%
08 WASL 70.20% 70.80% -0.60%
09 WASL 69.60% 70.90% -1.30%
10 HSPE 61.80% 67.40% -5.60%
-- Dan Dempsey
The Marshall folks made a lot of angry noise about the suggestion that the school could be used for APP.
At that time Ms Francois not only expressed a deep loyalty to her students, but also a deep contempt - loathing, really - for APP. It is hard for me to believe that she could work well with APP students and families given the sentiments she expressed about the program at the time of the Marshall closure.
Not all teachers speak with the same voice. Not all teachers reject reforms either (Yes, I just found this out at my school). Some like their unions, others not so much. And if a parent or a kid find they have a problem that isn't being addressed, what then? I still get nervous at the idea of one big pooba having control of all $ and say. I like to see education as a partnership among student, parent, and teachers (though right now power is unequally distributed among teacher, adminstrators, and corporate guys/gals with the big suit and $$).
-confused parent
Our school has City Year members in their after school program. They do a great job.
"I still get nervous at the idea of one big pooba having control of all $ and say. I like to see education as a partnership among student, parent, and teachers."
I agree with you. This is why I think teacher-led schools might be the best way to build these partnerships.
Dan can answer this better than I can, but -
the alg 1 standards on OSPI's website are about 15 or 25 pages with lots of white space.
go to a used book store or the u.w. bookstore and buy 1 of those algebra review books for $15 or $20 - Schuams, Barron's, For Dummies ... get the 1 which works for your kid.
I'm going to be blunt because time is short. If your kid has done well and learned the skills, instead of just picked up good grades so that the self esteem police stay away, some review for the next week or so should be fine.
Best Wishes.
She took the reading test yesterday, 2nd grade APP. She said she was asked to read a passage and answer what style the writer had used. Two of the choices were "red herring" and "bandwagon." She doesn't remember the other two choices. Now, best I can deduce, she was being asked about logical fallacies. And, she said she had several questions where "red herring" was a choice, so she was asked this several times.
Are logical fallacies even part of the standards at any grade?! I know the test is adaptive, but this seems a little nuts to me. It makes me really curious about all the other questions. That is, were these questions outliers designed for her to get wrong? Or did whoever designs the test actually think she might know this?
As I understand it, it's OSPI that is requiring the EOC, not SPS. The math manager at Hale is well aware of the situation, feels for us, but says he has no control over it.
The fact that her tenure at Meany was short is truly the result of district headquarters dysfunction and insanity. Does anyone recall Arlene Ackerman? An individual that Stanford was happy to be rid of during his time as superintendent. I realize that I will be going against the tide here, but the firsthand knowledge I possess and my understanding of district operations for the past twenty plus years leads me to submit this for clarification.
The Lowell community has no reason to be concerned about the appointment of Ms. Francois as co-principal; energy, focus and time should be devoted to the opportunistic educators at headquarters and how they create havoc and chaos for the schools. The quote from the assistant principal at Lowell submitted by Laura raises concerns for me though.
Helen Schinske
I agree that some at Marshall "made a lot of angry noise about the suggestion that the school could be used for APP."
But context is everything: At the time, Marshall was being subjected to all sorts of ridiculous "review" and slander in the papers. Near the beginning of the closure "process" (ha), one of the APP supporters was quoted as saying something like "when Marshall is gone we can get APP in there" (and that is a very loose paraphrase, admittedly.)
Yes, some at Marshall seized on that as "evidence" that Marshall was going to be closed and then reopened as APP. Yes, some at Marshall seized on it for rhetorical effect.
No, it wasn't right. Things were said that just weren't right. But it was, if I recall, a paranoid, besieged time for Marshall staff (including, I'd guess, Ms Francois, who might have felt that night school was under the gun. Turns out, four years later, that it was...
I don't know what Francois said that was so anti-APP, but I do agree with Ed Doc that from what I've heard about Francois, she was quite capable of demanding much from her night school students and getting it.
This leads back around to the ol' debate about what is it that students, generally, need: We see here in this thread that there are a range of students, a range of abilities. My fear is that sometimes staff (and parent/guardians) get on the defensive about their particular "kind" of student: Below level students not getting services? Those that serve them, or their parents, might complain about that neglect and might, unfairly perhaps, bemoan "those high end students" for getting all the attention. Those on the other end might do the same: "All the attention is on the low-level students! What about OURS?!"
Me, personally, I try lately to see the range, but it's hard. Maybe it's part of the divide and conquer strategy, "teach to the middle," underfund high and low, let those outliers blame each other...
If Francois was guilty of this, well, she was guilty of it. In her her defense (tho' again, not knowing the ant-APP comments you attribute to her) she was, by all accounts, doing a good job trying to push students who hadn't excelled in regular programs through.
The anti-APP rhetoric at Marshall was not appropriate. But it was founded in a natural paranoia and in comments made that seemed to point to an APP move to get the building. Now, of course, we see that APP has had little power, just as the night school and the other Marshall programs had little power, and all were/are merely pawns of the powers-that-be.
THAT'S the shame of it.
Forgotten Algebra
Highly recommended by my third son and a friend of mine that does lots of tutoring.
The Algebra EOC test goes I have a number of students in a similar position; my only prep for them has been to simply give them California, Texas and a few other states old problems. The major issue I have found is simply in the wording of the problem; if you are looking for a great and free Algebra 2 text, Lakeside gives there’s away.
Son #3 graduated from HS around 1997 ... having taken Advanced Algebra as a senior. He had zero interest in college. Several years later (7 is my guess) he broke his pelvis in three places. (US Forest Service Hot Shot hit by massive boulder). Decided to go back to school while mending. Spent a week or so working through forgotten Algebra .. took the math placement test at South Sound Community College.... and missed placing into a Math for College credit by one point.
When he took math 99, he said the placement was spot on.
I highly recommend "Forgotten Algebra". Son #3 is no math super star... this is a great book for test prep purposes.
He went on to continue to work for the Forest Service (eventually Smoke-Jumping out of McCall, ID) but continued college online and through classes in the off season. 1.5 years ago he stopped working for the USFS and went to school full time.
He graduates with a Masters in Education next month and plans on teaching elementary school.
Note: He had Saxon Math in grades 7 and 8.
Well, I didn't know until today that those terms were used for specific types of logical fallacies. I'm assuming that knowing their ordinary metaphorical use would be enough to get you through the question without having to have had that exact curriculum.
I just asked my daughter, and she got those terms in a Nova class that covered logic, but doesn't think it's part of standard curriculum.
Helen Schinske
Would you care to specify what your suspicions are about who I am and what motivates my comments? Your comment and proclaimed current district insider status appears to indicate much about you and your motives.
Ms. Francois was not placed in the position of running the night school in order for parents to drive her out; the program was eliminated by the district through the infinite wisdom of headquarters administrators and had nothing to do with parent displeasure with the performance of the principal. Your reference to an alleged reputation given to her is not only juvenile but without basis of any documentation or evidence; interesting to learn if you could provide any substance to your insidious remarks.
Is it that you are aligned with the Lowell assistant principal that inexplicably states the obvious about supervision of administrators in the communication given to the school community? All school administrators are supervised by the area director assigned to their school, the assistant principal that brilliantly shared such information included. Ms. Francois has never been cited for performance issues in her career and any and all aspersions to that affect are unfounded and warrantless.
The opportunistic educators that plague our public schools are quick to engage in distraction and distortion in attempts to cover for their inept and unprofessional management of the district. We continue to see the millions of dollars in taxpayer dollars lost through abuse, fraud, theft and waste as well as decisions that are disruptive to the learning environment in schools due to the dysfunctional culture and mismanagement of the district.
My motives have been consistently open and displayed in my comments on this blog as well as in the comment threads of articles in the Times. I am an advocate and promoter of learners and learning as well as teachers and teaching; I do not care for those climbing career ladders as they pass through our city and do nothing positive for our schools and students. Our city has maintained horribly low expectations for our public schools for too long and we continue to see the results provided by the do nothing and know nothing bureaucrats feeding at the public trough at headquarters.
The statement that you provided, written by the assistant principal, appears to reveal the author as likely one of the young whiz administrators favored by the cronies at headquarters. As stated in my previous comment, it is inexplicable for an assistant principal would make reference to the person supervising the principal. Curious that the principal, Gregory, did not write the announcement; all three of these administrators will be supervised by Lowell's regional director. I wonder which of the three administrators at Lowell is most devoted to carrying the water for the headquarters bureaucrats that pose as educational leaders.
Would you care to specify what suspicions you have regarding my identity and the motivation for my comments? It appears from your comments and self proclaimed current insider status there may be valid questions regarding what is behind your comments.
Ms. Francois was not assigned as principal at night school for any damage control regarding her ability or performance. The night school program has been eliminated by the decision making process of headquarters in the infinite wisdom so clearly demonstrated; parent displeasure with the principal had nothing to do with it. During the course of her career there has never been any citations regarding performance issues. Your reference to an alleged reputation is juvenile and without basis.
It is inexplicable for the assistant principal to state the obvious regarding supervision of administrators in a school. All school administrators are supervised by the regional director assigned to the school, including the assistant principal that brilliantly wrote this communication.
Although I had written these comments previously and it was saved on this blog, it disappeared after the posting of my comment to Laura. Hopefully, this comment will remain posted.
So we should all know soon. I hope they post all the info somewhere, where it can be found on that new website.
- another reader
A good thing about this blog is that rumors and innuendo can be addressed by knowledgeable people and the record can be corrected, as opposed to what passes for journalism (e.g. Times) in our great city.
" as opposed to what passes for journalism (e.g. Times) in our great city."
At the Times articles are written that contain numerous inaccuracies and baloney opinions. There is plenty of opportunity for the authors to respond in the comments ... but it never happens. The author then moves on to composing the next set of half-truths for publication.
Ed Doc has it right ... on this blog there is discussion that includes the authors of what was originally written. Communication exists and is clarifying.
Communication exists, and it can sometimes be clarifying. But we are a diversified community with differing opinions.
In this case of Ms. Francois, there are some very, very different opinions being stated here. I don't know the woman and have no clue who to believe, but what I take from this conversation is that she is likely a polarizing personality. That's something we really don't need any more of right now, especially at Lowell, so my fingers are crossed tightly right now. The building has been in enough turmoil this year, and next year looks to be another rough year.
"Communication exists, and it can sometimes be clarifying."
Point taken ... thanks.
This blog does manage its share of facts but it also seems to give voice to those who believe anyone with a thought contrary to the popular stance here is one of "them". Looks like you got to be "it" yesterday. That's the kind of thing I was talking about.
There is no escaping that a wide range of people and personalities are found on this blog; it can be unfortunate due to the reactionary and at times paranoid postings of those that disagree.
It certainly contributes to the difficulty in addressing/resolving issues in our community when individuals approach disagreements with an US versus THEM mentality. I would hope that in some way the wheat can be separated from the chafe; in my opinion, those that post comments that are inflammatory and only a step away from personal attacks show the limited value of their contributions.
As ITK and others appear driven by spewing baseless accusations or aspersions, confronted by facts and reason drives them into retreat or silence. Discerning readers and concerned members of our community should be able to see the baseless rants of such individuals for what they truly are and give no credence to the venomous comments being submitted for consideration.
Please know that I appreciate and understand your valid observation and/or criticism regarding the modus operandi of some of the people posting here. I share your sentiments regarding this and value the good that can be done on this blog with information that is kept from the public by what passes for mainstream media in our city.
I try to keep in mind that we are all imperfect beings in an imperfect world; good people uniting to focus on correcting the significant problems in our community helps balance it all in the end.
Seattle People: am looking for house-sitting/sharing/subletting gig over summer... July-Sept... NE Seattle or Lake Forest Park/Shoreline... Me, 8-year old son, 2 cats... possibly long term, depending on how other issues pan out.... references available....
I appreciate and understand your sentiments as well as agree with the valid point that you make.
This blog does provide a great deal of information that is not being made available to the public through the mainstream media of our great city. Unfortunately, the trend in our society extends to this blog; some people approach disagreement with an US vs. THEM mentality. It does appear that when such an approach is taken, these individuals begin to submit personal attacks and spew baseless and random insults or questions of character.
Those types on this thread appear to have returned to whence they came when confronted with facts and truth. I believe the good that this blog serves our community at this point outweighs the negative rhetoric and venting some post.
Seattle schools: better accounting, more work to do