Friday Open Thread
Let's see, over at the Times, it appears that new education reporter, Brian Rosenthal, has learned the Times' method of reporting in his story on TFA. Separate thread to come.
Also, very interesting talk at the Audit & Finance Committee meeting yesterday about foreign language immersion costs as well as talk about the Graham Hill pre-school issue. Quite eye-opening.
The Legislature ended its session without approving a budget. They will start a 30-day special session on Monday. There was a lot of finger-pointing but now we wait for them to hammer out a compromise. Will Senator Tom get what I believe will be a quid pro quo in bringing charter school legislation to a vote on the floor? Stay tuned.
Director Carr has a Community meeting tomorrow from 8:30-10:00 am at the Bethany Community Church across from Bagley.
What's on your mind?
Also, very interesting talk at the Audit & Finance Committee meeting yesterday about foreign language immersion costs as well as talk about the Graham Hill pre-school issue. Quite eye-opening.
The Legislature ended its session without approving a budget. They will start a 30-day special session on Monday. There was a lot of finger-pointing but now we wait for them to hammer out a compromise. Will Senator Tom get what I believe will be a quid pro quo in bringing charter school legislation to a vote on the floor? Stay tuned.
Director Carr has a Community meeting tomorrow from 8:30-10:00 am at the Bethany Community Church across from Bagley.
What's on your mind?
Comments
Putting the Arts Back in Education
Five community meetings in March
Seattle Public Schools is partnering with the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and community arts organizations to create a comprehensive arts plan focused on increasing quality arts education access for all K-12 students. The work is made possible with a planning grant from The Wallace Foundation.
You can attend one of five community meetings to help shape the arts plan. Parents, students, teachers, artists, arts administrators and supporters of an equitable and well-rounded education for all are invited.
North Meeting
Tuesday, March 13
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Ballard High School
1418 N.W. 65th St.
Central Meeting
Saturday, March 17
1-3 p.m.
Garfield High School
400 23rd Av.
Southeast Meeting
Monday, March 19
6:30-8:30 p.m.
South Shore K-8
4800 S. Henderson St.
Translators for Spanish, Somali, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog will be present.
Southwest Meeting
Thursday, March 29
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Chief Sealth International High School
2600 S.W. Thistle St.
Translators for Spanish, Somali and Vietnamese will be present.
Youth Meeting*
Saturday, March 31
1-3 p.m.
Meany Building (location of Nova High School and Seattle World School)
301 21st Ave. E.
For more information, visit Seattle Public Schools - The Arts
You can also take the online survey.
Didn't see any of that mentioned in the article. What gives?
Two and a half years to go.
**************
"You discovered something I missed - Montlake's score (3.38) is higher than McGilvra's (3.23). Why IS McGilvra on the map list and not Montlake?
It's interesting because the preliminary BEX III list DID include both schools.
I suspect it is because Montlake is on such a small site that rebuilding would not add much capacity and that's what it's all about this time. McGilvra does have a bigger site."
******
I learned to read District tea leaves from a friend very active in District politics. So my thought, which I took from her, is this: What is the current population of Montlake? What is the current population of McGilvra? How big are they proposing to make McGilvra? If McGilvra could absorb Montlake's population after the rebuild, then you know that closure of Montlake remains a backroom thought. If the numbers don't add up then Montlake is marginally safe for the coming few years.
-critical-
Emerald City Comiccon
March 30, 31, April 1
Check out the AMAZING guest lineup, including George Takei, Jay and Silent Bob, voice talents, and truly great artists.
Sakura-Con
April 6, 7 ,8
I will be at Sakura-Con, but you may not recognize me on Friday, when I will cosplay Jet Black from Cowboy Bebop, or on Saturday, when I will cosplay Porco Rosso. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to work on creating a fake prosthetic left arm.
Norwescon
April 5, 6, 7, 8
This one has everything.
www.pebblesinthejar.org
It is clear that, to get some Board members to act, it takes a stream of angry parents at board meetings. They hate that. Makes them uncomfortable. It was MacDonald in Jan., and Graham Hill last Wednesday.
Aren't board members supposed to know what is a right and what is a privilege? Assistance with disabilities and ELL is a right, subsidized preschool and "international" schools are a privilege. SpEd and ELL funding is meant for that purpose, not for leveraging their IAs to improve ratios in option programs. I think some of our board members need to be educated on proper use of restricted funds, and it shouldn't take audit findings to do this.
There were 10-20 people in the lobby for various enrollment lines at the beginning of the lunch hour.
Wondering if my kid and Eric's are competing for Ingraham's 32 spots! I'm sure someone would be happy to have our kids' spots at Ballard and Roosevelt.
Probably plenty of room at Ingraham for both our kids Eric! My kid felt like it would be a better fit for her and I got to tell you, I really liked what I saw of Martin Floe and the staff!
Solvay
And it would have been a damn shame had he been fired a year ago.
MC
I wonder if it will magically start working again once Rosenthal's TFA Inc. story leaves the front page.
Charlie, please post a pic of yourself in character somewhere. I promise not to do an unflattering photoshop.
The school offered a wide variety of options for kids. Kids leading the tours were amazing. I'm sure, with the help of Ingraham- there futures are bright.
Every 2 hours the kids get a 15 minute break. I found this type of common sense refreshing.
Kudos to Principal Floe, PTA and teachers.
In the meantime, I thank Eric for his work on capactiy issues. :)
Mr Ed
The email I got says: The District will extend Open Enrollment through 12:30 p.m. on Monday, March 12.
All of Montlake could fit in the empty space at Lowell.
Huskydad
https://picasaweb.google.com/105491432055923183831/SakuraConSunPhotoBooth09?feat=embedwebsite#
Here you can see the first arm:
http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/purplepolecat/SakuraCon%202009/?action=view¤t=DSC01512.jpg¤ttag=SakuraCon%202009
This is me as Pops Racer last year, posing with a Speed Racer cosplayer.
https://picasaweb.google.com/105491432055923183831/SakuraConPhotoBoothSaturday2011?feat=embedwebsite#5600737312501658130
Here I am as Porco Rosso
http://www.acparadise.com/ace/picview.php?p=s4056_521154&s=1289
I don't understand how this fits into the curriculum.
-parent
Dismayed
Issaquah's policy (as an example):
The District recognizes that field trips when used for teaching and learning integral to the curriculum are an educationally sound and important ingredient in the instructional program of the schools.
http://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/documents/policymanual/2000%20Instruction/2320P%20Field%20Trips%20and%20Excursions%20Procedures.pdf
another reader
I'm trashing school board members who would collude with staff to divert restricted use funds for other purposes. Yeah, and I believe basics must be provided BEFORE frills. Frills costs extra. Lawmakers and the courts have ruled that things like assistive technology for a child struggling to speak is not a frill.
SPS parent
Hamilton Mom
This is only one of many instances in which kids are exposed to material that isn't age appropriate and of questionable educational value. Yes, there are some parents that are okay with it, but there are enough other parents that aren't okay with it that it should give the school some pause.
Is this limited to Hamilton, or is it typical of other Seattle middle schools?
Another parent posted this elsewhere:
And from my 7th grade student: in homeroom the teacher wanted to show us the Kony 2012 PR youtube video 2 days ago but instead he said it is a homework. With no discussion before/after.
Are there any guidelines teachers are following when they pull together class materials?
Earlier in the year, a Hamilton teacher had the class read this:
@NLM: There was no 'leaving things out' in this incident. Start with page 121 and keep going:
http://books.google.com/books?id=up4_q8ooKO0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Nisa&hl=en&ei=efyqTrfGA8mKiALn6ZGdCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=marriage%20hut&f=false
It continues on to the content that's on page 124, which Google excludes.
-- not even going to use my usual pseudonym
Do the teachers themselves not have the internal filter to decide what probably isn't appropriate, or is there a total lack of oversight?
really confused
New York Times article on Hunger Games entitled "Peer Pressure? How about, like, fighting to the death?"
This Seems A Bit Much
Though I would personally be ok with her reading the books, I also respect her wishes to approach difficult material like this at her own pace. She reads a lot of material that does not shy away from difficult topics - Harry Potter and Ric Riordan come to mind - so I have confidence in her ability to handle difficult material.
But 6th grade seems pretty early for this particular series. It is recommended for ages 13 and up, after all, and the topic is certainly quite grim. These books seem far better suited for 8th graders, who are developmentally a little better equipped to handle it.
Oh, and taking the entire grade to see a movie as a "field trip". I am not too keen on that plan, to be honest. Wait for the DVD and show it inclass, and save the field trip time for visits to places that need to be experienced in person, such as museums.
I do think it's important to recognize that the books and movie are about to become culturally significant in that everyone will be discussing them and many kids younger than the intended audience will be reading/watching them. They touch on subjects that our kids worry about (war and it's aftermath, scarcity of resources, social and economic inequity) much like many of us used to worry about 'the bomb'.
I think a thoughtful and skilled teacher could work the Hunger Games into meaningful studies and discussions, but it could very easily be botched (e.g. SPS & Brave New World)
Calico Cat
I recall from Director DeBell's community meeting some weeks back that parents from McClure were not happy about 6th graders getting the graphic novel of The Kite Runner. This is a great book but it has some graphic violence that happens to children and it has big themes. I myself thought this inappropriate and I know several parents told the McClure administration.
I don't know what teachers are told. I should probably ask Kathy Thompson about that issue.
I worked in a children's bookstore and I can tell you there are many books with big themes (as kids are becoming more aware of adult issues) that don't have to be graphic or violent. I'm not sure if teachers want to stay with popular culture (thinking it will engage students more) or if they just don't know of other books.
Teachers, what can you tell us?
It's spring again, and time for fresh sprouts of math activism. Save the date. We need some momentum for a new middle school textbook adoption in Seattle School District. Now's a great time to make this a reality, but we need your voice.
Please let us know if you can come so we can have enough handouts printed. Feel free to forward the invite. Plenty of space at the library.
-----------------------------
Come join us for a parent-focused public meeting about what you can do to promote success for your middle school student.
When: Saturday, March 17th 1:30-4:00 PM
Where: Ballard Public Library Meeting Room
Topics to be covered include:
- State standards for grades 6-8. What your student should be learning.
- MSP & MAP. Understanding the state and district assessments
- Instructional materials. What you need to seek out in your textbook.
- Supplementing at home. How much, what topics, resources?
- Benchmark assessments. Check how your kids are doing at their level.
Questions?
Contact Rick or Linh-Co at rickbmail@yahoo.com
-dk
It's not intended as part of the curriculum but as a fun outing for the kids.
So now instead of thinking that it stinks as a choice for learning I think it stinks as a choice for a community event. Even before we get to the content of the film, how does it build community for the whole sixth grade to sit quietly in a dark room facing the same direction for two hours? How can there be community without interaction?
Then there is the fact that there isn't enough space for everyone to do. Nice community event, when some kids are told that they can't come.
Then, finally, there is the content. What says community event like a little teen-aged gladiatorial combat to the death? Who would choose a PG13 movie for 11- and 12-year-olds?
A lot of this strikes me as an odd choice. I'm not opposed to odd choices, but I think the folks who made the choice - even if they are committed to going forward with it - should at least acknowledge that the choice comes with some questions. They should be forthright in addressing those questions.
If this was part of a LA curriculum where you are reading the book as a grade, discussing it and relating it back to the real HIMS world and the world that HIMS kids may never see (where kids do face life and death battle), then at least there is some context and background. But if this is just another simplistic teenage anst ridden fantasy and ends there, then save it for family Saturday matinee or netflix.
I will add the same concern for the KONY phenomenon because it takes a very complex problem (a psychopath operating the LRA with the background of the Sudan civil war and Ugandan and Congo border conflicts) and reduce it to a face on a WANTED billboard. Why chose this man, why now (the probem was there in the early 90's), is it relevant now, and what will be the end result? Will this prevent ongoing widespread atrocities and abuse of children (i.e. sex trafficking and sweatshops)?
All in all, it sounds like the adults need to do a bit of work with the kids about the content of this movie first before heading off to the cinema.
-relating to kids
I thought it was a pretty good email that acknowledged (if it did not address) concerns about the outing. The message described how the decision was made - it was a team decision. The governing policies were reviewed.
This is largely a judgement thing. As a general rule I support the decisions of the professionals on the front line. If I have questions about those decisions, however, I think that they should be able to address those questions. I think the principal's email does that.
I don't expect to agree with the decisions 100% of the time, but I do expect the staff to be able to adequately defend their decisions 100% of the time. This judgement - and it was a judgement call - was made with thought to the negatives. I don't think we can ask anything more.
The letter acknowledged concerns, but essentially said they're moving ahead anyway. It says that it was a team decision that weighed the positives and negatives without stating what the merits of the trip really are. It clearly said it was not an educational trip.
They are fully aware of concerns and aren't concerned. That is the story of our year at Hamilton.
-Hamilton parent
KOMO news headline: Teen beaten bloody at rave under First Ave. South bridge
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Teen-beaten-bloody-at-rave-under-First-Ave-South-bridge-142247285.html
-relating to kids
So, yes, they can say they checked policy and there wasn't anything preventing them from taking 11-12 year olds to a non-educational PG-13 movie. You just need parents to sign off and you're good to go.
So, yes, they can say they checked policy and there wasn't anything preventing them from taking 11-12 year olds to a non-educational PG-13 movie. You just need parents to sign off and you're good to go.
-Hamilton parent
-relating to kids
What letter are you referring to? Just curious, as we got no such letter and are
Also Hamilton Parents (of a 6th grader)
@Hamilton
Also Hamilton Parents
"Each student activity should be planned to attract maximum student participation. Throughout the year, activities should be sufficiently varied to encourage every student to participate at some time."
JS
You haven't done a web search clearly...there are lots of schools nationwide doing field trips to see the Hunger Games both middle schools and high schools. Based on the information on the websites some of those even include 6th graders.
Everyone:
If you are any of the parents who don't want their child to go or your child is feeling peer pressure, it is time for you to step up. The school has offered you an option to not have your child not attend, take them up on this. IMO, the best action you can take is to not send your child, that is the only true demonstration of your discomfort. If you choose to let your child go despite all of these discussions then all of this is moot and these discussions are nothing more than more Internet noise.
-a little common sense please
SPS parent
Nonfiction Curriculum Enhanced Reading Skills, Study Finds
An "experimental curriculum" from E.D. Hirsch/Core Knowledge was shown to improve reading comprehension. Lucy Calkins protests. Are the tides turning?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/nyregion/nonfiction-curriculum-enhanced-reading-skills-in-new-york-city-schools.html?_r=2
seattle parent
NOT mentioned: Does the charter school face the same immediate sanctions as a regular public school if their test results are not up to snuff, and are they in the same place in the NCLB/RTTT death-ratchet system or state laws? (I don't know the answer, so if someone could Google that for me...thanks!)
If the answer to both those questions are "yes" then it's not *crucial* to mention that for fairness, but it's a sufficiently important issue that they surely could have found time to squeeze in a clause like "even though the school faces the same high stakes for test results as public schools.
If the answers are "no," then this piece is a biased hatchet job that leaves unstated the fact that public schools that fail in the impossible demand to constantly ratchet upward in standardized test scores will be shut down and be replaced by charters, which won't be under the same pressure. In practice, most of those charters can be expected to be run not by parents or genuine community groups but by the same Ed Reformers and astroturfers (Gates, TFA, LEV, etc) currently driving the Democratic party to the right on education issues.
Of course, even if charters have the same test consequences, they may have less worry about test results due to cherry-picking or self-selection by more motivated students. That's always a powerful advantage for charter schools.
Looks like another example of Nice Polite Republican's center-right radio programming. Consider switching to KCBS and Democracy Now for your public radio programming if you agree that NPR is too much a captive of the corporatists.
Cross-posted at http://nprcheck.blogspot.com/
-Scrawny Kayaker
(Full disclosure: Lucy Calkins is a relative of my stepmother. I've never met her.)
Helen Schinske