Education Calendar is Full
There are just a plethora of events and meetings coming up.
Friday, April 20th
Community meeting with Director McLaren from 5- 6:30 p.m., High Point Center
Saturday, April 21st
Community Meeting with Director Peaslees from 1-2:30 p.m. at Northgate Library
Tuesday, April 24th
Community meeting with Director McLaren from 1-2:30 pm. at SW Library
Thursday, April 26th
Curriculum&Instruction and Operations Meeting of the Whole from 4-7 p.m.
Saturday, April 28th
Community meeting with Director Patu from 10am to noon at Caffe Vita
Citywide Teen Summit
South Lake High School, 8601 Rainier Ave. S. from 10 am to 3 pm
Addresses issues including teen pregnancy and prevention, self-expression and technology.
Hosted by the Seattle Alumae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Delta GEMS in partnership with South Lake High School.
Features guest speakers, a DJ, giveaways, and a performance by ABK, a Native American rapper
FREE and lunch is provided.
For additional information, contact deltagemschair@yahoo.com.
Monday, April 30th
Seattle Council PTSA General Meeting - Navigating SPS: Steps for Positive Advocacy
With Ron McGlone, SPS Ombudsman, Adie Simmons, Director of the state ombudsman office, Bernardo Ruiz, SPS Manager of Family and Community Engagement
At JSCEE
6:30 p.m. - Snacks and socializing
7-8:30 p.m. - Meeting
Tuesday, May 1
Wednesday, May 2nd
UW Lecture Series - Strife and Progress: Transforming Public Education in Big Cities
Featuring Paul Hill, Center on Reinventing Public Education, with results of a 3-year study of 6 cities that have adopted a "continuous improvement" portfolio strategy. Discussion with other Evans School faculty. RSVP at esevents@uw.edu or 206-221-7779
Also, the UW has a Distinguished Lecture Series for Early Childhood, schedule here. It runs from April to June with talks on Play and Development, Literacy, Diversity and Immigration, Approaches to Learning, Dual Language and Early Mathematics. All are free and open to the public.
Friday, April 20th
Community meeting with Director McLaren from 5- 6:30 p.m., High Point Center
Saturday, April 21st
Community Meeting with Director Peaslees from 1-2:30 p.m. at Northgate Library
Tuesday, April 24th
Community meeting with Director McLaren from 1-2:30 pm. at SW Library
Thursday, April 26th
Curriculum&Instruction and Operations Meeting of the Whole from 4-7 p.m.
Saturday, April 28th
Community meeting with Director Patu from 10am to noon at Caffe Vita
South Lake High School, 8601 Rainier Ave. S. from 10 am to 3 pm
Addresses issues including teen pregnancy and prevention, self-expression and technology.
Hosted by the Seattle Alumae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Delta GEMS in partnership with South Lake High School.
Features guest speakers, a DJ, giveaways, and a performance by ABK, a Native American rapper
FREE and lunch is provided.
For additional information, contact deltagemschair@yahoo.com.
Monday, April 30th
Seattle Council PTSA General Meeting - Navigating SPS: Steps for Positive Advocacy
With Ron McGlone, SPS Ombudsman, Adie Simmons, Director of the state ombudsman office, Bernardo Ruiz, SPS Manager of Family and Community Engagement
At JSCEE
6:30 p.m. - Snacks and socializing
7-8:30 p.m. - Meeting
Tuesday, May 1
Community Conversations with ELL and Special Education Directors
6-7:30 p.m. at Jane Addams K-8Wednesday, May 2nd
UW Lecture Series - Strife and Progress: Transforming Public Education in Big Cities
Featuring Paul Hill, Center on Reinventing Public Education, with results of a 3-year study of 6 cities that have adopted a "continuous improvement" portfolio strategy. Discussion with other Evans School faculty. RSVP at esevents@uw.edu or 206-221-7779
Also, the UW has a Distinguished Lecture Series for Early Childhood, schedule here. It runs from April to June with talks on Play and Development, Literacy, Diversity and Immigration, Approaches to Learning, Dual Language and Early Mathematics. All are free and open to the public.
Comments
North End Mom
Walter Dean Myers explains "Why Reading Is Not Optional," the theme for his term as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
Myers' literacy message is shaped by his own experiences as an African-American man who dropped out of high school, but then built a successful writing career -- largely because of his lifelong devotion to reading.
Myers has written more than 100 critically acclaimed books for young people. His works include "Sunrise Over Fallujah," "Fallen Angels," "Monster," "Somewhere in the Darkness," and "Harlem." Among his awards are two Newbery Honor Awards and five Coretta Scott King Awards as well as the first Michael L. Printz Award (for excellence in young adult literature, given by the American Library Association).
Dr. James Billington, librarian of Congress, appointed Myers the third National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature in January. Myers’ term runs 2012-2013. He succeeds Katherine Paterson, who is best known for her "Bridge to Terabithia,"
Walter Dean Myers explains "Why Reading Is Not Optional," the theme for his term as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
Myers' literacy message is shaped by his own experiences as an African-American man who dropped out of high school, but then built a successful writing career -- largely because of his lifelong devotion to reading.
Myers has written more than 100 critically acclaimed books for young people. His works include "Sunrise Over Fallujah," "Fallen Angels," "Monster," "Somewhere in the Darkness," and "Harlem." Among his awards are two Newbery Honor Awards and five Coretta Scott King Awards as well as the first Michael L. Printz Award (for excellence in young adult literature, given by the American Library Association).
Dr. James Billington, librarian of Congress, appointed Myers the third National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature in January. Myers’ term runs 2012-2013. He succeeds Katherine Paterson, who is best known for her "Bridge to Terabithia,"
Does that sound like a lot? They will review and discuss even more than that at their May meeting and even more still at their June meeting.
Here is where the District is keeping the calendar: http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/Phase%20II%20Grids/PhaseIIgrid.3.26.12.website.pdf
A number of the policies that were originally scheduled for review, discussion, and revision in April have been deferred into May or later.
As you can see, they will only try to review, discuss, and revise three policies instead of five:
Policy 2180, Nutrition Education and Promotion
Policy 2177, International Education
Policy 2255, Alternative Learning Experience Schools or Programs
They will also initiate the process for the annual waiver request of 150 hours per credit for Cleveland.
This is a prime example of a situation in which all of the people who have a duty to perform some sort of oversight or enforcement choose not to.
The Board is supposed to make the superintendent show that the block schedule at Cleveland is working, but they don't. The OSPI is supposed to review the application, but they don't.
I'm not saying that the block schedule is working for Cleveland students or isn't. I'm saying that the people who are supposed to be checking that aren't doing it.
Its ironic that just this year the 150 hour requirement has been removed from WAC 180-51-050 (effective 2/11/12) and so there is no more waiver process that OSPI oversees! The well publicised new rule says that each district must adopt their own definition of a high school credit, but Seattle hasn't done this yet (SPS Policy 2420).
So the mystery is why the C&I Committee is approving a resolution to waive the 150 hour requirement for Cleveland? Is SPS starting their own waiver process? Where is the new policy and procedure for this?
(besides, the whole OSPI waiver request was pointless when Seattle has been the ONLY district in the state to include all passing time and extended breaks such as "second breakfasts" in their calculations for the 150 hour/credit requirement, besides all study hall, mentoring, late arrival/early dismissal days, etc. Despite huge variances in site-based schedules, all Seattle high schools report the same end results because they are allowed to count everything except for lunch, so what's the point?)
Here is a link to the WAC code 180-51-050 and, sure enough, there is no reference to 150 hours.
Reading the laws does plow up some interesting nuggets. Such as this, from RCW 28A.230.090:
"The purpose of a high school diploma is to declare that a student is ready for success in postsecondary education, gainful employment, and citizenship, and is equipped with the skills to be a lifelong learner."
Which means that 100% of Seattle's high school graduates are prepared for success in post-secondary education. Not 17%, not 48%, but 100%. If the District awarded them a high school diploma, then that is what the District is certifying.
Back to SP's point, the District staff and the board are about to waste time seeking a waiver to a repealed law instead of complying with the new law. Fun.
SPS has boxed themselves into a corner. Despite repeated attempts last year & this winter to ask the district & Board to address the upcoming changes in the definition of a high school credit in SPS Policy 2420, the can gets kicked down the road once again. The 150 hour requirement still exists in Board Policy, but there is no provision for a district waiver/accountability process.
Policy #2420 was just revised in Feb. 2012 without this being addressed! Holly F. said at the 2/01 Board meeting that #2420 would be included in the Phase II reviews this spring ("we will be coming back to you with the 150 hour conversation"), yet it is not even included on the new Phase II revision timetable.
The biggest losers are the students at schools like Cleveland where students are getting approx. 25% less classroom instruction time for each credit (do the simple math- they have 8 classes/credits instead of the regular 6, and the smoke & mirrors of a ½ hour "extended day" is completely cancelled out by daily ½ hour advisory time, besides all the late arrivals for PD etc). Where is the accountability that "less is actually more"?
The 150 hour requirement is still part of SPS policy and yet there are many high schools not actually delivering this (Garfield, Roosevelt and recently WSHS are the major exceptions).
For years, students have been shortchanged by Seattle's extremely deceptive definition of "instructional hours" (including all passing time & all non-credit earning time spent at school as well, unlike any other district in the whole state). That is the bottom line.