Tuesday Open Thread

Watch that Packer-Seahawks game?  All fans and players should boycott any more games until they get REAL refs doing the job.  That last play and its ridiculous call was the worst one in the history of the game.  Nothing against the Hawks but this has got to stop or the season is joke.

But tell me, what's on your mind?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Tim Ceis. I watched as much as I could stomach of Inside Olympia with Ceis as the proponent for I-1240.

Who is paying him for his advocacy on this initiative?
Why are the I-1240 proponents so "slippery" with respect to facts?

Makes me want to talk like a pirate. Aaarrrrgghhh!

Oompah
mirmac1 said…
Tim Ceis is just naturally slippery. They don't call him "The Shark" for nothing.
Interesting observation, Oompah. I thought the very same thing - he's getting paid - when I saw him at the 37th. He didn't speak with any particular passion and immediately left the meeting.
Anonymous said…
Austin Jenkins' "Bill Gates is really rich and successful so he must be right on all things and he's backing I-1240" position is sad, at best. Though the Gates Foundation work on some global health issues is commendable, their advocacy in other arenas - e.g. agriculture and education - is strictly a "benefit the bottom line of the corporations and screw the little people" paradigm.

As you've previously pointed out, Melissa, the pro-1240 tent is made up of a small population of folks and organizations that has a big voice only because of the dollar signs.

Does Tim Ceis really believe what he stated about I-1240? Ha! He's a smart guy. He's speaking the pro-1240 talking points regardless of what the initiative actually says - either in the fine or the big print. He's advocating for a political win on behalf of "the money".

Because, after all, at CBE Strategic "We provide our clients a comprehensive plan of action targeted to achieve their goals. The services we provide draw on our extensive background in politics, executive management, messaging, lobbying, campaigns, law and business development."

Oompah

Anonymous said…
IMHO. Tim Ceis had some of the same talking points as Shannon Campion in her appearance before the Tacoma Tribune editorial board.

http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012080055


Public School Parent
Anonymous said…
Shouldn't our students have real, experienced teachers?
Unknown said…
Austin Jenkins? Where did you hear this?
JADad said…
Here's an article about collaboration between NOAA and the Jane Addams K-8 environmental science program.

Educational partnership with Seattle' s K-8 environmental school
Mary Griffin said…
I looked through the expenditures for Yes on 1240, and I didn't see Tim Ceis' firm listed. But maybe that is a recent event? They did pay $2.6 million to gather signatures, though, which was interesting. It is too bad that that money couldn't have been invested in supporting the public schools.

On another note, although over $1 million for yes on 1240 did come from Bill Gates and not the Gates Foundation, there have been instances in the past where the Gates Foundation has stopped funding so-called educational (read "lobbying") efforts that were seeking to privatize public education. For example, the Gates Foundation has recently decided to no longer fund ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) based on its despicable "model legislation" to suppress the vote. I think the winning argument with Education Reform Democrats, such as Bill Gates and Tim Ceis (if he, indeed, is not being paid,) and perhaps turncoat Democrat Nick Hanauer is the fact that charter schools discriminate against people of color and the disabled. That is the winning card to play.

And back to Melissa's comments about the game--from a former cheesehead--yes, it was a horrible loss for the Packers, and not a great win for the Seahawks, but it was a fabulous win for the union refs!
Anonymous said…
Re: Austin Jenkins comment about Gates, it's my somewhat exaggerated observation regarding AJ's line of questioning in the Inside Olympia segment on I-1240 with Ceis and Catherine Ahl (League of Women Voters) from 9/2-/2012.

Oompah
Anonymous said…
Oops - that's 9-20-2012
Oompah
Charlie Mas said…
At the BEX IV presentation last night the District opened with a really tactless move.

They showed a movie about BEX III and all of the beautiful buildings it paid for. A person on the video said "This building shows these students how the community values their education." So what is the message to the Arbor Heights students about how the community values their education?

Not a sensitive choice.
Anonymous said…
Agreed, Charlie. The same video was shown at the Whitman BEX IV debacle. While it's a beautiful video with lovely positioning for any one who knows nothing about what's really going on, it was a complete slap in the face and incredibly thoughtless. How can Bagley's student community feel that "they are valued" by SPS when the building conditions are so treacherous? How can the north elementary APP student community feel "valued" when they are living in limbo without a real school? I found the video completely disgusting.

- so darn over the bs
mirmac1 said…
Remember to send your feedback re: the BEX presentations and planning to:

capacity@seattleschools.org
Anonymous said…
An interesting article on student evaluations of teachers (part of Gates Foundation study):

Why Kids should Grade Teachers

Yeah, my kids knew the good teachers from the not so good.

Seattle parent
Anonymous said…
Cato Institute study.

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/Charter-School-Paradox.pdf

Public School Parent
Anonymous said…
I want to know why my tax-payor subsidized government channels are taking sides on issues? Inside Olympia and others have allowed pro-charter elements time but I haven't seen the anti-charter people. Melissa, have you been invited to any of these so-called informative public programs?

We should storm the governor's office about it.
(with emails of course)
n...
Anonymous said…
And the mayor's too. I'm thinking City Inside/Out - I think that's the name.

n...
Anonymous said…
Finally, I meant to comment that Thom Hartmann talked about charters today. He said he hadn't realized how enchanted rich liberals were with them. He's adamantly against charters. He made a good case about it. He'll be repeated tonight at midnight if anyone wants to stay up! I didn't hear it all but most of it.

n...
Mary Griffin said…
Hi,

I have been talking to families from my son's class in the 2009-2010 school year regarding some bad stuff that went on with his teacher that year.

As it turns out, two out of the three 6th-7th graders whose families I contacted are now enrolled in www.k12.com/wava rather than attending public schools with their peers due to "school anxiety."

This for-profit company has a contract with the state to provide online public education. The New York Times has bad things to say about it's profit margins and educational achievement, stating that only 40% of these online schools run by K12 make adequate yearly progress and therefore, do not pass NCLB standards.

Does anyone know how many SpEd kids are no longer attending classrooms but are, instead, shuttled to online education? How can their serious needs for social/emotional learning occur online?

Does anyone think that steering SpEd kids to online learning is being done in a systematic matter to decrease costs? What are the economic incentives if SPS SpEd children are being educated online? Is SPS abdicating its duties if it directs students to this online academy yet fails to provide any other supportive services that a student might have qualified for if he stayed enrolled in SPS with an IEP?

Does anyone know of a place to get statistics on this information?

Just curious to see what people think/know.

Mary Griffin
Anonymous said…
Charlie,

It is AWESOME when you are talking about sensitivity. Still

-Amused.....
Anonymous said…
When I talk to people who may vote for charter (not scientific survey, just friends and neighbors), their explanation for a charter vote isn't one out of entusiasm. It's more like an out when you're stuck with bad local schools or so-so schools. I know in our neighborhood, the lost of school choice has played a factor in that sentiment. The other factor several folks mentioned is better peer group (no gangs and wannabes) especially in the MS/HS years. Not a silly concern in our schools and while the community has been working hard to counter the violence and crime, we don't have the SLU power to really make a difference beyond the acknowledgement that there's a problem and some press coverage. An arena deal can be brokered in a a very short period (despite some heavy political and wealthy naysayers) with the help of the city council, the mayor and all of the city workers at their disposal, but you won't find the same level of intensity, focus, and get it done mandate when it comes down to improving actual lives of citizens within this city.

It seems charter is what they are throwing at us.

stuck
Anonymous said…
The District used to allow dual enrollment in both SPS and K12/WAVA. A student could attend their neighborhood school part time for band, PE, language, etc, but take some core classes such as math, history, and science through WAVA. This is no longer allowed, but did work for some families in terms of balancing academic and social needs.

fyi
Anonymous said…
"Does anyone know how many SpEd kids are no longer attending classrooms but are, instead, shuttled to online education? How can their serious needs for social/emotional learning occur online?"

The gender demographics of that one are relevant too as most of the students being managed out are boys. Probably boys between the ages of 9 and 13. Does anybody have access to that kind of information? What is the gender, race, age, breakdown of special needs students who leave public school? It seems every year more parents are looking for options. I hope Banda will start managing out some of those principals instead! And that he will start asking for higher standards of excellence from the special education department and educational directors too.

reader
Carol Simmons said…
Yes Seattle Parent,

Student evaluation of staff (not only teachers, but Administrators, Counselors and other Support Staff) was conducted at Cleveland High School in the eighties. It was very effective according to the students and staff. The results of the surveys were only shared with the staff member being evaluated. No one else saw them. They were not used by administrators to evaluate teachers, and the teacher/staff member had the option of participating or not. A committee composed of teachers, students, support staff and parents designed the survey.
mirmac1 said…
And now RFA, to better motivate players and fans alike!

Refs For America
Unknown said…
"The other factor several folks mentioned is better peer group (no gangs and wannabes) especially in the MS/HS years."

And where do those wannabes go? To traditional schools so the burden is borne somewhere else. Handy for a charter who wants to look good. It is ALWAYS easier to look better when you can control your population...just like private schools do.

That said, SPS has got to get a grip on discipline and frankly, it needs to start earlier.

"An arena deal can be brokered in a a very short period (despite some heavy political and wealthy naysayers) with the help of the city council, the mayor and all of the city workers at their disposal, but you won't find the same level of intensity, focus, and get it done mandate when it comes down to improving actual lives of citizens within this city."

Absolutely true. I have been so disgusted with Constantine and McGinn and the City Council for all this time for this effort. Where is their concern for real issues?

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