Friday Open Thread
Over at the Times, they had an end-of-the year wrap-up for their "Education Lab" adventure with the Gates Foundation. They ask the question, "What else would you like to see Education Lab tackle in the coming year?"
How about truthfulness about your venture?
You would think a joint venture with OSPI accessing and using SPS student data to write stories would be a major story for them. And yet, there was not a single story about it. Again, almost like it isn't happening.
It's very hard to take them seriously (and so I don't).
Did I mention that yet another data security breech happened in our country? That would be Snapchat which is particularly popular with teens. Hackers posted over four million of its users phone numbers. From the Mercury News:
But pilfered phone numbers can cause broader problems. By combining them and usernames with databases of commonly used passwords or other information, experts warn, hackers can sometimes steal consumer identities and access their financial accounts.
"This vulnerability could hypothetically be used to stalk members of society -- such as public figures -- or the data could even be sold to various firms, with the intent of using it and other data to connect online profiles to people in real life," according to the Gibson Security warning about Snapchat's problems.
It's back to school on Monday and I'll have a separate thread on why every single Board meeting needs to feature at least one speaker on the public testimony list talking about SPS student data privacy. SPS is upset about this one-upmanship from OSPI. I recall Director McLaren kind of lightheartedly saying they could put off this topic until "the spring." I would think she may not feel that way now but we'll see.
What's on your mind?
How about truthfulness about your venture?
You would think a joint venture with OSPI accessing and using SPS student data to write stories would be a major story for them. And yet, there was not a single story about it. Again, almost like it isn't happening.
It's very hard to take them seriously (and so I don't).
Did I mention that yet another data security breech happened in our country? That would be Snapchat which is particularly popular with teens. Hackers posted over four million of its users phone numbers. From the Mercury News:
But pilfered phone numbers can cause broader problems. By combining them and usernames with databases of commonly used passwords or other information, experts warn, hackers can sometimes steal consumer identities and access their financial accounts.
"This vulnerability could hypothetically be used to stalk members of society -- such as public figures -- or the data could even be sold to various firms, with the intent of using it and other data to connect online profiles to people in real life," according to the Gibson Security warning about Snapchat's problems.
It's back to school on Monday and I'll have a separate thread on why every single Board meeting needs to feature at least one speaker on the public testimony list talking about SPS student data privacy. SPS is upset about this one-upmanship from OSPI. I recall Director McLaren kind of lightheartedly saying they could put off this topic until "the spring." I would think she may not feel that way now but we'll see.
What's on your mind?
Comments
Discipline records will be shared and students in foster care will be flagged.
http://www.npr.org/2014/01/02/259082746/education-critics-say-common-core-standards-rollout-is-rushed
Critics Say Schools' Common Core Standards Rollout Is Rushed
by CLAUDIO SANCHEZ
January 02, 2014 5:17 AM
-katydid
The Record
Monday - Friday, noon - 2:00 p.m. on KUOW
ROSS REYNOLDS, STEVE SCHER AND MARCIE SILLMAN
Coming up on The Record, 1/2: Possible good news for Seattle rent, Nancy Pearl, and superintendent Jose Banda
-katydid
Author, Barry Garelick stated, "This book is a collection of letters that I wrote which chronicle my experiences in a math teaching methods class in ed school (using the name John Dewey) and my experiences student teaching (using the name Huck Finn). I teach mathematics in California. I have a degree in the subject and an intense interest in how it is taught."
Garelick added, "The book is a sometimes useful and always irreverent compendium of letters that examine math education in our public schools, addressed to anyone with the requisite curiosity to read them."
A Look at Math Education from the Inside
-mathy parent
Who responded to you?
Thanks!
For more information about FERPA, or if you wish to file a complaint, you may contact the U.S. Department of Education’s Family Policy Compliance Office at 1-800-872-5327, or by mail at 400 Maryland Ave SW, Washington D.C. 20202-5920.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!
Best regards,
Callie Sechrist
Program Supervisor, Equity and Civil Rights
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
(360) 725-6162
www.k12.wa.us/Equity
Director of Student Information
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Deb.Came@k12.wa.us
360.725.6356 (office)
Given the financial position of the district, I'm not sure how later starts would happen, unless all yellow bus service for middle school and high school were eliminated. Given the constraints of Metro, is this a trade-off families are willing to make? Is this where we're headed anyway?
-js
Another big impact for the 9:30 elementary start is that parents have to get before-school care in order to have a job with any kind of normal schedule. Many PT office jobs will flex to allow people to come in at 9:00 or 9:30, but 10:00 or 10:30 is pretty late.
"Businesses are the primary consumers of the output of our schools, so it’s a natural alliance."
http://bit.ly/19FtA6c.
Mr. Greene, the grumpy old teacher and author of this blog post, systematically dissects this sentence so that you can see what the sausage is made of. My favorite part is this paragraph:
"So it's a natural alliance. Let's pretend for a moment that this conclusion isn't predicated on the totally-wrong first clause. If business and education represent a natural alliance, then maybe business could start acting like allies instead of ham-handed paternalistic patronizing bosses. Pick the business of anybody on the Gates Foundation board of directors. Pick any one. Now imagine me, a teacher, showing up at the CEO's office and saying, "Hey, some of us at my high school formed a study group and we've come up with some recommendations about how your business should be run. And if you don't want to listen to us, we'll call up our friends in DC and make you listen to us."
I can imagine lots of responses. None of them would be, "Hey, you must be my ally!"
-skeptic
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/01/02/people-to-watch-in-2014-seattle-area-edition/#18398103=0&19103101=0
Charles E. Wright, Jr. is an expert in the linkages between school district data systems and student performance. He has over 18 years experience leading and advising teams that collect and report school data. Most recently he served as Chief Strategy Officer for Denver Public Schools. He is also an entrepreneur, having founded both a consulting organization that works with schools, districts, and education nonprofits on performance management projects and a website to help parents and communities support their children’s learning and development in and out of school.
hmm
I think he truly wants to create real change but so did Maria Goodloe-Johnson. I think he sees the disconnection between departments and how the district is really not running well.
But is this change to course-correct the district and its management OR switch us off in yet ANOTHER direction (costing time and resources)?
Two things I believe most new people don't get.
Our district is not like others. You cannot come in and believe you are large and in charge, no matter your title.
Next, our district has been poised for greatness for a long time (if only we had the trains running on time and stopped with these millions of new "initiatives" and "strategic plans". Run this district well and watch things happen.
And guess who would get great credit for creating this well-run urban district? A feather in anyone's cap and yet it hasn't happened.
Time will tell.
The data requested by, but not yet provided to, the Times are:
CEDARS (2009-10 through 2012-13)
Student enrollment/demographics/program flags
Student schedule/courses
Staff schedule
Student grade history
Student absences (school year 2012-13)
Student discipline (school year 2012-13)
Assessment scores for MSP, HSPE, EOC, WAAS-Portfolio, WELPA (2009-10 through 2012-13)
Graduation/dropout (Classes of 2010 through 2013, when available)
Student Growth Percentile (Spring 2011 through 2013)
You can see what variables are collected in CEDARS by looking at the CEDARS Data Manual. Please keep in mind that student names, dates of birth and Social Security Numbers are removed before the data are shared.
If a child requires so many more hours a day of after school activity time & work hours, they would need some flexibility (like online school). But it is unfair to demand that the majority of students be sleep deprived in order to provide that 9/10 hours after school to some kids who choose that level of activity.
- Need sleep
1. For each grade, are the expectations and learning goals clearly stated and easy for you to find?
2. Does this program include the resources necessary to support the lessons and problems in the material?
3. If you were teaching K-5 students in mathematics, would you find this material useful and easy to implement?
4. Do these instructional materials adequately meet the learning goals of all students (ELL, SpEd, APP/ALO)?
5. Does this program reflect broad cultural perspectives of Seattle Public Schools, without stereotyping or inappropriate representations of minority groups?
Would you find the material "useful?" What about mathematical soundness?? Please tell me there's more to the selection than the factors above.
More links on Cliff Mass blog -
Decision on a New K-5 Math Curriculum
As a parent, I'd like materials that are mathematically sound and clear enough that I'm able to help my child at home, preferably with an absence of inane photos and graphics unrelated to the topic at hand.
Seattle parent
Emile
with skeptic
OSPI, I'll have a thread on how taking out PII doesn't necessarily mean you couldn't ID students.
I'm always skeptical of data, anyway. There are lies, damn lies and then, there is data.
If we really value their babysitting so much, then maybe we should pony up & pay for the transportation that supports simultaneous bell times at an hour that supports their learning.
-need sleep
with skeptics
I am glad that your high school experience worked well for you.
What research shows is that most teenagers do not have the ability to 'just go to sleep earlier' as these studies show.
national sleep foundation
And there is an academic cost for teenagers who have earlier start times. As these studies show.
Sleep study article
sleep study
So if ensuring that teenagers are available for family childcare is a community value, then we need to provide that opportunity without demanding the academic sacrifice that research shows is being paid by starting school too early for most teenagers.
-need sleep
with skeptic
Parent of Teens
It's absolutely true that if teens want to do a large number of things, they are likely to be sleep deprived. Maybe they should give up afterschool sports and activities in favor of academics.
Funny you should mention obesity because the one thing that keeps getting mentioned to aid weight loss? Adequate sleep.
No, you won't find a peer-researched study that says that it doesn't matter what time teens go to sleep in terms of academic outcomes. If you find it (or know of it), please let us know.
Academics are important "for a million reasons." And I'll go on the record as saying academics is the MOST important thing for students - not jobs or sports or afterschool activities.
As to research. It took me about 5 minutes to locate research supporting non-biological causes of "teen sleep deprivation"... which makes me believe the district is fine keeping it's early start time. Check out Education Week (Dec 10th 2013) and research at the University of Cincinatti. Notably, use of electronics was indicated for sleep problems. Ya think? (and that also points back to disciplined electronic usage)
You have your values - others have theirs. You don't get to pick the values of other people, sorry. Sports and other pro-social activities are of equal importance to academics, and they support academics. That's also research based.
Parent of Teens
I have a teen who goes to bed (without electronics) when I ask him to. Then he lies awake until about midnight every night. He doesn't like being tired all the time and it's clearly not good for his health.
So no - the current schedule doesn't work best for all of us.
I agree that many teens hurt their sleep by using electronics at night. But the sleep studies referred to in these articles are performed in a sleep lab, so the teens are monitored & can not use electronics. In these studies they show a biological basis for teens' later sleep cycles.
national sleep foundation
Can you show me the sleep study that found there is no biological basis for later teen sleep cycles. A controlled study, not a survey. That is what we have not seen.
Parents may decide that sports or work is more important than school for their child. (My parents did & I dropped out of school at 14). But the school district needs to prioritize academics. That is their job. Their job isn't athletic training. I don't think they have the resources to add that as a priority.
-Need Sleep
And no, my children are NOT early risers, and teaching them discipline is not easy for me. That's life folks.
Parent of Teens
I almost hope you're being sarcastic, but it doesn't seem like it. Are you seriously pointing to an article like this and suggesting that it nullifies the decades of research into teen circadian cycles? REALLY? Please tell me you're not a researcher!
There may very well be concerns with blue light in the evening/night, and frankly even with television at night, but teens have different cycles than adults or children. That's just a fact, it has nothing to do with "discipline" -- that's a joke. There are things teens can do to mitigate the difficulties, to some degree, but they don't just go away.
Some people are lucky enough to be able to sleep at will, most are not; but teens are especially prone to not being able to sleep until later at night. I remember trying in vain during those years to go to sleep earlier, and the schedule we were on in high school was painful and unhealthy.
You have your values - others have theirs. You don't get to pick the values of other people, sorry. Sports and other pro-social activities are of equal importance to academics, and they support academics. That's also research based.
How do your own words feel in reverse? YOU don't get to pick the values of OTHER people, sorry. Sports and other pro-social activities are NOT of equal importance with academics (whatever "pro-social activities" means). Period.
Look, schools exist to teach, that is their purpose; academics is number one. Other important secondary "lessons" like citizenship are taught within the classroom setting, and certainly do not require sports or special after-hours classes.
There are also many outlets for kids to do team sports that do not require schools to compromise their academics and health of the majority of students. Various neighborhood or select teams exist in practically every corner of the city.
It's your job to make sure your kids get a well-rounded education, that hopefully includes more than just academics, but it's NOT the school's job to provide that. Schools already require P.E. to ensure we don't have 100% sedentary kids.
Yes I'm speaking harshly, because your argument is not only poor, but selfish. You seem to think the "needs" of your child(ren) outweigh the needs of the majority. That's not cool. Your priorities are not everyone else's.
I would suggest that along with this minor change, we also have high schools and middle schools make 1st and last period optional, and ensure that all required classes are either not during those periods, or also available at another time. If 40 minutes really breaks the sports schedule (I'm skeptical of this), then sports can be scheduled in the last period of the day and count as PE. Kids for whom sports are important can take a first period class. Students who need to work or care for younger siblings can take a 1st period class, and leave before last period.
My primary concern with the petition is that it suggests that some elementary students should start school earlier. Frankly, I don't think anyone should have to start school before 9:00, but that it's great to have optional before-school activities for families that need or want them. Before and after care is currently subsidized for low-income families, so I don't see this as an equity issue. Besides, low-income jobs don't tend to be 9-5 anyway, so there are probably just as many low-income families where the parents work nights and would prefer a later start as there are families that need to drop off their kids early.
Well, again, that would be a value, not a requirement. It certainly isn't the norm world-wide, I can tell you that.
The issue of "discipline" and electronics is a different subject than what the reasoning would be to make this change.
And I don't know about you but most people I know don't start work at 7:30 am.
different world