Seattle Channel's Families&Education Levy Series

This series on Seattle Channel (21) premieres tonight.  From Seattle Channel:

The five-part series premieres tonight; chronicles levy programs to increase student success in school.


www.seattlechannel.org/OurCityOurSchools
SEATTLE – Since 1990, Seattle voters have approved a property-tax levy every seven years to support children and their families in the city’s public schools. The goal of the city-controlled levy: prepare all students to graduate from high school ready for college or career.

In November 2011, Seattle voters easily approved a seven-year $235-million Families and Education Levy – a near doubling of the previous levy – to pay for such things as expanded early learning, health and mental-health screenings, after-school and summer-learning programs and support for at-risk middle- and high-school students.
Is the investment paying off? How are levy programs improving student achievement? What are the benchmarks for measuring the levy’s effectiveness? A new Seattle Channel series Our City, Our Schools offers an up-close look at the levy and its programs and examines its successes and challenges.

Host Brian Callanan talks with everyone from principals to preschoolers to understand the impact of the $235-million levy on our students and our city in the five-part series which will kick off with a segment spotlighting levy-funded early learning programs,
7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 25 on cable channel 21 and online at seattlechannel.org.

The remaining four half-hour shows highlight levy-funded programs from elementary through high school. The shows will air weekly at 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays through March 25.  Below are short show descriptions and their on-air premiere dates. All segments are available online now at www.seattlechannel.org/OurCityOurSchools.

Preschool
Premieres Tuesday, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m.
Education experts say investing in preschool programs is a critical piece of early learning that prepares students for their entire academic careers. We profile levy investments in West Seattle’s Southwest Early Learning Center and hear how high-quality preschool impacts our students and the city as a whole.

Elementary
Premieres Tuesday, March 4, 7:30 p.m.
Parents and kids say before- and after-school programs help families get more out of elementary school. How does the levy’s support for elementary-school programs impact everything from academic achievement to school attendance? Find out with our profile of Beacon Hill International Elementary.

Health
Premieres Tuesday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
The levy has expanded its investment in student health to reach elementary- through high-school students. See how health impacts student performance and how a clinic at Rainier Beach High School is making a difference. 

Middle School
Premieres Tuesday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.
Middle school presents some of the biggest challenges in Seattle’s diverse student population. See how levy investments at Denny Middle School are helping kids from different backgrounds become college and career ready.

High School
Premieres Tuesday, March 25, 7:30 p.m.
About one out of four kids in Seattle public schools isn’t graduating from high school. Find out how the levy is targeting this problem early in students’ freshman year and the results the effort is yielding at West Seattle High School.

The levy provides supplemental support to Seattle public schools to increase student success. Levy dollars are controlled by the city of Seattle. The city’s Office for Education awards funds on a competitive basis to schools and community-based organizations. The Office for Education provided funding support for Our City, Our Schools.

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