Friday Open Thread
The district's website states that:
Logins to our websites and other systems will not be available Saturday, morning starting at 6 a.m. for planned maintenance. We will bring services back as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience.
Looks like Kansas will join Washington as a state where courts are finding that their legislature is not fully funding education. Their case has now gone to their Supreme Court. This "throwing more money at it" idea seems more and more off. I think we can all agree that changes needs to happen but change - whether ed reform or common sense - DOES come with costs.
Good story from NPR on juvenile incarceration. The overall numbers are going down but, as you would suspect, not for Hispanic/African-American youth AND the number of girls is going up. The good news is that if there is outreach/supports, many of these kids will then "age out" of some behaviors that would have gotten them in trouble.
Other good story comes from NBC on the value of two 15-minute a day meditation sessions at a troubled middle and high school (the high school had been dubbed "the Fight School.") Their suspension rates are down by 70% and test scores have risen modestly. I wish more districts would embrace this thinking.
What's on your mind?
Logins to our websites and other systems will not be available Saturday, morning starting at 6 a.m. for planned maintenance. We will bring services back as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience.
Looks like Kansas will join Washington as a state where courts are finding that their legislature is not fully funding education. Their case has now gone to their Supreme Court. This "throwing more money at it" idea seems more and more off. I think we can all agree that changes needs to happen but change - whether ed reform or common sense - DOES come with costs.
Good story from NPR on juvenile incarceration. The overall numbers are going down but, as you would suspect, not for Hispanic/African-American youth AND the number of girls is going up. The good news is that if there is outreach/supports, many of these kids will then "age out" of some behaviors that would have gotten them in trouble.
Other good story comes from NBC on the value of two 15-minute a day meditation sessions at a troubled middle and high school (the high school had been dubbed "the Fight School.") Their suspension rates are down by 70% and test scores have risen modestly. I wish more districts would embrace this thinking.
What's on your mind?
Comments
I am, however, worried that some people might use the growth mindset theory as proof that giftedness doesn't matter. It does. Some kids naturally start school with more "mind muscle."
Why so sad? Because any of us who know the community and have used the Asian Resource Center understand this was the heart and soul of the ID for families of many cultures. It's where kids already were learning. And families were gathering. And social services were offered. If the family needed to sell, the city no doubt coulda shoulda worked out a deal to keep it in the public domain. Instead, no doubt to city insider + business insider + B&M handiwork, the building will be displacing the families to offer a lottery high school...sure, for the Asian community but also the resource heavy NE Charter Believers - just wait and see. The local community gets less. So much less. Unbelievable just unbelievable 1984 Orwellianism to see a charter that takes everything from the community promoted as a Solution. Charlie Melissa hope you consider a dedicated thread on this when people are back in school and reading this blog. Summit Public School: Sierra = a community breakdown and the danged franchise school hasn't even started holding classes.
Completely Dispirited
EdVoter
Now that I know the location, I agree it is sad that it is taking over the Asian Resource Center. I know many families who have considered the ARC a second home and many students who found resources there for their academic work when their families did not have the ability to provide those resources.
I would like to hear the backstory on the sale. Was it open knowledge the building was for sale, or was it only quietly up for sale? (The article says the owners decided to sell 2 years ago.) If it really was procured before the community had a chance to solicit resources to keep its current mission intact, locating a charter there is certainly awkward. I bet a lot of International District families don't know they are losing the building and will be devastated to hear the news. At the very least, I hope Summit-Sierra finds ways to keep the cafeteria, meeting rooms and gymnasium open to the community after school hours.
EdVoter
Summit says they "will spend almost two years getting to know the community before the school opens its doors..." so you'd think they would know the value of the building to those in the community.
NoCharters
On Wednesday, Jan. 7, nearly 300 King County elected officials, educators and representatives of agencies, organizations, businesses, and parent advocacy and faith-based groups will meet to talk about how they can work together to make early learning a county-wide priority.
The state is failing to fully fund education and has not met their Constitutional duty to fund mental health. Yet, the push for free prek continues. dow Constantine and Ed Murray are hosting symposiums and will be speaking in Bellevue, too.
- Steve
http://crosscut.com/2015/01/05/community-idea-lab/123405/what-parents-say-they-would-change-about-public-sc/?page=single
HP