More Education Updates

 Update on Federal Reserve building - I'm pretty sure the district is out of it.  The bid is now up to $9.6M and the bidding window is now open another day.  It appears two bidders are duking it out because the other four hats in the ring have remained inactive since their first bids.   If it's the district who is still in it, I have no idea where they are finding these dollars.

end of update

The Times is reporting that a 13-year old Denny International student was robbed by a man with a gun as she walked to school this morning in the Delridge neighborhood.  He took her backpack and patted her down, apparently looking for a cellphone or money but she had neither.

She reported this to the school when she got there.

From the West Seattle blog:

 This comes two weeks after the first in a recent string of West Seattle robberies, though police have said they haven’t found a connection between any of the cases except for the two in Admiral. The first one was January 15th near Myrtle Reservoir, in which a 14-year-old was robbed of his backpack while heading to a bus stop near 35th/Myrtle.

From Principal Clark's letter to parents:

You can help your children stay safe by talking to them about personal safety. Tips to discuss are:
• walking in pairs or groups and being aware of their surroundings at all times
• report anything suspicious to a trusted adult (school staff and family member)
More tips and information can be found on the Seattle Police Department website: seattle.gov/police/prevention/child/default.htm.

The state graduation rate did rise this year to 77.2 from 76%.  Governor Inslee had said he wanted to see a 2% growth rate and this fell short of that.

For 2012, the latest date available, nationally the rate is 80%.  The disparity between minorities and whites as well as for ELL/Sped students continues to be troubling.

The Pew Research Center reports:

More U.S. high school students are staying in school, according to newly released data from the Census Bureau, as the national dropout rate reached a record low last year. Just 7% of the nation’s 18-to-24 year olds had dropped out of high school, continuing a steady decline in the nation’s dropout rate since 2000, when 12% of youth were dropouts.

And in what could be an interesting event - especially if there is room in the day for parent input - the district announced this:

Family and Community Summit Feb. 21: “Parent and Family Engagement Make a World of Difference”

All families and community members are cordially invited to a parent/family and community summit to be held at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence on Saturday, February 21. This daylong summit will explore how we can all come together to improve student academic achievement, our schools and communities. This important event is sponsored by the Seattle Alliance of Black School Educators and the U.S. Department of Education in collaborative partnership with Seattle Public Schools.

Dr. Otha Thornton, Jr., president of the National PTA, will offer the Keynote Address. Speakers, interactive sessions and resources will be available on topics including: parent and family engagement, Common Core Standards, socio-emotional learning, ensuring racial equity in education, culturally relevant teaching, parent advocacy in Special Education Services and students sharing their stories.

The flyer includes additional information. This event, including continental breakfast, is free and runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration to this event is not necessary but encouraged for planning purposes.