Rainier Beach IB Program Gets a Boost from the Alliance for Education
From SPS Communications:
I have mixed feelings on this announcement. Great! is the first one but then some sadness. One, because while $50K is going to really help, my understanding is that it takes more money than that to sustain a program (especially one that is school-wide.) Two, what about Ingraham and Chief Sealth which also need help.
I wanted to advocate that money for IB come from the Families & Education levy which is using $7M for Early Learning on top of the stand-alone Pre-K levy. It would seem that maybe the City could help Ingraham and Chief Sealth's programs which are also worthy of support.
I also wish that the line about RBHS having IB for every student was not contrasted with the more limited programs at Ingraham and Chief Sealth. Those are big comprehensive high school that would need many more resources to match what the much smaller RBHS does.
But good for RBHS.
The Alliance for Education and Seattle Public Schools today announced a multi-year agreement to sustain the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Rainier Beach High School, which has been at risk of being discontinued at the end of the current academic year due to lack of funds.
The Alliance for Education has pledged $50,000 per year in philanthropic funds for each of the next three school years – 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 – for a total of $150,000. This pledge has been made possible through the early support of the Thomas B. Foster Endowment and the John Stanford Fund. Seattle Public Schools will fund the remaining costs of the program and will be examining mechanisms to sustain the program beyond the 2018-2019 school year.
“This is a community solution that celebrates students and helps sustain opportunities for kids,” said Alliance for Education President and CEO Sara Morris. “Rainier Beach has put Seattle at the vanguard of leveraging advanced learning as an equity driver. We are inspired by the extraordinary efforts and accomplishments of Rainer Beach students, faculty and community and are thrilled to play a role in supporting their continued success.”end of press release
“Many enrichment programs are supported by their local school communities,” said Betty Patu, Seattle School Board President. “This is a case where the broader community is stepping up and embracing a school on the move. It’s a testament to Seattle’s generosity and a powerful statement on holding equity as a community value.”
Rainier Beach High School has made IB a part of every student’s academic experience. As opposed to establishing IB as an academy within the school in which only some students participate, every Rainier Beach High School student takes at least one IB course. IB has been credited with the schools’ 25-percent increase in graduation rate since 2011.
“High expectations and hard work are at the core of our students’ success,” said Ivory Brooks, principal of Rainier Beach High School. This support is greatly appreciated and is definitely a move in the right direction for our RBHS School Community. Our students are proving that with high expectations and a world class academic program they can and will compete in college career and beyond. Rainier Beach High School is on the rise."
Representatives from the Alliance for Education, Seattle Public Schools and the City of Seattle joined together to make the announcement this morning at the Alliance for Education’s annual community breakfast.
I have mixed feelings on this announcement. Great! is the first one but then some sadness. One, because while $50K is going to really help, my understanding is that it takes more money than that to sustain a program (especially one that is school-wide.) Two, what about Ingraham and Chief Sealth which also need help.
I wanted to advocate that money for IB come from the Families & Education levy which is using $7M for Early Learning on top of the stand-alone Pre-K levy. It would seem that maybe the City could help Ingraham and Chief Sealth's programs which are also worthy of support.
I also wish that the line about RBHS having IB for every student was not contrasted with the more limited programs at Ingraham and Chief Sealth. Those are big comprehensive high school that would need many more resources to match what the much smaller RBHS does.
But good for RBHS.
Comments
What are the full costs of the program and did the Alliance attach strings to funding/
The whole situation is pretty shameful. Seattle School district has pretty high per student spending, and yet, so little makes its way in an impactful manner to the classroom.
northwesterner
Little bird
It has been a LONG time (since before MGJ) that I think I have had an opportunity to use the word "Hooray" in the same sentence as "Alliance for Education."
"Rainier Beach High School has made IB a part of every student’s academic experience. As opposed to establishing IB as an academy within the school in which only some students participate, every Rainier Beach High School student takes at least one IB course."
Guess what? Chief Sealth IHS does this too. All 11th and 12th graders at Sealth take either standard level (SL) or higher level (HL) IB Language Arts. While there is small full diploma cohort each year (20-30 students), a large number of juniors and seniors take two or more IB classes. Again, ALL students take two years of IB Language Arts.
Chief Sealth has not had the help of the Families and Education Levy. Funding IB puts a huge strain on the school's budget. For the IB Language Arts classes, for example, several days of oral assessments are required. Normally, a sub would be brought in while the teacher facilitates the exams one on one with the students. The Sealth teachers are doing this without subs.
Most districts in our region fund the IB Coordinator position centrally. In Seattle, we fund the coordinator out of building budgets. This spring, the Chief Sealth staff failed to approve its budget by the required 67%. We were asked to decide between funding the IB coordinator, a full-time social worker, and the beloved woodshop program. The budget process was long, divisive, and demoralizing for many. A $50,000 check would have allowed the school to fully fund all three positions (we were about $40,000 short after making cuts in several departments).
Like Rainier Beach, Chief Sealth is not a school that can easily sustain an IB program on its own. The free and reduced rate is 62% (it's likely higher due to some students not turning in their forms). Many students who enroll in IB classes, opt not to take the exams at the end because they are unable to pay the registration fees.
IB is working, especially at RB and Chief Sealth, two schools that have tried to make their IB programs as inclusive as possible for all students. And it is not the only program that deserves support. Sealth is also running an innovative Spanish immersion program. Next year, over 50 students who have been in dual language/immersion since Kindergarten (at Concord and Denny) will arrive to Chief Sealth as freshmen. They will have the opportunity to continue in a 4-year immersion continuation program, which includes IB History of the Americas and IB 20th Century World History IN SPANISH. Like IB, the immersion program depends fully on building funds, which is very difficult for a new program in its early years.
I really hope that SPS finds a way to support IB at all three IB schools soon.
Noah Z
-SPS parent
-HS Parent
This mess replicates the problem with fundraising requirements for the north end language immersion schools. At least they are option schools. Parents who don't want their child's education to be dependent on yearly fundraising can choose their neighborhood school instead.
-sped parent
-sped parent
The international educational foundation admits the program is discriminatory in it's requirements, but the ADA does not extend to other countries.
Info only
-sped parent
Info only
-sped parent
dear,
sir/mam
There are three main success factors that plays a role in International Strategic Alliances. They are Partner Choice, Alliance Composition and Managing the alliance.
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