Seattle Schools Selects New Chief of Curriculum and Instruction

From SPS Communications:

Kyle Kinoshita, Ed.D has been selected Chief of Curriculum and Instruction for Seattle Public Schools (SPS). Kinoshita comes to the position after serving as the Executive Director of Learning and Teaching for the Marysville School District for the past nine years.

The SPS Chief of Curriculum and Instruction position is critical to students’ success. The position provides the district expertise and innovative leadership for all phases of department services, including professional development, standards, and assessments, as well as development of a curriculum and instructional delivery service model for schools to ensure direct and system-wide services to students.

Kyle was selected from a field of 21 applicants through a rigorous interview process that included principals, union partners and central office leaders.

One of the most important reasons Kyle applied for the position is that he is a product of Seattle School District’s central and southeast schools including Bailey Gatzert, Muir, Van Asselt and Rainier Beach elementary schools. 
Kyle’s own experience has fueled a lifelong commitment to the achievement of equity and elimination of opportunity gaps. Working to help Seattle school leaders serve the historically underserved is a powerful personal motivator to join the district and accomplish the successful construction of a strong system of learning improvement.


Kyle hopes to develop a deep collaboration around student achievement, the elimination of achievement gaps, and a common language around powerful instruction and rigorous curriculum in all K-12 schools. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
My first reaction, was "Marysville?" That doesn't bode well. Then I thought maybe I just need to take a fresh look at Marysville and scanned their curriculum links on the district website. Really not encouraging. At all. I'd sure welcome the feedback of anyone who has more insight about this hire.

-concerned
Well, his LinkedIn page projects look good. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-kinoshita-7954251b

There's this from Western Washington U:
"In the Fall 2004, Kyle was presented the Excellence in Educational Administration award by the University Council for Educational Administration. Prior to this in 1993, he was awarded as a teacher the Christa McAuliffe-Excellence in Education Award from the state of Washington, in 2000 he received the Snohomish Region Distinguished Principal Award from the Association of Washington State Principals."

They have quite a well-thought out Highly Capable program. http://msd25.org/cms/lib8/WA01918994/Centricity/Domain/88/HiCap%20Program%20Summary%202014.pdf
Anonymous said…
Much of the Marysville HC language is taken straight from the state rules and guidelines. The specifics of the Marysville HC program seems similar to the old Spectrum - math one year ahead in elementary, with self-contained classes, then a self-contained LA/SS block in middle school, and math leading to Algebra in 8th. The cutoffs are 95%ile for both achievement and ability (CogAT). The option for self selection into Honors Math 6 is similar to the math opt up option in SPS. It seems more advanced students would need to consider whole grade acceleration in addition to the HC program, though how many students have the motivation and maturity?

But that's HC, just one aspect of Curriculum and Instruction. What surprised me about the Marysville website is how little info is made available to parents. What are the adopted programs/texts/materials? For elementary math, it looks to be EngageNY, but no info is available for MS and HS. What is the science curriculum? I suppose I was just looking for info on what was being offered in Marysville as a means of gaging what we can expect from the new head of C&I. I realize Marysville is smaller, and probably even more strained financially, but the lack of information is concerning.

-concerned
Flip Herndon also came from a small district. It's not that I don't think these people have good qualifications but the difference between a small district and the biggest one in the state is quite large. Probably makes for a big learning curve.
Charlie Mas said…
From the job description: "development of a curriculum and instructional delivery service model for schools to ensure direct and system-wide services to students."

Unless, of course, your child's school decides otherwise and, in the case of any children with special needs, there is no development of a curriculum or instructional delivery model and no assurance of system-wide services to students.
Anonymous said…
No kidding, Charlie! You could add to that: unless the grade level teachers for, say 3rd and 4th grades, prefer to keep their students for the entire day and despite the fact the school publicizes an extensions and interventions or advanced learning capabilities, this particular group says they will not set up walk to read or math.

Hit Ormiss
Joe Wolf said…
Melissa - Flip worked at the Tacoma district as head of operations before his Sup. gig at Bremerton.

FWIW he went to Whitman and Harvard as well.
Joe, you took my comment to mean that I didn't think Herdon qualified. I didn't say that or mean that. I meant he came from smaller districts.
Charlie Mas said…
I wanted to write to Dr. Kinoshita, but his email isn't available yet.
Anonymous said…
I assume you are writing to congratulate him on being so accomplished after switching elementary schools three times as a child in notoriously (at that time) low income infused areas of Seattle, and then choosing to use his experience and education to help all students succeed. I'm sure he is full of knowledge about SPS, having been an actual product of the schools and living in a place that is close by.

Charlie will be welcoming him aboard. Armchair quarterback knowledge is always helpful.
It tells alot about the quarterback.

FWIW
Anonymous said…
FWIW needs a new moniker: Debbie Downer.

Hit Ormiss
Anonymous said…
Just call me Matt Foley.

FWIW
Charlie Mas said…
Let's try harder to focus on facts instead of conjecture, shall we?

It's bad enough that I get in trouble for the stuff I have done. I'll accept responsibility for that. But now I'm taking heat for stuff that someone (someone who doesn't even know me) presumes I would do. I can't take responsibility for that.

As it happens, yes, I was going to write to Dr. Kinoshita to congratulate him on his new position, though without making any reference to his experiences switching schools as a child. I did not, however, assume that he has full knowledge of Seattle Public Schools. I don't think anyone does.
Charlie Mas said…
I did write to Dr. Kinoshita to congratulate him on his new position, to wish him well, and to ask him some questions about how his role was described in the press release.

He wrote back to thank me for the congratulation (I was the first), to say that the press release wasn't a particularly precise description of his job, and to say that he is on a steep learning curve about Seattle Public Schools.

Here is his email address: kdkinoshita@seattleschools.org

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