Friday Open Thread

No Saturday community meetings with directors this week.

The district is starting a partnership with Seattle Public Library called Library Link. 

This program will automatically provide a library account to students at three middle schools; Aki Kurose, Mercer and Denny.  "The Library Link pilot program is a good example because access to digital resources isn't necessarily equal for all students in the district. By partnering with the Seattle Public Library, we're hoping to have a solution for that."

Interesting article from the Columbia Basin Herald about a high school that is trying to do more "outside school days."  

“All the questions they had will serve as a springboard in the classroom, and that’s the difference between this experience and your typical school field trip,” Dermond said. “Usually, field trips aim to reinforce what has already been dispensed in the classroom. We wanted our field trip to create questions that we can answer in the classroom.”

“If you looked at their discipline records, you’d probably think to identify them as ‘problem students,’” Dermond said. “But if you observed them in this setting, you’d have correctly identified them as leaders.”

A blast from the past I stumbled upon; a story from Marysville in 2007 where then-superintendent Larry Nyland was grappling with boundary issues.  Another fun fact I didn't know; he and new SPS chief of curriculum, assessment and instruction, Kyle Kinoshita, worked together in Maryville School District.

A great story about a twice-gifted high school student in Kentucky, Jack Bradley. 

"Although I do not believe our election process is rigged, I do believe that in many ways, our education system is."

He and his family have started an organization called JackBeNimble to advocate for transforming special education by elevating student, family and educator voices, and by working with school districts to examine limiting assumptions and to encourage greater innovation.   

The Economist has its usual meaty writing in this article about what they believe is the direction that either presidential candidate will go on various policy issues including education.  College funding is on page 7 and K-12 is on page 9.  

Nice contest from Pacific Northwest Ballet - grand prize is two roundtrip travel vouchers on Alaska Airlines and tickets to PNB's Nutcracker.  Twenty other people will win a pair of tickets to the Nutcracker.

What's on your mind?