Seattle Schools Community Forum

As the Republican convention starts today in Cleveland, here are helpful charts from Ed Week on the stands of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on public education.   There are a couple of areas of gray for Mr. Trump because he either hasn't brought forth an opinion or, more likely, has no clue.

N.J. school gave students the wrong PARCC test Students in the gifted program knew they do well in math but thought this test was way too easy. That's because the algebra test they were supposed to take wasn't what they got.  Among the other tidbits of info from this story. Christiana said he doesn't think it's fair to the students that they wasted an afternoon on the wrong test. "Now they are told their test was nonsense and they have to take another one," Christiana said. "I am frustrated, and they are not giving us any answers." Less than a week earlier, students were locked out of PARCC testing because of an error by an employee at Pearson, the company that provides the exams. Teachers are instructed not to look at student's computer screens during PARCC testing, even if a student has a question, said Matthew Stagliano, a spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teachers union. So the kids can tell s...

Mrs. Clinton sat down with Newsday in Long Island for an wide-ranging interview that included the topic of public education.  Her wording was a bit hard to understand so I'm not quite sure I understand all that she is saying.  She has some things wrong (but that was the propaganda of Common Core so I don't entirely blame her.)  But she offers zero solutions and that's troubling. And she has a lot more faith in charter schools than I do but that's another thread. Common Core and Opt Out (this is how Newsday titled this section of the interview)

Update: this event is not sponsored by SPS; they are just renting the space to the campaign (or sponsor) of the event. end of update Seattle Schools announced that presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, will give a speech at Rainier Beach High on Tuesday night at 8:15 pm.  Doors will open at 6:15 pm.

Hillary Clinton seems to be ever-more nuancing her ideas about public education.  A couple of weeks ago she said this (from the Washington Post: ) Clinton also said that public charter schools “should be supplementary, not a substitute” for traditional public schools.  Then, at a closed door meeting with teachers and paraprofessionals on Nov. 9th she said this:

Time magazine has this new article : Thousands of kids opt out of standardized Common Core tests across the U.S. This “opt-out” movement remains scattered but is growing fast in some parts of the country. Some superintendents in New York are reporting that 60 percent or even 70 percent of their students are refusing to sit for the exams. Some lawmakers, sensing a tipping point, are backing the parents and teachers who complain about standardized testing. Considerable resistance also has been reported in Maine, New Mexico, Oregon and Pennsylvania, and more is likely as many states administer the tests in public schools for the first time this spring. In California, home to the nation’s largest public school system and Democratic political leaders who strongly endorse Common Core standards, there have been no reports of widespread protests to the exams — perhaps because state officials have decided not to hold schools accountable for the first year’s results.  Downsid...