Seattle Schools Community Forum

The Seattle Times has published yet another moronic editorial about Seattle Public Schools. This one reflects absolutely no knowledge or understanding of the test scores in our high schools, what those test scores mean, or what can be done to raise them. Every comment to the editorial so far takes the Times to task for their poor understanding. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= At some point we need to talk seriously with the people at the Times to discover their major malfunction. Why do they have such a broken perception of education issues? Are they unduly influenced by the District leadership? Are they unduly influenced by some local big shots like the Alliance for Education? Are they unduly influenced by some outside entity such as the Gates Foundation? Are they just not very bright? Have they just not given these matters much thought? What, exactly, is going on? It's not just that they write things from another perspective or that we don't agree politically; they h...

The Times' article this morning on the reversal of the Floe firing has some great quotes.  This from Paul Hill of the Center for Reinventing Public Education: "It kind of gives a blueprint for resistance," said Paul Hill, director of the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education. "It invites a political response to every action." He said it also suggests that Enfield didn't realize Floe could mount a strong political response to what she likely viewed as a straightforward personnel decision. Boy, Professor Hill makes a lot of assumptions.   Blueprint for resistance?  You mean like calling your School Board member, creating a Facebook page, going old school with a peition and talking to the Superintendent?  That kind of scary blueprint? Also, people act like somehow parents are now going to get listened to more often by the Superintendent and staff.  One half-way success does not make parents any more powerful than the...

From the Superintendent; May 17, 2011 Dear Ingraham staff, students and families: When I was appointed Interim Superintendent, it was with the clear charge to strengthen opportunities for all students to learn. You asked me to bring high levels of transparency and accountability to this effort. The decision I made last Tuesday about the leadership of Ingraham High School Principal Martin Floe reflects my efforts to realize these commitments. However, I also know that a good leader listens. After extensive conversations with Ingraham High School staff and the community, I have decided to renew Mr. Floe’s contact for the 2011-12 school year, under the condition that he continue on a plan of improvement, which I, along with his Executive Director, will monitor throughout the year. If Seattle Public Schools is truly to make gains for our students, we must hold all of our leaders to a high standard of performance.  The work my team completed over many months leading up t...

Ingraham PTSA meeting. Special Guest: Susan Enfield Tuesday, May 17. 6:30-7:30 IHS Auditorium

His take on the Floe firing.

Been doing research and while I keep diving, the water is still murky. What have I learned? Yes, Ingraham is at Level 5 under NCLB.   Yes, Ingraham has not met AYP for 6 straight years.  BUT, Franklin and Ingraham have the exact same record for the past 6 years.   Three years at Level 5, then 4, 3, 2 after that.  Both have failed to make AYP for the last six years. (To note, the steadiest school in the district is The Center School which has only missed AYP once in the last six years and has never been higher than Level 1.) What is equally troubling is that there has been a steady decline, across the board at nearly every high school.  We have six high schools at Level 5. We had just one school in the last three years meeting AYP.  Just one in three years.  The decline starts around 2004-2005 and I have to wonder what happened that so many schools just started a downward trend. Back to Ingraham.  Thanks to several commenters (in...

Anyone who has ever read Oprah's O Magazine knows she has a column where she talks about an "ah ha" moment. So I have been pondering the Martin Floe issue and thinking that Ms. Dussault certainly isn't all powerful and Susan Enfield probably thought long and hard about this.  So I went back and looked through some other data (and talked to some trusted sources).  I believe I now understand the reasoning behind this firing but I think the district has a fight on its hands, nonetheless. Simply put, Ingraham is in Level 5 of AYP.  

Sign this petition and pass along if you are so inclined. Also, anyone who want to speak to this issue, call or e-mail the School Board office right at 8 am tomorrow morning.  Call 252-0040 or e-mail boardagenda@seattleschools.org.   You need to state a topic and I recommend stating that you will be speaking on the " high school science instructional materials " or " high school social studies instructional materials " and then relate how the high school alignment is probably a key issue to why Floe is being dismissed. 

Dr. Enfield has told us two things 1) Mr. Floe was fired from his job as principal of Ingraham High School because student test scores had stagnated. This was offered as the primary rationale for his dismissal. and 2) Students at Ingraham have been making gains on state tests at a higher rate than the district average. Ingraham's School Report shows 70% of Ingraham students making gains on the state reading test and 63% of them making gains on the state math test compared to 65% and 66% on the tests for the district as a whole. These statements cannot both be true.

The district, feeling the heat, has taken a couple of steps in the Floe firing.

We're Back!  So sorry, never happened before, cause to think of migrating away from here.  Onward. Community Meetings Tomorrow Carr – 8:30-10 am, Bethany Community Church Sundquist – 11 am – 12:30 pm, High Point Library Martin-Morris – 9:30- 11:30 am, Diva Espresso   Anyone attend the rally for Martin Floe at headquarters yesterday?  I note that Dr. Enfield is now saying they will put in an interim principal and then have a search that includes parents and staff in the fall for a permanent principal.   I find the stats they released to be somewhat weak given other schools’ performance.  Is this just the first in a line of principal firings to come?

From IHS PTSA: For Supporters of Martin Floe there will be a demonstration of support at the Stanford Center on Thursday 5/12 at 5:15 p.m.  Enfield deigned to give the community one 15 minute face-to-face meeting with parent and faculty representatives. FYI (Charlie alerted me to this): From School Board Policy B61.00 : "The Board of Directors shall:... Elect principals and teachers upon recommendation of the Superintendent." The Board retains final authority to hire principals. In addition, the Board has ALL of the duties, authority and responsibility. They LEND some of those duties and authority to the superintendent, but they reserve the right to recall any or all of those duties and authority. So, if Floe appeals, it will be the Board who decides.  There are 4 people who, I believe, want to be reelected and they are basing a decision on an interim superintendent's input.   They might want to think long and hard about this decision.