Seattle Schools Community Forum

I swear, this post is not about Program Placement, but a lot of folks will think that it is. The District staff is making a new distinction, between things that are programs and services and schools that have a distinctive "curricular focus". All of the things that they will recognize as programs and services exist to address student academic needs. They are pretty much limited to special education, bilingual education, and advanced learning. Nothing else - including a lot of stuff that you might think are programs - is a program. Language immersion? Not a program. Montessori? Not a program. Same for alternative schools, STEM schools, and international schools. None of these are programs. They are each, instead, a curricular focus. So what? So this: since they are not programs, they will not be governed by the proposed policy 2020, Equitable Access to Programs and Services. In other words, the District won't be under any obligation to provide equitable access to any...

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The District has been promising/threatening an Alternative School audit/review/inventory since the start of the Strategic Plan. Since that time, and in the absence of any audit or review, the District has Closed two alternative schools - The African-American Academy - Summit K-12 Moved three alternative schools - The NOVA Project - The Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center - Pathfinder Created three alternative schools - Queen Anne Elementary - Jane Addams K-8 - STEM at Cleveland Determined that special programs are not alternative - language immersion - Montessori Suspended the Alternative Education Policy C54.00 And is threatening to close two more alternative schools: - AS #1 - Middle College A whole lot of decisions about alternative education have already moved forward in the absence of the data that would come from this review. More decisions are pending. The Alternative Education Review was supposed to happen last year but didn't. When it was s...

I note that there are parents forming an alternatives schools group. Here's a link if you want to join. (I do want to state that I have previously stated that if you want a new thread started to either do in Open Thread Friday OR e-mail me at sss.westbrook@gmail.com . Again, please do not put in non-related topics into other threads. Don't say, " I don't know where to put this ..." because yes, you do. Again, this is to make our blog's threads maintain some continuity. I do understand how a broad subject can branch out and that's okay but we need to try to keep them as "clean" as possible. Thanks.)

I saw this agreement last night, hot off the district presses, but for some reason, the network I was on at headquarters wouldn't let me sign on here so I couldn't post it. The Labor Relations page has all kinds of versions of the agreement information (but ignore the Fast Facts - it's useless). There are some interesting things and some things I think are vague and wonder what they mean. Maybe some teachers out there can help us. I did attend the Work Session on Maintenance (interesting) and about half the Board meeting (also interesting)but I'll post separate threads on those. From the agreement: looks like seniority is in and super seniority is out. I think the premise here is that if you start from a place where ALL teachers are good, then you have to have some mechanism to figure out who goes if there are RIFs and the union says seniority. (Yes, I know, that's mighty big if.) On the other hand, I think the union gave in at super seniority which probabl...

Update: I just popped back over to LEV's blog to double-check something and noted that they had another thread about the documentary, Waiting for Superman. But more telling is the "comments closed" tag on a thread just started today. No matter what you think of this blog or Charlie or me, unlike the Alliance blog or the LEV blog, we don't cut off comments (unless they are anonymous and hey, that might even change). Why do they have a blog if they treat it like an online newsletter? LEV has an interesting thread about a new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, "America's Best (and Worst) Cities for School Reform: Attracting Entrepreneurs and Change Agents." I have not read the entire report but I did read the Seattle portion. I'll have see what is said about other cities. First, this report has a definite slant. Look at the title - is ed reform about attracting entrepreneurs? Or is that really the only way (via charters) for change?...

There is a nice story in the Times today about Ida B. Wells School, part of the Middle College, by Jerry Large. It's very clear that this school, which is an Alternative Learning Experience, is not part of the Curricular Alignment effort. That bodes well for the NOVA Project, another ALE that cannot standardize texts and course titles.

I attended part of Director Martin-Morris' Community meeting on Saturday. There was a group of moms who talked about Special Education issues, primarily the change to spreading out Special Ed under the new SAP. It was an interesting conversation as it touched on many areas. One is making sure all principals are up to speed on the legal issues of Special Ed. Many aren't and it can make for difficult conversations between parents and principals over accommodations under the law. Another is the issue that since the Education Directors' positions are being revamped, should their new job description include watching over Special Ed at the schools they cover? Currently, they don't do this. The parents at the meeting were asking Harium how to get this discussion in front of the Board. He told them that it could be put on the agenda at a committee meeting but that it would be better to have it at a Work Session as that is a meeting with the entire Board present. He said ...

Monday is the Curriculm and Instruction Policy Committee meeting from 4:30-6:00 (this is in the Board conference room). Charlie posted the agenda in a different thread but there are 5 items on the agenda and I have to wonder if they will get to them all. One thing that is of interest is that one item is the Alternative Schools Evaluation/Review (who/when) and also under the STEM update "alternative learning experience process". It is interesting that the alternative schools audit was done and nothing done with it and now they are talking more about it because of STEM. Then there is the School Board meeting on Wednesday, the 19th at 6:00 p.m . To sign up to speak, call (252-0040 )or e-mail (boardagenda@seattleschools.org) the Board office starting Monday morning. There is an Operations Committee meeting on Thursday from 4-6 p.m . in the Board conference room. That agenda is not yet posted.

On Monday, May 17, the Board's Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee will meet from 4:30 to 6:00. Here's the agenda : a. Graduation Requirements - When/how to bring to committee of the whole b. Update on STEM at Cleveland - Alternative Learning Experience process c. Performance management/Waiver Process - Establish guiding principles - Set timeline for work between now & September d. Alternative Schools Evaluation/Review - Who/when e. Policy E 04.00 - Community Schools There's something here for almost everyone. Graduation Requirements Will the District move towards CORE24? How smart is that? How are we going to get kids to earn 24 credits when we can't get 30% of them to earn 20 credits? How can we provide students with the classes needed for them to get 24 credits? Is it even a good idea for every high school graduate to have the credits needed to gain entry to a four-year university? Why is that seen as the only legitimate goal? Will the District stand...

Very different from the Online Learning Policy is Board Policy C04.00, Alternative Courses of Study. With the Online Learning Policy, the Board grants the superintendent the authority to determine which courses earn credit and which do not. In Policy C04.00, the Board retained control of the question. Any school that wants to award credit to students via an Alternative Learning Experience must annual present written policies to the Board for review and approval. The difference is rooted in the state law authorizing Alternative Courses of Study, WAC 392-121-182, which, in Section 2 requires " The board of directors of a school district claiming state funding for alternative learning experiences shall adopt and annually review written policies for each alternative learning experience program and program provider ". The law does allow the board to delegate the decision, but Seattle's Policy makes no provision for that. Oddly, some online courses are covered by the Alternati...

Picking up from the thread on the early enrollment numbers as well as a conversation with an education leader in Seattle (not the district), I have two questions. (Please note, I'm not advocating anything. They are just questions that I have been pondering because of discussions with others.) One is about foreign language in elementary schools (actually there are two issues). Would it be better in your mind to continue with foreign language immersion OR would you rather see foreign language classes in almost every elementary school? Having classes versus a full program would be a lot easier to do at every school (albeit the rollout would need a lot of planning). As well, where would they put it in the day? Given that the best way to learn a foreign language is immersion (or living in a foreign country), would it be worth it to create foreign language classes at nearly every elementary? Would it be better than nothing to have some foreign language training at nearly every eleme...

Option Schools Fair THIS SATURDAY March 13, 10 a.m. - noon at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence (District Headquarters), 2445 3rd Avenue South, Seattle, 98134 UPDATE: Queen Anne Elementary, and the Accelerated Progress Program (APP) will also be represented at the fair. (QAE: http://www.queenanneview.com/2010/03/04/new-queen-anne-elementary-to-focus-on-tech/) (APP: http://www.seattleschools.org/area/advlearning/program_app.htm) Come and learn about all of Seattle Public School District's unique and inspiring options for your children! A Family-to-Family Event Meet with families from throughout the school district. Parents will be on hand to answer questions about the schools and programs, with valuable firsthand knowledge. Talk with enrollment personnel about how Option Schools fit into the New Student Assignment Plan, and find out how to enroll and apply. Open enrollment for all schools is March 1-31, 2010. Registration available onsite. Represented schools will ...

Anyone attend? This was from Gavroche on Dr. Goodloe-Johnson on the subject of blogs: "Btw, about 70 people showed up for the meeting last night. And Supt. Goodloe-Johnson says she doesn't read the blogs. "No, I don't. There's no way." Ha ha ha. Maybe she doesn't, but someone in the District does and you can bet that G-J knows what the unwashed masses (that would be us) are talking and concerned about. Actually, I found it pretty disdainful and dismissive of her to say that (multiple times and emphatically, I might add). There is a lot of valuable, genuine and informed discussion that goes on in the blogs -- that the District would be better for if it acknowledged and heeded." I'm interested in why blogs would come up multiple times and not because I'd care if she read them or not. Rather, if the district is challenging any information put out here, I'd like to know. Charlie and I take pains to try to get it right and if we are not accu...

Alternative Schools Coalition Meeting with Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson and Chief Academic Officer Susan Enfield. This will be an informational meeting explaining the unique challenges alternative schools face and a moderated questions and answer session. If you have concerns about the role of Alternative Schools in Seattle Public Schools is here is your chance to show your support. TOPS K-8 SCHOOL 2500 FRANKLIN AV E Seattle, WA 98102 7:00 p.m. (I can't attend but I hope those who do will please let us know how it goes. I'll be interested to hear if it is a real Q&A or you all write questions and they pick which ones to answer.)

Sorry to interrupt the open thread (please do carry on!), but… TOPS Parent Wayne Duncan hadn't heard a lot from this year's school board candidates about alternative education, so he asked each of the candidates in the contested School Board races to respond to some questions via email. The questions were: What role do you see for alternative schools in the Seattle School District? How do you think alternative schools should be evaluated in the district? What goals(s) would you have for alternative schools for the next four years if you are elected/re-elected? The responses contain a fair amount of boilerplate rhetoric in my opinion, but if you haven't voted yet, or even if you have, check them out. Thanks for taking this on, Wayne.

So I received my new school calendar and there are some interesting items in it. First, hate the new size. Kinda of awkward to handle. Second, theme anyone? Coming in at #1 (with a bullet and mentioned no less than 20 times): accountable/accountability. Number 2? "Improving services for our students in special ed, advanced learning and bilingual programs." Given how little information there is available on the website about what or how this is happening, the jury is way out on this one. Under Measuring Performance, page 2 "Every person employed by the District is accountable to contribute to our central goal of student achievement." Really? How are they held accountable? They sling that word around like hash at a diner and yet, who is ever really accountable? Three, is it me or does the text in this calendar have problems? It does not seem to be not well written. I also note a couple of items that are either confusing or incorrect. On the Family Engageme...

Here is a letter from members of the TOPS community to the Superintendent and the Board expressing their concerns about the upcoming Alternative Schools Audit. Portions of this letter were presented as testimony to the Board at their meeting on August 19. I would be very interested in learning what response the group has received, if any. I believe that their concerns have merit and should be addressed. What do you think? August 17, 2009 Dear Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson and President DeBell, Vice President Sundquist, and Directors Bass, Carr, Chow, Maier, Martin-Morris: We are parents of students who attend TOPS @ Seward K-8 School. After months of having our questions about the Alternative Schools Audit go unanswered, we recently sent the District two different Public Records Act requests and received documents from Joy Stevens on July 15th in response to our second, more detailed request. It is deeply disturbing that it requires legally-binding public disclosure requests in orde...

I realized that I never got around to talking about last Wednesday's SB meeting. These are just highlights and bits and pieces. one speaker pointed out that there was carry-over money from Title 1 that should have gone to Summit and Cooper (but now they are closed). Staff later tried to say that it couldn't have been used anyway but it seemed a lame excuse to me. a couple of speakers (one a teacher) about the need for teacher evaluation. The teacher said teachers themselves should be involved because "teachers know what makes a good teacher." A woman named Christine Chew from College Access Now spoke about their program which mentors high school students through the college application process. It was great to hear about this successful program in our schools (currently at Garfield and Franklin and hoping to expand to WSHS this year). Sixty students in the program applied for college; all got in. That's a 100% success rate. Director Chow mentioned the prog...

What is the District hoping to accomplish with this change? Are they hoping to draw more students to the building or meet some unmet demand? I am troubled by the decision to move forward with the STEM program at Cleveland without an assessment for the demand for a STEM program at Cleveland. Who wants this? Who will enroll in this school? Will the enrollment be greater or less than the current enrollment (706)? Are they hoping to improve the quality of education for the students at Cleveland? If there isn't any significant overlap between the students in the proposed STEM program and the students now enrolled at the school, then how does the introduction of this program help the current Cleveland students? Are they trying to balance capacity management? I'm concerned about how the new student assignment plan will work in southeast Seattle if Cleveland is an option school. There are 1,812 high school students (Fall 2006 data) who live closer to Rainier Beach than any other high s...