Seattle Schools Community Forum

Think it's just teacher evaluations that Arne Duncan wants to manipulate?  Nope, according to this op-ed on Obama and American public education that appeared in the Huffington Post, This past week, as the deadline approached for states to make their submissions to Arne Duncan's Department of Education requesting monies appropriated under the Race to the Top initiative, we were reminded that the DOE has decreed that no proposal will be considered where the state government has put a cap on charter schools. Penalties are being imposed on those who choose to limit, in any quantitative way, the charter school movement. Good " either this or that" article on public education by Chester E. Finn, Jr. in Education Next (whose viewpoints I don't embrace 90% of the time but this one is valid).  Questions like: Learning with the Help of Technology or Human Beings? Diversity vs. Uniformity Skills vs. Knowledge “Sage on the Stage” vs. “Guide on the Side” Who ...

Kind of an interesting story from Indie Reader to tell your art-inspired kids - the story of the first cover of The Great Gatsby and the ones that came after.  Remember kindergarten ?  I do and it wasn't like this (from Boston.com). Yet there is a growing disconnect between what the research says is best for children -- a classroom free of pressure -- and what’s actually going on in schools. Take the example of a girl who was barely 5 when she entered Gerzon’s classroom. She didn’t know her ABCs, but one day in class she made up a song and taught it to the other children. But because of new requirements, “I had to send a letter to her parents saying that [she] is not proficient,” says Gerzon. “You tell me that [she] is not proficient in language skills!” The Concord resident, who usually exudes a gentle presence, bristles. “It’s destructive, even abusive. That’s a pretty strong word, but what do you call it when you take a group of children and you force t...