Seattle Schools Community Forum

The agenda looks fairly light on Wednesday but with a few notable items.   (I note that today - Saturday the 13th - the agenda is not accessible at the SPS website but I had already downloaded it yesterday.  I'll post it when it comes back up.) Update: here's the link . The agenda was reviewed at the Executive Committee meeting held earlier in the week (which no School Board candidates attended which is unfortunate as it's where you see the real work done).

As I previously reported, I called Apple and TFA about this iPad partnership.  Apple was very nice but said they knew nothing about it and to ask TFA.   TFA didn't return either of my phone calls or my e-mail.  I can't find any other info via Google, either. They want people to donate but they don't want people, even those donating the iPad, to know where it will go.  What is a big question is if TFA is giving the iPad to a school where a TFA recruit is assigned or to the TFA recruit? Because thenwhat happens when the TFA recruit leaves the school?  Does he/she leave the iPad behind?  Take it? I'd be troubled to know that I donated an iPad to a TFA recruit and not a needy classroom.  Which leads to the question of why Apple wouldn't eliminate the middleman (TFA) and just donate to needy schools in the cities where Apple stores are created.  A quick phone call to a district "Could you use some donated iPads in your classroom?"  and ...

From the Grand Rapids, Michigan Press, comes a story about Arne Duncan and what he thinks should happen for teachers and teacher training: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says teachers should be paid between $60,000 to $150,000 – but should be held more accountable. Duncan also told the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards last week that it should be more difficult for prospective students to enter college teacher preparation programs. The latter sentence is part of a bigger discussion over whether colleges of education in this country do a good job of attracting good students and if they are training them properly.   Indeed, a big worry expressed among some UW COE faculty about bringing in TFA is that if the COE doesn't step up and do better they could be shut down.   Some of the UW COE faculty seem to think the TFA training may be the training of the future for teachers.  

Linda Shaw's final article in the Seattle Times was printed this morning.   She writes about the various "education advocacy groups" that are heavily funded by Gates including League of Education Voters, the Partnership for Learning and Stand for Children.  From her article: Here at home, as well as nationally, the Seattle-based foundation is a powerful player in public education. It underwrites groups pushing for change, bankrolls projects and helps out-of-state organizations establish themselves here. With that backing, Washington state now has a broader, stronger group of voices clamoring to bring much of the national education reform agenda here. Some consider that progress, saying the foundation is helping bring Washington out of the backwater when it comes to education policy. But others disagree, saying the foundation's deep pockets buy more influence than it deserves.

In this batch of e-mails you start to sense some wariness on the part of UW (and I think they should be).  I think TFA is having these universities create these single-use alt certifications but will, in the end, create their own on-line teaching and cut out the middlemen.  If U-ACT still exists in 5 years, I'll be surprised.

For some reason, Apple is having a campaign where you can "donate" your old iPad to Apple and Apple in turn will give it to TFA who will give it (hopefully) to a TFA recruit in a high-needs school who knows how to use it for a class lesson.  (That was a mouthful.)  Now Apple's media line is they really have no info on this program so ask TFA.  Naturally, mum's the word over at TFA.  So if this is such a great idea, why isn't anyone talking about it? My read is that there's a TFA alum/tribble up the foodchain over at Apple who believes this is a great idea.  (It's got lots o'problems starting with how can you be sure it goes to a high-needs classroom?  What if that TFA recruit leaves?  Where does the iPad go then?  And, why wouldn't Apple eliminate the middle-man (TFA) and just tell people to donate their iPad to their nearest school district?) But hey, let's ask the man himself - Steve Jobs.   The rumor is that he does indeed answe...

There was another public disclosure drop of e-mails between UW and TFA and, like the previous ones, don't disappoint.   (Don't worry, there's even more to come - these people are busy.)  Boldface mine.

I have a couple of word on the street items to relay; still checking on their veracity (but my sources are good). First up - I think the new Ex Director replacing the ever-popular Bree Dusseault is...Marni Campbell?    Ms. Campbell is the head of Special Education services in the district but was a former principal at Eckstein and Hale.  This might be a better position for her but, in the musical chairs game that is our district's leadership, we would now have no one in Special Ed for awhile. Second - I hear that there was at least one TFAer interviewed for a position at Denny .   This is definitely going to happen but the problem is that it's for a Special Ed class .  I am putting together the latest amazing e-mails from UW's College of Education and Captain America Tom Stritikus and you will see that even the faculty putting the program together are deeply worried over TFA recruits teaching Special Ed and ELL.  I believe all Special Ed and EL...

Endorsement | School board candidates with most promise for reform The Seattle Times believes that things are getting better and that none of the challengers, except Michelle Buetow, has what it takes to serve on the Board. Perhaps they should get some five-week wonders from Teach for America to broaden the candidate pool.

Teach for America and Walmart - it kind of says it all, no?

Over at KIRO 93.7, reporter Josh Kerns did a piece on TFA coming to the Puget Sound area.  Update:  the KIRO piece includes links to the professor at the University of Texas and Janis Ortega who is the area TFA person.  Very interesting to listen. I have to say that one troubling thing is the language that TFA uses.  Ms. Ortega, in defending the research that supports TFA's contention of how their recruits do, said, " I wish research would be comprehensive, at least those who proport research."  Considering where some of that other research comes from, that's a little disrespectful.   It's one thing to say you disagree or have other research to back your claims; it's another to call that research proported.  I also note that TFA never seems to acknowledge teachers already in the classroom.  I wonder why. 

Recently, there's been some buzz around the semi-national organization, Stand for Children.   ( I say "semi-national" because they are only involved in 9 states but have received a lot of national attention.) An Oregon parent activist, Susan Barrett, wrote in the Washington Post blog, Valerie Strauss' The Answer Sheet, about her experience with Stand.  She explains her experience of believing in Stand only to find that their Board is full of private equity investors and their local staff tried to manipulate parents into lobbying teachers and parents for a reform agenda.  Who is SFC?  From their website : Stand for Children is an innovative, grassroots child advocacy organization. Our mission is to use the power of grassroots action to help all children get the excellent public education and strong support they need to thrive. Our members believe we need to stand up for our children now - particularly for their education from pre-school through high sc...

I attended the School Board meeting last week and the PESB (WA State Professional Educators Standards Board) meeting and, at both, testified about Teach For America.  (The PESB is the agency that " establishes policies and requirements for the preparation and certification of education professionals. "  This includes teacher certification testing and routes as well as alternative certifications.)   I said pretty much the same thing at both meetings.  Namely: TFA has never closed the achievement gap at any school or district where their teachers are placed. While it is a noble goal (and the goal of EVERY school), they haven't done it.  

I was going through the public testimony when I last posted on this topic.

I'll let Dorothy and Charlie chime in here but last night was reasonably entertaining (mostly because of Dorothy and Charlie who were sharp and very funny).    It was a lean crowd, mostly of die-hard activists.  (You can always tell when it's summer.)  This was the last meeting until August 17th.   Director DeBell was not in attendance.  I am nearly on my way out the door to go to Tumwater (!) to testify against the UW proposal for Teach for America so this thread may come in two parts. What helped considerably was a shortened meeting - no academic, operational or financial updates.   Highlights: It was brought up several times that information was not in the Action reports to the Board about various issues.  How the Board stands by and allows that to happen is a mystery.  For example, there was a vote on computers for 10 schools and the schools weren't listed nor did staff come prepared with the list.  There were t...

A couple of key actions have to happen this week for Teach for America to come to Seattle Schools. One is at the Board meeting on Wednesday night.  There is a state entity called the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) that grants educational entities the right to create conditional certificate programs.  They require  School Board approval has to happen prior to " applying for a conditional certficiate for a teacher candidate.  Therefore, Board action is required to hire any TFA candidate if any are selected for hire by a school-based hiring team." The second action that needs to happen is on Thursday, at the PESB meeting where the UW's College of Education will present their proposal for their teaching certificate program for TFA recruits (and only TFA recruits; no one else can apply to this program).  If you would like to let the PESB know what you think of the plan, e-mail them at pesb@k12.wa.us before Thursday. When I first read the item...

Yup, that's our district.  I am almost to the point that I would even take a well-run district with Ed Reform rather than this sloppy mess. Are these people that tone-deaf?  Yes, they are, the Board included.  What has got me riled up?  Going to the Operations Committee meeting today.  They had been scheduled to talk about BEX IV but alas, that was put off.  I could go into the other items discussed (before I left early because I was so irritated) but they're not that important. Here's what just blew me away: they want to move NOVA back into the Mann Building by September 2012.  They will then be renovating Meany for SBOC and SBOC will be housed at Lincoln (about 18 months to two years).   SBOC would move back to Meany in about 2014.

Let's go back to those days of yesteryear when we were a district with little money.  The district had: "hiring freezes",   RIFed teachers, laid off central administration workers,  laid off elementary counselors  and the state cut teacher and principal pay Oh wait, that's today, right?  I think anyone looking at that list would say that the district is experiencing a severe money crunch. But as I've always said, this is a district that finds money when it wants to do something.   STEM?  No, don't go out and do the hard work of getting the program at least half-funded by private companies and entities (even though our area is rich with science/technology companies).  No, we just take money from other schools.  (Not saying they shouldn't have created the program but that they could have done it in a way that was more cost-efficient to the district like the STEM school over in the Tri-Cities.)  Consultants?  S...

Tuesday Joint Town Hall with the Superintendent and Mayor at South Shore K-8, 5:30-7:30 p.m.  (it's a two-hour event; I wonder how much of it will be Q&A.) Wednesday Public Hearing on the Budget from 4-5:00 p.m. at  headquarters.  You know folks, it IS worth your while to speak out and go on record.  Whatever your concern or unhappiness with the public, register it.  (I believe you can also send e-mails which will go into the record but I will check.) Thursday Operations Committee meeting from 4-6 p.m.  No agenda released yet. You'll note that I didn't put in the Last Day of School times.  That's because the district website reflects something different from what information I received directly from Communications.   Also, reviewing the information from Communications, it is unclear to me which day middle school is releasing on.  They have it listed on both June 21 and June 23rd. I'll check but the word in the "labels" is how I ...

There's a shortage of teachers at SPS , according to this report , that was attached to the UW's revised Form 2 A for their application for alternative certification for TFA. (Thanks to Stop TFA for this info.) Here's something else fun about it (from the Oompah's comment): I love the report, page 2 of Appendix B under the title "Teacher Vacancies". The opening sentence reads as follows: "In the 2009-10 school year, there were a total of 352 vacancies in Seattle Public Schools.(4)" And then footnote 4 reads as follows: 4. The 352 positions included 1.0 FTE as well as partial FTE positions; there were not 352 total FTE vacancies. So though "there were a total of 352 vacancies", in fact "there were not 352 total FTE vacancies." The way this report is set up looks as if it intends to show the reader that SPS needed 352 additional teachers to fill positions in the district. One must wonder who it was that r...