Seattle Schools Community Forum

Update: good interview on NPR with one of the researchers who founded the theory of implicit bias, Mahzarin Banaji. BANAJI: In order to just think about where implicit bias comes from, it's a good idea to think about it as a combination of two things. First, our brains - human brains have a certain way in which we go about picking up information, learning it. If I repeatedly see that doctors are male and nurses are female, I'm going to learn that. But the second part to implicit bias is the culture in which we live. But the mark of an evolved society is how quickly do we come to terms with it? How quickly do we realize that finding out that we're biased need not mean that we have to remain biased? So I have great hope just because I look at the history of this country, where we used to be and where we are today, and I see nothing but a path that is on the way towards doing better. End of update We could start this discussion with the micro-view of w...

I'll just start by saying that I'm not surprised. You cannot have a district policy and/or a procedure about a program that does NOT clearly define all the elements/parts of that program.  If you are going to have ill-defined parts of a program, then at least the policy and/or procedure should say, "At this time and place, we are allowing principals to define the Spectrum program and/or ALO program at their school as they see fit for their community." Because that seems to be exactly what is happening.  Advanced Learning, as an office, seems now to only exist to test.  That's it.

Thanks to Washington's Paramount Duty for this article via the Washington Post.   The piece is co-authored with writer William Doyle. (bold mine) We are in a dark age of American public education. We are losing millions of our children to inferior schools and catastrophically misguided and ineffective so-called education reforms that are wasting billions of dollars, destroying the teaching profession and causing widespread chaos in public education . We are, in effect, destroying the future of our republic.

We keep dipping into this discussion, so let's dive into it. I hear and read people using the words "Equitable" or "Equity" as if they were synonymous with "Equal" and "Equality". I continue to see these words used as if they were interchangeable. They are not synonyms. They are not interchangeable. They are, in fact, opposites. Equality means providing each with the same. Equity is providing each with what they need or deserve. Since everyone needs or deserves something different, equity means providing each with something different, which is the opposite of providing each with the same.

From SPS Communications: Seattle Public Schools is seeking nominations for its Equity and Race Advisory Committee to the Superintendent .  To be considered for the committee, applicants should complete and submit a nomination form by Friday, Sept. 13.

You'd think after all the years that I've complained about parents being not included in district initiatives that I might have welcomed the planning for the new Strategic Plan. Nope. My first inkling of "Danger, Will Robinson" was this what? 50,60,70-person Strategic Plan Taskforce.  I knew I wouldn't be applying for that one because I can only imagine a meeting with that many people. Second, isn't this the Board and the Superintendent's job?  I mean, draw up a plan, get input/feedback and roll it out.  Third, I attend the first community meeting for the planning at Eckstein last week.  I've been to many of these dog-and-pony shows and frankly, I wasn't impressed.  There were maybe 50 people including Directors Peaslee, Carr and Martin-Morris and Superintendent Banda.  So I'll say upfront - I'd skip these meetings and take the survey .   The survey closes on Monday, April 15th.  Or send an e-mail to the Board with your suggest...

From the Washington Post's The Answer Sheet, an article about D.C.'s county superintendent calling on President Obama and Secretary Duncan to call a moratorium on standardized testing. He also said it was wrong to evaluate teachers based on the scores their students get on standardized tests because the method that is is based on “bad science.” He noted that he had previously worked in the New York City Department of Education, the nation’s largest school system, where was director of school performance and accountability. It became clear, he said, that the formulas used to assess a teacher’s value with the use of test scores had huge margins of error, as much as 55 points. In fact, he said that a good way to create assessments for Common Core-aligned curriculum would be to crowd-source the development and let teachers design them rather than have corporations do it. He criticized policies that help make public education   “a private commodity.” An op-ed fr...