Seattle Schools Community Forum

Mrs. Clinton sat down with Newsday in Long Island for an wide-ranging interview that included the topic of public education.  Her wording was a bit hard to understand so I'm not quite sure I understand all that she is saying.  She has some things wrong (but that was the propaganda of Common Core so I don't entirely blame her.)  But she offers zero solutions and that's troubling. And she has a lot more faith in charter schools than I do but that's another thread. Common Core and Opt Out (this is how Newsday titled this section of the interview)

(Editor's note: I seem to recall that some were saying that "Common Core was here to stay." Read on.) This reads like it's from The Onion but nope, it's from the NY Times regarding a taskforce that Governor Cuomo of New York created around Common Core:

Is this homework a kindergartener should be able to do?  I heard that at one Seattle elementary (it slips my mind which one but I think it is Roxhill) that they have ended homework and require only reading every night.    Should kindergartners have homework ? An upcoming event that may be of interest to you and your student - the unveiling of Mirror, a permanent art installation at SAM.   From their website : MIRROR is an urban earthwork that changes in real time in response to the movements and life around it. At the unveiling, guests will experience an unprecedented performance with synchronized choreography of MIRROR in relation to compositions by minimalist composers Steve Reich and Terry Riley. Mr. Riley will be in Seattle for the performance of his monumental work In C, featuring musicians from the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. The event is free as are SAM galleries that day but you have to print out tickets for the Mirror event as well as pick up ti...

I just skimmed this article but apparently all Washington parents will get a letter from their school (district?) about the rules and schedule for state testing. Look for that in the mail. From the Seattle Times article : State rules for who has to take the High School Proficiency Exam — and its predecessor, the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL — have been confusing parents and students for years. Four bills before the Legislature may simplify things in the near future. Some proposals take aim at the most confusing part of high-school testing — the rules that cover which high-school math exam or exams a student is expected to take this spring. The confusion stems from the state's transition from a general high-school math test in 10th grade to end-of-course exams for algebra and geometry. As the rules stand now, some students who took algebra or geometry a few years ago may be expected to take end-of-course exams in those subjects this year. Of cours...

We've been focused on SPS issues and many have posted about other national stories so let's take a look at what has happened over the last couple of weeks. all the teachers, administrators and other personnel at one Rhode Island high school were fired (the focus seems to be on the teachers but news reports say the entire staff will be let go). That's a big wow all the way around. Central Falls High is one of the lowest-performing schools in R.I. and is in a low-income area. From CNN: Of the 800 students, 65 percent are Hispanic and for most of them, English is a second language. Half the students are failing every subject, with 55 percent skilled in reading and 7 percent proficient in math, officials said. They also have one of highest transient populations in R.I. The superintendent, under federal guidelines, had asked teachers to work a longer day than 7 hours and tutor students weekly for one hour outside of school time. There would also be 2 weeks of paid profes...