Seattle Schools Community Forum

That would be Career and Technical Education , what we used to call vocational education.  Seattle Schools has really kicked this department into gear.  This follows a national reawakening (finally) that not every student is or wants to go to college.  Here's how the district describes it:

I saw this video from Creative Evolution ; it's called The Truth About School (in a two-minute video).  I think that it is simplistic and probably less-than-accurate about all public education because I don't agree all schools are doing this.  But I do think that our country is still stuck on many issues around public education. That's the funny thing - if you don't like the current ed reform ideas, you're "for the status quo."  Nope.  But there are other things that need to happen but the problem is that basically there's a lot of busy "look at what we got done" in public education, rather than "look at the outcomes for these students."  You can "do" a lot and it may not help kids (especially when some people seem more interesting in their resume than actual outcomes).  But I think this two-minute video does start a conversation. Based on your experience with public education so far, tell us this:

From SPS Communications: Roosevelt High School was one of 11 schools around the country that recently joined 15 other PRIME schools, a program that offers a community-based approach to manufacturing education. The PRIME (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) model is a call to action designed to create strong partnerships between organizations, businesses, and exemplary schools to provide a comprehensive community-based approach to manufacturing education. PRIME, is part of a commitment by the SME Education Foundation (SME-EF) to address the shortage of manufacturing and technical talent in the United States. Model schools funded by PRIME offer a STEM-based curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) that helps prepare young people for highly skilled, good-paying jobs in demand by today’s manufacturers. All but two of this year’s selected schools offer the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) STEM program. PLTW is the nation’s leading provider o...

The two items I took away from this Work Session on April 10th were these: The phrase "differentiating resource allocation" came up prominently.  I didn't really hear the Directors call it out but my own notes reflect "uh oh."  I say that because the Strategic Plan - in its early stages - seems to lean towards closing the achievement gap rather than supporting ALL students and their learning.  Differentiating resource allocation would tend to support that view.   And, with parents putting in more and more financial support to schools, I can see where some schools could become resentful of their efforts being taken for granted as the district guides money in certain directions. Director Patu called this one out and Michael Tolley said that it meant not necessarily "equal support" but to support students who need help. The other phrase was "academic assurances - basic education - for all students".   One of my first concerns...

From the Times, a story about Washington State and the low rate of college attendance.  More than half of Seattle adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree, making it one of the most well-schooled cities in the nation. So it may come as a surprise that only about one in four public-school students from Washington's high-school class of 2009 will finish college by 2015, according to a Seattle Times analysis of recent trends. While the percentage of high-school graduates who went to college jumped by nine points in the United States over the past two decades, the percentage of college-going high-schoolers in Washington fell. We were once well above the national average for the percentage of high-school students who go on to a two- or four-year college. But today, by some measures, we are one of the lowest states in the country. When they do go to four-year colleges, Washington students do well: The average graduation rate at the state four-year schools is...

This is a long overdue thread but one that deserves two threads.  This first one is about what SPS is doing and their great director, Shep Siegel.  The other one will be about national CTE and new efforts to revive. Vocational ed?  Do we all remember this from high school?  The shop teacher with the missing fingers?  The guys who took auto shop to learn to rev up their cars?  We have come a long way and luckily Dr. Siegel is creating the SPS program to have more current programing AND appeal to a wider number of students. And why? We all know that students should graduate ready for college or career (as well as ready to be citizens of this country).  What is the reality?  A high drop-out rate, kids who either don't want to go to college or may not be able to afford it and fewer job options for students with just a high school diploma. Career and Technical Education gives kids options.  Gives them a reason to stay in school.  Give...

Just a few things to start our week. First up, do not forget to participate in any surveys available on curriculum adoption , the new SPS website or to apply to be on a curriculum adoption committee . Monday The survey on Parent/Teacher Conferences is only live through 4 p.m. on Monday the 3rd . Also, sign up for the School Board meeting speakers list starting at 8 am on Monday , 252-0040 or e-mail: boardagenda@seattleschools.org. Wednesday There will be a School Board Executive Session from 4-5:30 p.m. before the regular School Board meeting at 6 p.m. (The public cannot attend Executive Sessions; this on is on "contract negotiations" and an "employee appeal". I'm thinking the contract one may be about the principals' contract.) Agenda the Superintendent will be speaking about TIF, the Teachers Incentive Fund . Things have been quiet on this front so it might be interesting. the CAO, Susan Enfield, will giving an annual update on CTE (Career-Techni...

This is a thread I've been meaning to write for some time. It is an issue I don't even claim to know a lot about but that I have heard about from many parents. I'm not even clear (even though it did get some discussion at the last Board meeting) what direction the district is taking overall. The district does have a pretty good webpage, Career and Technical Education . They are creating a Skill Center but I'm not sure how it's part of an overall vision for CTE. So I will make it a goal to try to get a better overall picture of this area of the district because folks, not everyone is going to college. There are skill sets that all students can use (like everyday life skills and family/child skills). The newer CTE courses go way beyond those skills to construction management, green industries, etc. These issues are why CTE is still relevant and viable in today's schools. So the particular CTE I want to speak about is the Maria Montessori Language and ...