Seattle Schools Community Forum

There will be a live Q&A at the Seattle Times website this Monday, Oct, 15 th from 1-2 p.m with Dr. Goodloe-Johnson. You can go to their website now and submit a question or be online at the specified time and ask it then.

This article by the Times' Emily Heffter appeared in today's Times. I did not attend. Did anyone go and if so, what were your impressions?

In a recent story in the Seattle P-I about violent crime in the Seattle Public Schools, many people asked for data on individual schools. The District did not provide the data. Moreover, the President of the Seattle School Board told the newspaper that she didn't see any point in providing crime data on individual schools. "I don't know if that would be helpful," she said, adding that it would be more beneficial to provide parents with safety tips to share with their children. This answer is deeply troubling to me in three ways. First, we don't hesitate to provide academic data on individual schools. We don't hesitate to provide discipline data, demographic data, all kinds of other data on individual schools. Why should we balk at crime data? Information wants to be free. The District is supposed to be working towards more openness, honesty, and transparency. Second, the fact that the District doesn't have this data indicates that the District has not tak...

This brief was in today's Times.

This article appears in the Times about the state superintendent honoring schools who achieved WASL progress over the last 6 years in reading and writing. From the article: "In Seattle, the winners included Garfield High and five elementary schools: Graham Hill, Leschi, Loyal Heights, Olympic Hills and West Woodland. This is the first time that the state superintendent's office has given the awards. Each school received a trophy and a banner, but Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson hopes to offer cash awards in the future, said spokeswoman Molly O'Connor. The 86 schools represent the top 5 percent of the state's 2,500 schools judged by how many students moved up at least one level in reading and/or math on WASL. Schools, for example, received credit when students moved from a score of one to two in reading. WASL scores run from one to four, with a three or four considered passing." Why six years? It doesn't say. Why not math? It doesn...

Reading Our Children (the national PTA magazine) I saw a couple of interesting items. One was the response from the national PTA on the Supreme Court ruling on SPS's enrollment plan. "The national PTA organization was deeply disappointed with the decision in these cases. In its statement, PTA said, "The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against diversity in schools, taking a significant step backward in ensuring inclusive, multiracial students bodies. By limiting the ability of school districts to use narrowly-tailored criteria to create inclusive schools, the Court is undermining the importance of providing our children with the opportunities and advantages of a diverse learning environment." "Bridging the gap between communities not only ensures a level of educational equity within the school district, but helps break down barriers among various segments within the broader community. A democratic society demands equal opportunity to learn." This position is...

I am intrigued by Board President Cheryl Chow's idea that we don't need to report crime in our schools, we only need to provide students and families with safety tips. --see this story in the Seattle P-I-- " To School Board President Cheryl Chow, it's not just a matter of timing -- she doesn't really see the point in providing crime data on individual schools. "I don't know if that would be helpful," she said, adding that it would be more beneficial to provide parents with safety tips to share with their children . " So that got me thinking about safety tips for schoolchildren and what they might be. I thought of some serious ones ("Auntie Cheryl sez: Keep your head and limbs inside the bus") and some less likely but equally useful ones ("Auntie Cheryl sez: When being kicked by a gang of thugs, roll yourself into a tight ball to protect vital organs; keep your feet tucked up tightly to protect genitals") I thought other folks...