Seattle Schools Community Forum

I have seen some analysis of WASL pass rates - White vs. African-American, trends over time, cohort following - either in the District or school-by-school. These analyses were done either by me or by other blog participants; I'm not seeing any done by the District. Is there some analysis that folks would like to see? Honestly, these things don't take much time and I'm happy to do them. I'm as interested in the results as anyone else, so don't be shy about asking for something. Data is available for all schools in the state, so you could see how many high schools with at least 40 students tested and without the word "Alternative" in their name had lower pass rates on the math WASL than Rainier Beach High School (there were only nine).

So true to his word, the new Superintendent of Public Instruction, Randy Dorn, has done away with the WASL. There won't be one this year. Or will there? The tests have a new name, but one of them is unchanged, another is not new so much as an abridged version of the WASL, and really only the high school math tests - not yet available - are supposed to be really different. How are folks feeling about this? Is Randy Dorn keeping his commitment? Does he clearly intend to keep it but these things take time? Or is this all smoke and mirrors? For reference, check out this piece by SoulNerd in Publicola, this story in the Times, and this story in Crosscut.

What's wonderful about Teach for America ? What's wrong with Teach for America? What is good about Teach for America but has been overhyped? What is bad about Teach for American but not as bad as people say? What other profession in the whole world would allow well-intentioned volunteers to replace experienced and certified professionals? Would we allow a similar programs with Doctors? Dentists? Lawyers? Engineers? Police Officers? Fire Fighters? Would we allow it for plumbers, electricians, or carpenters? Is this an appropriate way to address a teacher shortage? Is there a teacher shortage? How can we reconcile the ever-growing list of requirements for getting a teaching certificate with the willingness to allow recent college graduates to teach after five weeks training? Without Teach for America, would we be missing out on some really wonderful and gifted teachers with a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with school children? Is there some other way to allow these ...

I'm looking for some help. If the School-Families Partnership Advisory Committee is going to be composed, in part, by representatives from the various advisory and advocacy groups in Seattle Public Schools, then I'm going to need a list of them. Can folks please add the names - and contact information if available - of any district advisory or advocacy groups to this thread? Please help me keep the thread clean by not discussing the relative charms of the various groups. I'm trying to put together an unedited list. If you want to discuss a group's merits I will be happy to create all of the threads we need for that. I'll start with the ones I know: League of Educator Voters Community and Parents for Public Schools - CPPS Parent Teacher Student Association - PTSA Save Our Schools - SOS First Place Accountability Coalition Concerned about Equity in Seattle (ACCESS) Campaña Quetzal Refugee and Immigrant Parent Advocacy Network (RIPAN) The Black Child Development Instit...

So the Times had an editorial today asking that use of The Source be part of the contract negotiations. Yay. The Source is a valuable tool for parents and students and we, the taxpayers, paid for it. It should be used more than twice a quarter by teachers (the current teacher contract mandate). I've been told that some teachers just don't want to learn to use it or it's just one more thing in their busy day. It seems if teachers use it they could (1) save themselves from multiple e-mails from parents and (2) protect themselves by being able to say you regularly posted homework and grades (and the office puts in attendance). Students, particularly in middle and high school, can't really argue much if the teacher does this in a regular fashion. But uneven usage or little usage allows a student to tell mom or dad that "Oh, she hasn't updated the scores. I turned that homework in on time." or "Oh, the overall grade is low because he hasn't put ...

This excerpt from Education Weekly really needs no comment except guess who isn't on the list. "The Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has hand-picked states to receive up to $250,000 each to hire consultants to help them fill out their applications. Those states are Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. They represent either states in which Gates is already invested—or which the foundation thinks are on the right path to school improvement. Chris Williams, a foundation spokesman, said he would not comment on any Race to the Top work the foundation is doing in states. But state officials have wasted no time in making use of the assistance. Kentucky, for one, is hiring the Bridgespan Group—a national nonprofit- and philanthropic-consulting firm—with its money from the Gates Foundation. “That group will be a key component ...

Here is the agenda for the Curriculum and Instuction Policy Committee meeting on Monday, August 17, scheduled for 4:30-6:15pm. 1. Call to Order – H Martin-Morris 4:30 PM a. Approval of Minutes b. Introduction of CAO – S Enfield Has anyone seen anything of the new Chief Academic Officer? This may be one of her first public appearances. 2. Grading Policy Update – H Martin-Morris 4:35 PM a. High School Credit for Middle School Students b. Change in State RCW I know that Director Martin-Morris wanted to move forward with this a year ago, but the staff assured him that they would get it done as part of an integrated comprehensive grading policy reform by January or February of 2009. That didn't happen, so maybe he will not be dissuaded this time. 3. Alignment – C Thompson, K Vasquez 4:50 PM a. White Paper draft This should be interesting. While everyone is in favor of aligning curriculum, the staff, Ms Thompson and Ms Vasquez in particular, are keen on standardizing materials ...