Seattle Schools Community Forum

John Rogers Elementary is getting a new principal for school year 2013-2014. Their current principal, Marcia Boyd, is retiring at the end of the current school year. Sara Mirabueno will be their new principal.  She comes from John Hay Elementary where she is currently assistant principal.  Ms Mirabueno was also a teacher at several SPS schools. According to the Montlaker , Montlake Elementary School's nomination has been unanimously approved by the Landmarks Preservation Board.  Their designation hearing is in June.   It seems that some of the Board expressed "tepid support" so the designation may not come through but it only takes a simple majority vote to win. A representative from Seattle Schools testified to the board that the District had no formal position on the building’s landmark status. In this case, at least the property owner doesn’t oppose designation (as is often the case). I'm thinking the district's lack of a formal position is also ...

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...

Over at Diane Ravitch's blog, there was a discussion about the national PTA and links to the Gates Foundation (and maybe that is why the PTA showed Waiting for Superman" at their national convention in 2011.)  I mentioned our state PTA and its ties to McDonald's and Diane put it up . Turns out that the National PTA received a grant in Feb. 2013 from the GE Foundation to further the PTA efforts for Common Core. Here's what the national PTA president had to say:   "As the largest child advocacy organization in the country, National PTA has played a leading role in educating families and communities about the Common Core State Standards for years, creating a groundswell of support for this historic reform," said Betsy Landers, National PTA President. "The need for creating awareness of the standards remains a high priority. We believe that new resources focused on assessments and accountability systems must be included in the public dialogue to ensur...

Monday, April 22nd Announcement from the White House for the 2013 Teacher of the Year.  Washington State Teacher of the Year, Jeff Charbonneau , is one of four finalists.  I think he is a great and inspiring teacher so I'm crossing my fingers he will be named the National Teacher of the Year.   If you know a teacher you would like to nominate for the 2014 Washington State Teacher of the Year, here's a link to do so.  The deadline is April 26th. Wednesday, April 24th Oversight Work Session - Teaching & Learning, 4-5:30 pm.   No agenda yet available. This is a work session where a department walks the Board through their operations and updated them on their current status.   This is a hard stop at 5:30 pm as the Board has an Executive Session from 5:30 pm to 6 pm. Work Session:Strategic Plan from 6-7:30 pm.  No agenda yet available. Special Education PTSA from 7-9 pm. in Room 2700. Thursday, April 25th Operations Committee...

A thoughtful article in Crosscut about children who are introverts and the "Quiet Revolution." Recently, my fourteen-year-old daughter Melanie came home dejected from a volunteer activity. “I was criticized for not sharing enough of my ideas,” she told me. “The problem is that I like to listen. By the time I’m ready to share, everybody else is busy talking and I can’t get a word in edgewise.” To reassure Melanie, we watched a TED Talk given by Susan Cain, author of the 2012 best-selling book "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking." This record-breaking speech has been viewed over four million times. Bill Gates says it’s one of his favorites. What does this look like at school? A key distinction between the two is how they respond to stimulation: Introverts prefer quieter, less stimulating environments, preferring to concentrate in solitude, spend more time problem-solving and think before they speak. In contras...

I normally don't agree with a lot of the thought process over at LEV.  But here's something I agree with: Which of these makes more sense to you? A) Keeping questionable industry tax breaks on the books? OR B) Amply funding our schools? If you picked "B," it's time to voice your choice. Please take two minutes of your time sending a message to your legislators.  We need to get a tsunami of e-mails to these legislators.  We need them to hear our voices. I know, it's Spring Break, there's a fugitive on the loose in Boston, it's Friday and so on. Please do this. Don't listen to me.  Listen to the words of Blair Butterworth, a well-known political consultant, who died recently.  This is from an op-ed posted at Crosscut .  I have no idea what type of ed reform he is speaking about but it seems to come from the heart.  This is partial:

Just a shocking overnight in Boston.   As Betty Draper of Mad Men said (when JFK was killed), "What is going on?"  My younger son came home from college for the weekend and I asked if he had discussed the Boston bombings with friends and classmates.  He said not much.  It seems like this kind of happening is almost commonplace for young people.  I am greatly saddened by that. On the thread, Seattle Schools This Week , I had said there were two Director community meetings tomorrow.  I will check but I don't think they are happening as both DeBell and Martin-Morris are likely to be attending Cheryl Chow's memorial at 10:30 am at Town Hall.  Great things happening out of Ballard High with members of their BHS Video Production Program .  What's on your mind?