Seattle Schools Community Forum

From the Times . Apparently this WILL prevent a shutdown of the state government on July 1.   No details have yet been provided.  The Governor's office has apparently been instrumental in getting both sides to the table.  "They're definitely forcing closure, which is a great thing, (Ross) Hunger said, referring to the Governor's office.  I would be willing to bet that the teachers don't get much of a raise that that I-1351 is mostly on-hold (something like I-728).  From the Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk blog , Class Size: The Common Sense Bus doesn't stop on School Reform Blvd.

 Latest articles about kindergarten. Washington Post's Answer Sheet - A Very Scary Headline about Kindergarten Washington Post's Answer Sheet - Report Debunks "Earlier is Better" Academic Instruction for Young Children Boston Globe - Is the Common Core Killing Kindergarten? “When we require specific skills to be learned by every child at the same time, that misses a basic idea in early childhood education,” she says, “which is that there’s a wide range to learning everything in the early years.” Given the wide developmental variation in young learners and the evidence that early reader advantages fade, the report concludes that a kindergarten literacy standard will simply crush the spirits of the late bloomers, linking school with “feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and confusion.” Follow-Up on WaKIDS assessment story I asked the district about the WaKIDS issue where half of the incoming kindergarteners don't start school on September 9th but o...

From reader Eric B: I was the only person at the Bell Times Environmental Impact Statement scoping public meeting last night (Thursday, June 25th). Somehow, the meeting did not make it on to the District calendar, and the beautiful weather certainly didn't help attendance. There were a couple of interesting takeaways: * Any alternative that doesn't fall within the range of alternatives covered in the final EIS will take a supplemental EIS. Fat chance of that. * The consultant and Pegi McEvoy did not seem real eager to add additional alternatives to the list considered. * The draft EIS is expected to be released sometime in late July for a 30-day comment period. * McEvoy said that state funding is pushing everyone to a 3-tier busing system, and any districts not on that type of system are getting dinged by the state. I'd appreciate anyone who knows about this weighing in. * The consultant said that they would look at positive impacts of changes (eg later ...

I have much to say but it's a busy morning. Threads to come: - Ron English, where are we? - City still trying to inflitrate District? And, of course, the big news of the day - oh happy day - from the Supremes (via the Beatles), all you need is love.

From the Washington Democratic Party: ACTION ALERT: We're 6 days from a govt shutdown. Call these Republicans and tell them<  "It's time to compromise on the budget." Andy Hill (855) 981-2701 Steve Litzow (855) 981-2702 Joe Fain (855) 981-2703

In what can only be called an "We told you so, just a matter of time" event, charter teachers disrupted the National Charter School Conference in New Orleans over their ability to form a union.  (You just can't make this stuff up.)  From one of my favorite ed bloggers, EduShuyster : When is *disruption* not just a super cool buzz word but something that’s actually, well, *disruptive*?  That would be when teachers at the National Charter Schools Conference in New Orleans ask the CEO of an Ohio charter management organization about firing teachers for trying to organizing a union at his schools—and using taxpayer money to pay the fine when he got caught.  This went about as well as you might expect. And when security arrived, combing through the crowd for disruptors, that’s when things got really disruptive… 

From Save Maine Schools' Emily Talmage , I'm reprinting this in its entirety because of its clarity and brilliance.  I highlighted what I believe are the most important lines.