Seattle Schools Community Forum

From the West Seattle Blog: Our area’s most-renowned music educator has announced he’s leaving for a new career direction, in another school district. Multiple award winner Marcus Pimpleton has told the Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School communities about his departure; he’s staying with the summertime Seattle Public Schools -wide All-City Band program, but otherwise, he is moving into a school-administration role in the Bellevue district.

From Diane Ravitch: Rick Hess directs education studies at the conservative, free-market American Enterprise Institute. We often disagree but I am often impressed that he doesn’t follow “the party line” of free-marketeers. This article is a good example of Hess demonstrating his sharp intellect and his willingness to stray from the right-wing corral. I absolutely echo Ravtich's comments.  Hess may be a right-wing thinker but he's an honest one.  He is willing to call out BS on BOTH sides.  He is also willing to say it like it is which probably makes a lot of people on the right wring their hands. His piece is long but worthy reading.  In a nutshell:

I've said this before but it has been one of the saddest issues to watch over President Obama's two terms as President - seeing his Secretary of State, Arne Duncan, in action. What comes next?  First, consider this statement (which is true): “There’s nothing else as large in all of society. Not the military—nothing—is bigger.”

Looks like someone's trying to revive the reviled Inbloom (the $100M public education data cloud that Gates created) by making a kinder, gentler one.  I, along with some other student data privacy advocates, see this as much less threatening than InBloom but I would have to see all the particulars before I could say it was okay.  From Washington Monthly:

Seems everyone wants to weigh in on what "work" the Legislature got done on McCleary.  I was at an event on Saturday where Speaker Frank Chopp made it sound like much got done. The place to read most responses is the Washington State Courts website.   You can read: Attorney General Bob Ferguson's response Plaintiffs' response (the actual McClearys) Additionally, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn also put out a statement (partial here):

Reader Robert Crunkshank put forth this idea that I think is a good one: I do think it would be a good idea to submit an education-related questionnaire to all the City Council candidates who make it through the primary. We should get all those candidates on record on the big issues, including Tim Burgess and Ed Murray's efforts to have the City take over the school district and impose unwanted "education reform" policies. So, dear readers, what questions would you like to see put forth to City Council candidates?  I would like to keep it to 4-5 questions because I don't want anyone trying to reject answering these questions on the basis of length of questionnaire. I think there should be a dead-on " Would you support the takeover of either the district and/or School Board by the Legislature to pass onto the Mayor to run?"  

I would like to say this is a parody of sorts but no, it's Director Peaslee's recommendations for School Board. Now the first thing you'll note is that she gives recommendations for all the races (even though not all are on the primary ballot anyway) except for her own district.  Weird, no? Then there's this: The most important trait needed to ensure an effective School Board is collegial respect.