Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, February 21, 2014

2-21-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:







Data Walls in Classrooms (Coming to a School Near You?)
Read this article by Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post.  It should cause you to consider what is coming.   Following on the heels of that article is her next one where one privacy expert says this could violate FERPA.Really, the photo, from Caledwell County Schools in North Carolina, says it all. In some places, parents and teachers are getting tired of embarrassing kids. New England Public R
Urgent: Contact Senator Murray's Office Today on NCLB Waiver
Education Week is reporting that Senator Patty Murray will be meeting this weekend with Education Secretary Arne Duncan about Washington State waiver request for NCLB.  Really good insights from Education Week:Washington State is in the unfortunate position of being just one of four that had its NCLB waiver put on "high risk" status by the U.S. Department of Education. The Evergreen Stat
Update on NW Center Kids and Cascade Parent Partnership Building Tug-of-War
Here's the latest on this story:From My Northwest: So far, the only response from the school district came in an email saying they'll let Northwest Center know the next step after enrollment numbers are in on March 7. By that time, Northwest Center will have just three months left to figure out a plan. From The Stranger Slog, now we have a Seattle legislator involved:The Northwest Center understan


Friday Open Thread
A new initiative is coming on student data privacy in Washington State but here's the latest from California via the NY Times.  California has always been a frontrunner on this issue and this bill may be one that our Legislature could use as a template (along with the bills now going in Georgia, NY, and Colorado).  This is an issue that is gaining steam.     This says it all:“We don’t want to limi



2-20-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: More Legislative UpdatesFrom Mary Griffin of the Seattle Special Ed PTA: SHB 2605 is a step backwards in Washington state’s efforts to make our education system more transparent and accessible for parents. That’s because this bill will make it harder, not easier, for parents to know and understand school district policies regarding restraint and isolation of studen