Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, April 24, 2014

4-24-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:






TFA: Troubled Waters in Seattle
I had been waiting for this story to come out.  It's just what I thought because it is the reality of TFA in the Puget Sound region.  No real success at all.  Districts?  Just not interested or finding plenty of fully-qualified teachers right here in Washington State. From Non-Profit Quarterly:Maldonado was also feeling the conflict, but also noted that TFA’s national office had stumbled in dealin


WA State First State to Lose NCLB Waiver
From Sec'y Duncan:As you know, Washington’s request for ESEA flexibility was approved based on Washington’s commitments to carry out certain actions in support of key education reforms. In return for those commitments, we granted your State and your local school districts significant flexibility. However, Washington has not been able to keep all of its commitments. Thus, although Washington has be

Advanced Learning: Crumbling Faster and Faster
Remember that Leonardo DiCaprio movie, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?  The SPS version is, "What's Going on with Advanced Learning?"  What appears -to me - to be happening is that Michael Tolley and Shauna Heath are quietly making a lot of decisions behind closed doors and quietly spreading them out through the schools.  Spectrum principals, either on their own or thru Tolley and Heath, se


Race to Nowhere Showing at Orca K-8

FYI, Dear Community Members, We are excited to announce a showing of the groundbreaking film, "Race to Nowhere”. The documentary is a call to action for families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens. Join us Friday, April 25th for a screening of the film followed


4-23-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Duncan Gives No Hint about WA Waiver in InterviewIn more in the long line of stuff Arne says comes this interview with Education Week.  But, NCLB waivers ARE brought up and, in specific, Washington State.  But Duncan is both direct and coy.And he pledged to get one long-awaited initiative done that could also have a far-reaching impact: an overhaul of regulations t