Alliance for Education statement on Interim Superintendent Enfield's announcement

Seattle – December 16, 2011 – The Board of Directors of the Alliance for Education has released the following statement concerning Dr. Susan Enfield’s announcement today.

Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield’s leadership over the last nine months brought tremendous energy and focus to the work of the district. Her announcement today that she will not seek the permanent Superintendency is deeply disappointing.

We are now on pace to have our third Superintendent in five years.

The Seattle Public Schools family – of students, parents, teachers, principals, staff and community supporters ‐ deserves stability and quality. We know this is possible. Indeed, the positive academic momentum demonstrated this year – both system wide and at many individual schools – is proof of what can be done with intentional leadership. But today we fall short of our shared goals.

The task now falls to our community to determine how to move forward. Over 48,000 students attend our public schools – three out of every four children in Seattle. Our obligation is to them, and to providing the excellent education they deserve. In this city of gorgeous natural resources, brilliant entrepreneurs, devoted public servants and generous, engaged citizens, we should expect no less than the best. A new conversation begins.

Finally here! Footage from the State of the District Address

Dr. Susan Enfield, Seattle Public Schools' Interim Superintendent, delivered a very strong State of the District report at the end of November. The achievement gains and operational improvements cited give great reason for hope and confidence in what can be accomplished. While much work remains to deliver on the promise of a college-ready education for all, the forward momentum is palpable!

Reference was made to potentially lowering the 2013 outcome goals. The Alliance believes that this should not be considered an option. Instead of having a conversation around whether and how far we should lower our goals, we should be having a conversation around what we - as an entire community invested in the success of our public schools - need to do faster and better to meet or exceed the goals that have been set.

"Attacking Gaps, Raising Expectations Everywhere" means just that. Lowering outcome goals flies directly in the face of the spirit of AGREE, which is a very compelling rallying cry.

The individual schools cited in this presentation demonstrate just how much progress can be made in a short period of time under strong, deliberate leadership. Let us look to those and other high achieving schools for the path forward, rather than be content to lower our sights and ambitions on behalf of school children across our city!

For more information in on the data referred to in Dr. Enfield's presentation, CLICK HERE. 

Seattle education events

The Alliance has recently begun curating an events page as part of our new website.  We aim to develop this as a valuable resource that houses information on events from the Alliance, Seattle Public Schools, and the wider community.

Please let us know if you have any ideas for additions to this page!  Leave a comment on this blog or email me: rachel@alliance4ed.org.

http://www.alliance4ed.org/events/events-main.asp

Common Core Standards: what are they and how do they effect our students?

The Common Core State Standards Initiative, which advocates for the adoption of a set of education standards by all U.S. states, articulates the mission of Common Core Standards as: 

"provid[ing] a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy." 

What are the implications of these standards?  Watch this video for a good summary of the context and  implications of Common Core. With Washington State having recently adopted the Common Core Standards, and with Washington chosen as one of 20 states that will help develop new national science standards, this is highly relevant to us in Seattle public education.

Public school parents: classroom materials funding available!

On Oct 5th, all Starbucks stores in King County will be giving out free $10 DonorsChoose gift cards that parents and citizens can use to make a donation toward a classroom project posted on the DonorsChoose website. Right now there are nearly 300 Seattle classroom projects listed from which to choose. Through a generous gift of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, $500,000 will be made available through these gift cards, and anyone can make additional personal donations if they so choose.

Please consider taking advantage of this great opportunity to support your teachers and your schools. All you need to do is:

1. Stop by a King County Starbucks on October 5th and pick up a free $10 Donors Choose gift card. 
2. Go to www.donorschoose.org/kingcounty2011. 
3. Enter your gift code. 
4. Choose a classroom project at a local public school. 

Important: Gift cards will be applied to projects on a first-come, first-served basis until the grant is spent, so be sure to apply yours soon!


About DonorsChoose.org

DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit that empowers teachers to request and receive needed classroom materials and student learning experiences.

The average teacher project request made of DonorsChoose is for just over $400 in student materials. 70% of these are funded each year by citizens, corporations, and foundations. This school year, DonorsChoose aims to bring $40 million dollars in innovative classroom project requests to life.

Every 26 seconds...

Every 26 seconds a student gives up on school in America. That's over a million every year.

Students at risk of dropping out can be identified as early as 6th grade. City Year can help reach the right students, at the right time with the right support.

City Year unites 17-24 year olds for a full year to serve as tutors, mentors and role models, keeping students in school and on track to graduate.

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City Year is one of the services available to Seattle Public School students and featured in the Alliance's new Student Services Directory. To see more services, try out the search tool. 

The Day's Top Ed Lines

Tacoma School District Teachers Contract

Judge might OK replacement teachers in Tacoma strike, Tacoma News Tribune

A Pierce County Superior Court judge said in court this morning he might authorize the Tacoma School District to hire replacement workers if striking teachers do not return to work as he ordered Wednesday.

Chushcoff suggested such an authorization might convince the vast majority of the teachers, who have not shown up to work since Sept. 12, to return to their classrooms while their negotiators try to reach a contract agreement with the district.

“I’m seriously considering doing that,” the judge said. [...]

Seattle schools

Seattle elementary named Blue Ribbon School, Seattle Times

Seattle's Loyal Heights Elementary has been named a national Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education — one of just 304 schools in the country to achieve the designation this year.

The award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students achieve at high levels, or where the achievement gap is narrowing. Since 1982, more than 6,500 of America's schools have received this award, according to the Department of Education.

The school will be honored at a conference and awards ceremony Nov. 14 and 15 in Washington, D.C. [...]

Curriculum

Educators may increase English and social studies classes for future high school graduates, Everett Herald

For years, the debate has been over what types of standardized testing students need to pass to get a high school degree.

This week, educators talked about what types of classes students need to take -- and those requirements may be changing.

The Washington State Board of Education discussed changing credits that students need to achieve in high school. If the changes occur, it would be the first time since 1985, and would affect students now in eighth grade.

The potential changes would keep the state-mandated number of high school credits at 20 but change the allocation of those credits. The number of English and social studies would increase while the number of elective credits would decrease. [...]

Budget

Obama lays out cuts, new taxes to tackle deficit, Boston Globe

WASHINGTON – President Obama this morning laid out his vision for deficit reduction, calling for $1.5 trillion in new tax revenue and $583 billion in spending cuts during the next 10 years.

The president’s proposal would cut the deficit by $3 trillion overall, taking into account savings from troop draw-downs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The new tax revenue would come from closing loopholes and ending subsidies for oil and gas companies, among others, and from instituting minimum tax rates for Americans who earn $1 million or more annually.

“This is not class warfare, it’s math,” Obama said in an address in the White House Rose Garden. ``We can’t just cut our way out of this hole. It’s going to take a balanced approach.” [...]

Education policy

Education Impact of Jobs Bill Under Debate, Education Week

Educators and analysts are taking a hard look at whether the $55 billion K-12 portion of President Barack Obama’s nearly $450 billion jobs plan will provide the jolt to schools still feeling the pinch of a sputtering economy that the administration hopes.

The plan faces long odds on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are struggling to trim at least $1.2 trillion from the deficit over the next 10 years in a climate hostile to tax increases. But, if the plan does pass, some sympathetic analysts argue it would help school districts cover the cost of long-delayed school repairs and avert big layoffs and program cuts.

Others, however, question the White House’s prediction of 280,000 teacher layoffs this year—a key argument raised in favor of the need for $30 billion over two years in job-preservation aid. [...]

More ed lines...