Charlie Mas and Melissa Westbrook are two of the most informed members of the public that watch the Seattle Public schools.
Now Charlie is instituting an effort to try to bring accountability to the SPS.
Check it out here:
http://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-big-this-big.html
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Here is just some of what has not happened:
Immediate Actions as stated in the Strategic Plan "Excellence for All" June 2008.
• Math: A Math Project Team will develop an implementation plan and timeline for action during summer 2008. Alignment of the elementary and middle school instructional materials to the new State Performance Expectations will be completed this summer. Teacher leaders from each elementary, middle and high school will be trained during the summer of 2008 to facilitate professional development sessions for their schools around the mathematics content and the pedagogy needed to support implementation of an aligned program. ( So where is the aligned program? ) Every math teacher will be provided up to four days of professional development to learn to use the online resources included with the Curriculum Guide.
Key Markers Relating to Organizational Health
12 years ago
5 comments:
Bush reform is balls, just like Ed Balls' school reform. Same animal.
Talk of 'excellence for all' is just Balls
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3724/is_/ai_n27512962
Karl Popper was right. All the talk about excellence for all is a ploy to distract attention from what's happening this very day in our schools.
We should move towards policy-making based on a 'social technology' of reform that allows everyone -- teachers, parents or anyone else -- the chance to try out their ideas in open competition.
In an atmosphere of free inquiry, excellence is more likely to be the daily reality than it could ever be under any politician who is sufficiently foolish to think he knows enough to 'intervene and drive change in the system'.
In an open community like the world, there are better textbooks that have been written (with standards and testing) and the results are there to prove Singapore is superior by providing foremost a coherent k-12math program. Adopting Singapore would not prove SPS was an innovator, but a district interested in improving classrooms and ultimately the lives of students.
Reductionism via institutional change is social upheaval and when society stops serving the poor, there will be a heavy price.
No compromises. This was what was hoped for. ESP will succeed in alienating communities, pitting one against another.
The math war has been about compromise, but the data and criteria used to make decisions was at fault. This is an irrational war and you need to decide for yourselves by simply looking and comparing textbooks. Realistically what can be accomplished by teachers and students. And stop pretending the data means something - you can't make any conclusions.
Michael Bennett, superintendent for DPS appointed by Bill Ritter to fill the Senate vacancy is another bad omen.
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