Federal Health Expenditures on Children on the Eve of Health Reform: A Benchmark for the Future:
Via Urban Institute
Federal spending on children's health increased greatly over the past 50 years, although it remained a modest 10 percent of total health spending in 2010. The largest program in the children's health budget, Medicaid, accounted for $74 billion and 85 percent of all federal spending on children's health in 2010. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) included provisions that will increase health insurance coverage for both children and their parents. However, the magnitude of the estimated impact of the ACA on children's coverage depends heavily on the continuation of current Medicaid and CHIP coverage for children.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Four Washington Schools Nominated for National Award
Four Washington Schools Nominated for National Award:
Via OSPI: Communications
Three Washington state public schools and one private school were nominated for the U.S. Department of Education’s new Green Ribbon Schools Award, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction announced.
Via OSPI: Communications
Three Washington state public schools and one private school were nominated for the U.S. Department of Education’s new Green Ribbon Schools Award, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction announced.
How Hunger Relates to: Children & Education
How Hunger Relates to: Children & Education:
Via United Way King County
It’s hard to imagine anything more disheartening than a child who is eager to learn and grow, but can’t focus in school because they are hungry. However, the fact is that numbers of hungry children in America have risen to 16.2 million in 2011, including 39,280 hungry children in Washington state (Source). The February release of the local Communities Count report, revealed an even more shocking statistic: that nearly 50% of Hispanic households with children in King County are food insecure.
Breakfast, however, is a different story – less than half of low-income students in the U.S. participate in the School Breakfast Program. We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which is why local organizations like the Children’s Alliance is taking the initiative to improve participation in School Breakfast with their Fuel Up First With Breakfast Challenge – a friendly competition to get school administrators to step up to the plate and take ownership of feeding hungry children. Check out the video below from National non-profit Share Our Strength that shows how kids at one school feel about their new universal breakfast:
Click here to view the embedded video.
A third federal child nutrition program that is relatively new to the scene is called the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program. This is a reimbursement program for afterschool care settings, day cares, and other out-of-school hours care centers that fund meals, typically supper, for school-age kids. The United Way of King County, in partnership with Public Health of Seattle & King County and the Childrens Alliance, is working to get the word out to potential sponsors in order to get kids free, nutritious supper afterschool, when parents may still be at work or unable to provide a home-cooked meal.
The last meal program for kids that I’ll mention is also the focus of Hunger Action Week – the Summer Meals program. Of the 300,000 Washington children who received free or reduced breakfast or lunch in the 2008-09 school year, only 11 percent received summer meals through the federal Summer Food Service Program. We need to do more to ensure that families access what’s already out there. UWKC partner, WithinReach, has a summer meals site search tool and they are doing amazing outreach to get more sites across the state on board serving meals at more diverse locations, in order to meet kids and families where they live, learn, and play.
Via United Way King County
It’s hard to imagine anything more disheartening than a child who is eager to learn and grow, but can’t focus in school because they are hungry. However, the fact is that numbers of hungry children in America have risen to 16.2 million in 2011, including 39,280 hungry children in Washington state (Source). The February release of the local Communities Count report, revealed an even more shocking statistic: that nearly 50% of Hispanic households with children in King County are food insecure.
The negative effects of hunger and food insecurity on the growth and development of children are clear:
- Hungry children ages 0-3 cannot learn as fast, as much, or as well due to permanent harm to cognitive functioning caused by undernutrition
- Hungry children do more poorly in school and have lower test scores because they don’t have adequate energy and cannot concentrate on an empty stomach
- Hungry children have more social, behavioral, and health problems and therefore have less energy for complex social interaction and cannot adapt as effectively to environmental stresses (Source)
Breakfast, however, is a different story – less than half of low-income students in the U.S. participate in the School Breakfast Program. We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which is why local organizations like the Children’s Alliance is taking the initiative to improve participation in School Breakfast with their Fuel Up First With Breakfast Challenge – a friendly competition to get school administrators to step up to the plate and take ownership of feeding hungry children. Check out the video below from National non-profit Share Our Strength that shows how kids at one school feel about their new universal breakfast:
Click here to view the embedded video.
A third federal child nutrition program that is relatively new to the scene is called the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program. This is a reimbursement program for afterschool care settings, day cares, and other out-of-school hours care centers that fund meals, typically supper, for school-age kids. The United Way of King County, in partnership with Public Health of Seattle & King County and the Childrens Alliance, is working to get the word out to potential sponsors in order to get kids free, nutritious supper afterschool, when parents may still be at work or unable to provide a home-cooked meal.
The last meal program for kids that I’ll mention is also the focus of Hunger Action Week – the Summer Meals program. Of the 300,000 Washington children who received free or reduced breakfast or lunch in the 2008-09 school year, only 11 percent received summer meals through the federal Summer Food Service Program. We need to do more to ensure that families access what’s already out there. UWKC partner, WithinReach, has a summer meals site search tool and they are doing amazing outreach to get more sites across the state on board serving meals at more diverse locations, in order to meet kids and families where they live, learn, and play.
If you’d like to help United Way fund organizations that can effectively get good, healthy food to kids in the summertime, consider giving a financial gift on our website. Even a generous gift of $50 can provide 20 meals to hungry kids this summer.
Since federal nutrition programs are kind of boring, I wanted to share another way that teachers and non-profits are tackling the issue of hunger and nutrition education, and it’s through farm-to-table programs. Click here to read about the great Farm-to-School programs locally supported by CPPW, or check out the video below about a model program from Massachusetts called The Food Project that is getting at-risk kids in touch with where their food comes from while developing leadership and teamwork skills and growing over 250,000 lbs of food for local hunger relief.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
From the 2012 Transportation Action Agenda: Building Healthy Communities
Via Mayor McGinn. Follow link for full story.
From the 2012 Transportation Action Agenda: Building Healthy Communities:
Our Transportation Action Agenda helps guide the work that we do at the City on transportation issues. There are five major categories:
1. Keeping it Safe
2. Focusing on the Basics
3. Building Healthy Communities
4. Supporting a Thriving Economy
5. Providing Great Service
Today we’re going to look at how we’re Building Healthy Communities.
Seattle Dept of Transportation Action Agenda 2012
Streets and sidewalks provide pathways to get us from point A to point B. But if we look closer, we can also see them as opportunities for making community connections, supporting active lifestyles, and contributing to vibrant neighborhoods.
A key ingredient to a great city is public space that encourages people to linger, enjoy, and connect with neighbors and strangers. The Seattle Department of Transportation sees placemaking as an essential part of sustainable, livable, and equitable growth. We are rethinking how to use the right of way and how the transportation system contributes to the overall physical feel of the city. We’re prioritizing transit, building more sidewalks, making more space available for bicycles, and creating hubs where people can connect between modes.
In addition to making streets friendlier for all travelers, we are calming neighborhood streets to increase safety, reduce vehicle speeds, and re-route auto traffic from neighborhoods onto arterial streets. We are designing neighborhood greenways that promote bike and pedestrian travel on streets with low volumes and speeds. And, we are making buses and rail a real option for many trips from our neighborhoods to major destinations. In doing so, SDOT develops streetscape designs that consider the function, form, and feel of a space and its place within the larger community.
By making it easier to ride transit and offering non-motorized options, people can choose to lead more active and environmentally sustainable lifestyles. These choices often influence our decisions around where we live, shop, go to school, work, and recreate. They can affect stress levels, finances, our sense of independence, and the time we spend with our friends and family.
Although many people wouldn’t consider it a determinant to health, the way our transportation system is planned, designed and built has far-reaching implications for our risk of obesity, diabetes and injuries. This is significant considering that over half of adult residents and 30 percent of school-aged children are overweight and obese in King County. And the prevalence of obesity among African American adults is 60% higher, which makes equity a serious concern.
We have an opportunity to provide healthy, affordable choices and create great places that encourage people to get out and enjoy the streets on foot or by bike. In doing so, we can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, smog and soot. We can improve the health of our residents, support environmental sustainability, and bring people together in places where they want to be.
Our approach to building healthy communities includes four different policy goals:
1. Increase mobility and access for everyone
2. Make transit the efficient, affordable choice for a variety trips
3. Make healthy travel choices the easy choices
4. Activate public spaces
For each of those goals, the Transportation Action Agenda lays out specific actions the city will take and specific metrics we’ll use to measure our progress. By using these measures, we’re ensuring that there is a way to see if we’re on track.
To examine all the policy goals, actions, and the metrics that we’ll use, we invite you to take a closer look at the full Transportation Action Agenda. Our next post in the series will examine how we will be supporting a thriving economy.
From the 2012 Transportation Action Agenda: Building Healthy Communities:
Our Transportation Action Agenda helps guide the work that we do at the City on transportation issues. There are five major categories:
1. Keeping it Safe
2. Focusing on the Basics
3. Building Healthy Communities
4. Supporting a Thriving Economy
5. Providing Great Service
Today we’re going to look at how we’re Building Healthy Communities.
Seattle Dept of Transportation Action Agenda 2012
Streets and sidewalks provide pathways to get us from point A to point B. But if we look closer, we can also see them as opportunities for making community connections, supporting active lifestyles, and contributing to vibrant neighborhoods.
A key ingredient to a great city is public space that encourages people to linger, enjoy, and connect with neighbors and strangers. The Seattle Department of Transportation sees placemaking as an essential part of sustainable, livable, and equitable growth. We are rethinking how to use the right of way and how the transportation system contributes to the overall physical feel of the city. We’re prioritizing transit, building more sidewalks, making more space available for bicycles, and creating hubs where people can connect between modes.
In addition to making streets friendlier for all travelers, we are calming neighborhood streets to increase safety, reduce vehicle speeds, and re-route auto traffic from neighborhoods onto arterial streets. We are designing neighborhood greenways that promote bike and pedestrian travel on streets with low volumes and speeds. And, we are making buses and rail a real option for many trips from our neighborhoods to major destinations. In doing so, SDOT develops streetscape designs that consider the function, form, and feel of a space and its place within the larger community.
By making it easier to ride transit and offering non-motorized options, people can choose to lead more active and environmentally sustainable lifestyles. These choices often influence our decisions around where we live, shop, go to school, work, and recreate. They can affect stress levels, finances, our sense of independence, and the time we spend with our friends and family.
Although many people wouldn’t consider it a determinant to health, the way our transportation system is planned, designed and built has far-reaching implications for our risk of obesity, diabetes and injuries. This is significant considering that over half of adult residents and 30 percent of school-aged children are overweight and obese in King County. And the prevalence of obesity among African American adults is 60% higher, which makes equity a serious concern.
We have an opportunity to provide healthy, affordable choices and create great places that encourage people to get out and enjoy the streets on foot or by bike. In doing so, we can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, smog and soot. We can improve the health of our residents, support environmental sustainability, and bring people together in places where they want to be.
Our approach to building healthy communities includes four different policy goals:
1. Increase mobility and access for everyone
2. Make transit the efficient, affordable choice for a variety trips
3. Make healthy travel choices the easy choices
4. Activate public spaces
For each of those goals, the Transportation Action Agenda lays out specific actions the city will take and specific metrics we’ll use to measure our progress. By using these measures, we’re ensuring that there is a way to see if we’re on track.
To examine all the policy goals, actions, and the metrics that we’ll use, we invite you to take a closer look at the full Transportation Action Agenda. Our next post in the series will examine how we will be supporting a thriving economy.
As Supreme Court Listens, Here's a Look at What It Means to Lock Kids Away for Life
Via RaceWire, follow link for full story.
As Supreme Court Listens, Here's a Look at What It Means to Lock Kids Away for Life:
On Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court revisited the question of whether juveniles convicted of murder should be given mandatory sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole. This is the Court's latest review of how juvenile offenders should be treated differently than adults; the justices have previously ruled against imposing death sentences on juveniles and imposing life sentences on youth who aren't convicted of murder.
The two cases they are debating are from two 14-year-olds who were sentenced to life without parole for two separate killings. One case is Miller v. Alabama which involved Evan Miller, who, with another juvenile, was convicted of killing his neighbor and setting fire to his home. The other case is Jackson v. Hobbs, which involved Kuntrell Jackson of Blytheville, Arkansas, who, with two other juveniles, attempted to rob a store and one of the youth killed the clerk with a sawed-off shotgun.
Thirty-three states currently sentence juveniles to life without parole. And there are over 2,500 juvenile offenders living out these sentences, with the largest number -- 444 -- in Pennsylvania. Most of them are young black men.
Those who argue against such lengthy sentences say that many of these juvenile offenders were caught in the cradle to prison pipeline -- experiencing violence and abuse at a young age, and grappling with an unstable household and inability to attend school. Juveniles who are placed in adult prisons are at much higher risk of physical and sexual assaults by older inmates and prison guards, a fact that some say make their lengthy sentences cruel and unusual.
According to The Lives of Juvenile Lifers, the upswing of homicides committed by juveniles soared in 1993. Every state responded with passing laws that either allowed or mandated that teenagers be tried as adults under certain circumstances. So as the juvenile murder arrests rates increased in the mid-1990s, so did the number of teens who were sentenced to life without parole.
As Supreme Court Listens, Here's a Look at What It Means to Lock Kids Away for Life:
The two cases they are debating are from two 14-year-olds who were sentenced to life without parole for two separate killings. One case is Miller v. Alabama which involved Evan Miller, who, with another juvenile, was convicted of killing his neighbor and setting fire to his home. The other case is Jackson v. Hobbs, which involved Kuntrell Jackson of Blytheville, Arkansas, who, with two other juveniles, attempted to rob a store and one of the youth killed the clerk with a sawed-off shotgun.
Thirty-three states currently sentence juveniles to life without parole. And there are over 2,500 juvenile offenders living out these sentences, with the largest number -- 444 -- in Pennsylvania. Most of them are young black men.
Those who argue against such lengthy sentences say that many of these juvenile offenders were caught in the cradle to prison pipeline -- experiencing violence and abuse at a young age, and grappling with an unstable household and inability to attend school. Juveniles who are placed in adult prisons are at much higher risk of physical and sexual assaults by older inmates and prison guards, a fact that some say make their lengthy sentences cruel and unusual.
According to The Lives of Juvenile Lifers, the upswing of homicides committed by juveniles soared in 1993. Every state responded with passing laws that either allowed or mandated that teenagers be tried as adults under certain circumstances. So as the juvenile murder arrests rates increased in the mid-1990s, so did the number of teens who were sentenced to life without parole.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Reader – Opportunity, Education and Green Innovation in Chongqing
The Reader – Opportunity, Education and Green Innovation in Chongqing:
Via The Reader: Mayor McGinn
MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2012
Opportunity, Education and Green Innovation in Chongqing
This week, Mayor McGinn will visit our sister city of Chongqing, China. It’s an opportunity to promote our innovative local businesses, deepen our cultural ties, and help more of Seattle’s children get the chance to study abroad. The trip, which is funded by the Trade Development Alliance and the city of Chongqing, will focus on connecting Seattle residents to opportunities for education and green innovation in one of China’s fastest-growing cities.
In preparation for the trip, the mayor posted some thoughts about the delegation’s focus and goals. Karen Kodama, International Education Administrator for Seattle Public Schools, wrote about the importance of having Seattle students visit Chongqing and be immersed in the Chinese language and culture. The delegation will meet with the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission to discuss increasing the number of sister schools with Seattle Public Schools.
From the 2012 Transportation Action Agenda: Keeping it Safe
Our Transportation Action Agenda helps guide the work that we do at the City on transportation issues. Safety is SDOT’s most important priority – our goal is a city where no one dies in a traffic collision.
People expect to feel safe and comfortable as they are out and about on Seattle’s streets, sidewalks, and trails. Well-placed changes that focus on pedestrians and bicyclists improve safety for our most vulnerable road users and can encourage more people to try getting around on people power, especially for short trips. Additionally, safer streets are efficient streets. They have fewer and less severe collisions, allowing everyone to get where they are going safely and with less hassle.
“Keeping it Safe” is the first of five principles in the Transportation Action Agenda. Our approach to keeping it safe includes four different policy goals:
1. Reduce collisions for all modes and work toward zero fatalities and serious injuries
2. Educate the traveling public to respect and protect one another
3. Minimize conflicts in the right of way to accommodate all travelers
4. Be ready to respond to emergencies
To examine all the policy goals, actions, and the metrics that we’ll use to keep it safe, we invite you to take a closer look at the Transportation Action Agenda.
Get Engaged on City boards and commissions
The Get Engaged program is recruiting 15 young people aged 18-29 for service on Seattle’s public boards and commissions. Commissioners help shape policy decisions, make recommendations, and provide citizen participation in city government. The 15 boards range in interest areas — from design, to human rights to LGBT: there’s something for everyone.
In addition to service on a public board for one year, participants meet monthly as a cohort for leadership competency training, issue discussions and other activities.
Get Engaged is dedicated to advocating for youth voice in city affairs and to cultivating local leaders, especially those who have had limited opportunities to be involved in their community. You don’t need any prior experience serving on boards to be a qualified candidate.
The application deadline is May 14.
Learn more:
Detailed program information: http://GetEngagedSeattle.org/Apply
Check out the boards we serve: http://getengagedseattle.org/boards-we-serve/
Hear from alumna Leanne: http://vimeo.com/album/1868519
Contact Roni Ayalla at rayalla@seattleymca.org or (206) 250-2456
Upcoming Events (for more see http://seattle.gov/mayor/Engage/access.htm):
March 19: 6:30 p.m. – Arts Education Community Meeting, South Shore K-8 (4800 S Henderson St)
March 19: 6:30 p.m. – City Light Strategic Plan Public Forum – New Holly Gathering Place (7054 32nd Ave S)
March 20: 6:30 p.m. – City Light Strategic Plan Public Forum – Northgate Community Center (10510 5th Ave NE)
March 27: 7:00 p.m. – Open House at Seacrest Boathouse (1660 Harbor Ave SW)
Via The Reader: Mayor McGinn
MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2012
Opportunity, Education and Green Innovation in Chongqing
This week, Mayor McGinn will visit our sister city of Chongqing, China. It’s an opportunity to promote our innovative local businesses, deepen our cultural ties, and help more of Seattle’s children get the chance to study abroad. The trip, which is funded by the Trade Development Alliance and the city of Chongqing, will focus on connecting Seattle residents to opportunities for education and green innovation in one of China’s fastest-growing cities.
In preparation for the trip, the mayor posted some thoughts about the delegation’s focus and goals. Karen Kodama, International Education Administrator for Seattle Public Schools, wrote about the importance of having Seattle students visit Chongqing and be immersed in the Chinese language and culture. The delegation will meet with the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission to discuss increasing the number of sister schools with Seattle Public Schools.
From the 2012 Transportation Action Agenda: Keeping it Safe
Our Transportation Action Agenda helps guide the work that we do at the City on transportation issues. Safety is SDOT’s most important priority – our goal is a city where no one dies in a traffic collision.
People expect to feel safe and comfortable as they are out and about on Seattle’s streets, sidewalks, and trails. Well-placed changes that focus on pedestrians and bicyclists improve safety for our most vulnerable road users and can encourage more people to try getting around on people power, especially for short trips. Additionally, safer streets are efficient streets. They have fewer and less severe collisions, allowing everyone to get where they are going safely and with less hassle.
“Keeping it Safe” is the first of five principles in the Transportation Action Agenda. Our approach to keeping it safe includes four different policy goals:
1. Reduce collisions for all modes and work toward zero fatalities and serious injuries
2. Educate the traveling public to respect and protect one another
3. Minimize conflicts in the right of way to accommodate all travelers
4. Be ready to respond to emergencies
To examine all the policy goals, actions, and the metrics that we’ll use to keep it safe, we invite you to take a closer look at the Transportation Action Agenda.
Get Engaged on City boards and commissions
The Get Engaged program is recruiting 15 young people aged 18-29 for service on Seattle’s public boards and commissions. Commissioners help shape policy decisions, make recommendations, and provide citizen participation in city government. The 15 boards range in interest areas — from design, to human rights to LGBT: there’s something for everyone.
In addition to service on a public board for one year, participants meet monthly as a cohort for leadership competency training, issue discussions and other activities.
Get Engaged is dedicated to advocating for youth voice in city affairs and to cultivating local leaders, especially those who have had limited opportunities to be involved in their community. You don’t need any prior experience serving on boards to be a qualified candidate.
The application deadline is May 14.
Learn more:
Detailed program information: http://GetEngagedSeattle.org/Apply
Check out the boards we serve: http://getengagedseattle.org/boards-we-serve/
Hear from alumna Leanne: http://vimeo.com/album/1868519
Contact Roni Ayalla at rayalla@seattleymca.org or (206) 250-2456
Upcoming Events (for more see http://seattle.gov/mayor/Engage/access.htm):
March 19: 6:30 p.m. – Arts Education Community Meeting, South Shore K-8 (4800 S Henderson St)
March 19: 6:30 p.m. – City Light Strategic Plan Public Forum – New Holly Gathering Place (7054 32nd Ave S)
March 20: 6:30 p.m. – City Light Strategic Plan Public Forum – Northgate Community Center (10510 5th Ave NE)
March 27: 7:00 p.m. – Open House at Seacrest Boathouse (1660 Harbor Ave SW)
State's high-school graduation rates improve, researchers report
State's high-school graduation rates improve, researchers report:
Via Seattle Times: Education
Washington has improved its statewide on-time graduation rate from 72.2 percent in 2002 to 73.7 percent in 2009, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University and a public-policy organization called Civic Enterprises.
Via Seattle Times: Education
Washington has improved its statewide on-time graduation rate from 72.2 percent in 2002 to 73.7 percent in 2009, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University and a public-policy organization called Civic Enterprises.
Racial Equity & the Achievement Gap – What's AYD Got to Do with It?
Racial Equity & the Achievement Gap – What's AYD Got to Do with It?:
Via SOWA Live (So Alive!)
Louie Praseuth (left) shared his immigrant experience as a Southeast Asian raised in Seattle. Louie in his quiet, insightful and powerful way challenged the audience to “approach ignorance with questions” and stay committed to issues of equity and justice.
Via SOWA Live (So Alive!)
by Amanda Scott Thomas, Education Policy Director
As part of the Washington Afterschool Network (WAN) Meeting on March 2, we hosted a panel and dialogue to talk about racial equity, the achievement gap and the role that Afterschool and Youth Development (AYD) could or should play in these matters. I anticipated an interesting conversation but I have to admit – the panel did not go exactly as planned though I could not have planned it any better than what organically transpired.
Inspiring, thought-provoking, sometimes jolting sharing interspersed with soul-shaking laughter and passionate discourse is what you get when you bring a dynamic, expert panel together.
Dr. Thelma Jackson, veteran educator and champion for Washington kids, shared hard facts and truths with substance and unabashed style as only Dr. Jackson can! Engaged in decades of policy work, Dr. Jackson charged the AYD field to focus on policy work that brings about systemic change and to assign each child with equal value and equal voice.
Noah Prince, Partnership Administrator-Tacoma 360 and the 2001 Afterschool Ambassador for Washington State, spoke honestly about unearned access also known as “white privilege” as a white male steeped in social justice work, community building and positive youth development. Read Noah's description of the event below.
Louie Praseuth (left) shared his immigrant experience as a Southeast Asian raised in Seattle. Louie in his quiet, insightful and powerful way challenged the audience to “approach ignorance with questions” and stay committed to issues of equity and justice.Former Assistant State Superintendent, Erin Jones, stressed an asset-based approach in dealing with the ‘opportunity gap’. Erin shared poignant, personal stories of her experience as a biracial teen, woman and educator that brought the issue home for many participants.
The panel presentation was followed by interesting and spirited comments and conversation amongst WAN members. It was evident that School’s Out Washington’s leadership and engagement of the AYD field on issues of racial equity is necessary and welcomed. I left the meeting drained and at the same time energized by the caliber of colleagues, partners and equity warriors in the room. I am blessed to be a part of an organization and a field that cares about the success of the whole child and all children. The dialogue and most importantly the work to create the spaces and systems kids need to succeed in school and life continues!
"I had the honor of participating on a School’s Out Washington Racial Equity/Achievement Gap Panel with Dr. Thelma Jackson, Erin Jones and Louie (I forget) on Friday March 2nd at the Tumwater ESD. The discussion between panel members and audience was engaging, courageous and real. Issues such as institutional racism, policy change vs. programmatic chance, challenging colorblind ideology and building generational bridges between the civil rights struggle and the achievement gap struggle were all discussed with honesty and passion. It is so important to have critical conversations about racial equity within our educational system. It’s challenging because as afterschool care providers the group is able to bring a racial equity lenses to their work, but that doesn’t necessarily move the equity needle on the school day experience so we struggled and challenged ourselves to figure out what our role was in brining systemic change to the school district thru our programs which embrace social justice and equity. I look forward to more dialogues and aligned movement in the racial equity/educational excellence for all movement in 2012. Thanks for Amanda Scott Thomas and School’s Out Washington for hosting such a riveting event."
In the words of a Participant: Meka Riggins, Professional Development Program Manager; Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network
"I want to thank Washington Afterschool Network for approaching the topic of Policy, Partnership and Practice with such care, candor and passion. I was not aware of the difference between the opportunity gap and the achievement gap until Erin Jones and Dr. Thelma Jackson provided clarity on the subjects during our last WAN meeting. Dr. Jackson’s explanation about the disparity among children of middle-class white communities and lower-income, non-white communities led me to question my community’s level of commitment and investment in the success of “our” children. Erin Jones explained that the opportunity gap occurs when these same students do not have an equal chance at life’s opportunities. I appreciate Dr. Jackson for calling into question the structural failures of our education system and for challenging us to keep this issue in mind as we operate in our field of expertise on behalf of children. And it was emotional to hear Erin’s recent, personal account of facing challenges that our children face every day. And while they both seemed to be fighting for the same goal, they demonstrated that there are various avenues to change. I find that with every new piece of information I receive about out-of-school child care, I am introduced to a new twist in the landscape of life as a child, as a community member and as a parent. Thank you."
Seattle schools create ombudsman position to help parents
Seattle schools create ombudsman position to help parents:
Via Seattle Times: Education
Parents are cautiously optimistic that Ronald McGlone's appointment is a good step for a school district often criticized for not providing enough services.
Via Seattle Times: Education
Parents are cautiously optimistic that Ronald McGlone's appointment is a good step for a school district often criticized for not providing enough services.
F.E.E.S.T Empowers Seattle Youth
http://www.wkkf.org/what-we-support/featured-work/feest-empowers-seattle-youth.aspx
Via King County Food and Fitness Iniatiative
F.E.E.S.T. Empowers Seattle Youth - W.K. Kellogg Foundation
www.wkkf.org
A decade ago, Larry Berger and Gregory Gunn, two friends who met as Rhodes Scholars, were intrigued by how mobile technology might help PreK-12 educators to overcome teaching and learning challenges. Their first...
Via King County Food and Fitness Iniatiative
F.E.E.S.T. Empowers Seattle Youth - W.K. Kellogg Foundation
www.wkkf.org
A decade ago, Larry Berger and Gregory Gunn, two friends who met as Rhodes Scholars, were intrigued by how mobile technology might help PreK-12 educators to overcome teaching and learning challenges. Their first...
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The Arts Rise Again for Seattle Public Schools
from SOWA Live (So Alive!)
by Virginia Eader, School's Out Washington MSW Student Intern
It’s happening folks. Slowly but surely we are beginning to realize that our young people are getting short-changed by the intense focus on standardized testing and lack of creativity in public education.
On Tuesday night, I had the opportunity to attend the first of five Arts Public Engagement Meetings hosted by Seattle Public Schools and Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. The public meetings are providing parents, teachers, artists, community members, non-profit representatives, and youth a chance to come together and share ideas to help shape the Arts Plan in Seattle Public Schools. This is an important step in creating a more enriching and diverse educational experience for our young people. I encourage you to attend a meeting in your neighborhood and let your voice be heard!
Arts Public Engagement Meetings
Tuesday, March 13
6:30 - 8:30 pm |
Ballard High School
1418 NW 65th St. | |
Saturday, March 17
1:00 - 3:00 pm |
Garfield High School
400 23rd Ave. | |
Southeast Meeting
Translators for Spanish, Somali, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog will be present. |
Monday, March 19
6:30 - 8:30 pm |
South Shore K-8
4800 S. Henderson St. |
Thursday, March 29
6:30 - 8:30 pm |
Chief Sealth International High School
2600 SW Thistle St. | |
Saturday, March 31
1:00 - 3:00 pm |
For more Information, check out the City of Seattle website and this video of the Arts Education Forum which took place last month. The Wallace Foundation, who is funding Seattle’s planning efforts, also has some great resources on Arts Education.
Grants for schools!
Via King County Food and Fitness Initiative. Follow link for full story.
Grants for schools!: Grants for schools!
School Grants for Healthy Kids
www.actionforhealthykids.org
Through partners such as Kellogg's and the Walmart Foundation, Action for Healthy Kids is pleased to release its School Grants for Healthy Kids opportunities for the 2012-2013 school year. Over 500 schools will be awarded funds that will range from $1,000 to $5,000 (average $2,000) with significant...
Grants for schools!: Grants for schools!
School Grants for Healthy Kids
www.actionforhealthykids.org
Through partners such as Kellogg's and the Walmart Foundation, Action for Healthy Kids is pleased to release its School Grants for Healthy Kids opportunities for the 2012-2013 school year. Over 500 schools will be awarded funds that will range from $1,000 to $5,000 (average $2,000) with significant...
Youth get a seat at the table
Via Mayor McGinn. Follow link for full story.
Youth get a seat at the table:
This is a guest post from Seattle Youth Commissioner Mohamed Adan
Earlier this month the City Council unanimously adopted a resolution appointing two members of the Seattle Youth Commission (SYC), myself and Kian Vesteinsson, to serve one year terms as advisors to the Families and Education Levy Oversight Committee. The Levy Oversight Committee [LOC] was established by an ordinance to provide stewardship and advice to dozens of programs supported by the $231 million voter approved levy. The original proposal was for us to become full members, but for legal reasons, we were instead designated advisors. Nevertheless, this is still a tremendous achievement, as it represents the first time youth will have a seat at the LOC in its 20 year history. In our capacity as advisors, we will be present at all the monthly meetings starting immediately, and we will have all the powers and responsibilities of full members except that we will not be able to vote during the rare times the LOC votes on a matter.
Our appointment is the culmination of months of hard work undertaken by the education sub-committee of the SYC, of which both Kian and I are members, to bring the youth voice to the bodies focused on improving public education in the city. We have established relationships with many of the members of the Seattle School Board, with non-profit groups such as SCAN (Seattle College Access Now), and with the Seattle Office for Education to assist them in realizing and addressing the needs and wants of the students they serve. The SYC is uniquely positioned to provide that assistance because we are comprised of a diverse group of youth racially and socio-economically, hailing from nearly every school and every neighborhood in the city. When the Families and Education Levy was up for renewal, the SYC worked hard to see it passed. We testified before the city council and lobbied the council members to place the highest dollar value on the ballot, so that the struggling students in our city would have access to the resources they need to be successful. During the course of the renewal process, we also petitioned the city council to guarantee a spot for youth in the LOC, and they promised to do so provided the levy was approved by voters in November. I am glad to say the City Council has honored its promise.
Before our appointments, the LOC had many distinguished and knowledgeable adult members, many of whom are experts in the field of education, but they were missing a key component-the voice of the youth they serve. The SYC is honored to bring that voice to the LOC. Kian and I are delighted to begin serving immediately. The Families and Education Levy does so much good for our communities, especially the struggling students and schools who desperately need all the help they can get. The Youth have the biggest stake in the success of the levy and it high time we finally have a seat at the decision making table.
I want to say thank you to all the people who made this happen. In particular all the members of the Seattle City Council, especially council member Tim Burgess and his intern Michael (who wrote the resolution), and to Sid Sidorowicz from the Office of Public Education. None of this would have been possible without you guys.
Youth get a seat at the table:
This is a guest post from Seattle Youth Commissioner Mohamed AdanEarlier this month the City Council unanimously adopted a resolution appointing two members of the Seattle Youth Commission (SYC), myself and Kian Vesteinsson, to serve one year terms as advisors to the Families and Education Levy Oversight Committee. The Levy Oversight Committee [LOC] was established by an ordinance to provide stewardship and advice to dozens of programs supported by the $231 million voter approved levy. The original proposal was for us to become full members, but for legal reasons, we were instead designated advisors. Nevertheless, this is still a tremendous achievement, as it represents the first time youth will have a seat at the LOC in its 20 year history. In our capacity as advisors, we will be present at all the monthly meetings starting immediately, and we will have all the powers and responsibilities of full members except that we will not be able to vote during the rare times the LOC votes on a matter.
Our appointment is the culmination of months of hard work undertaken by the education sub-committee of the SYC, of which both Kian and I are members, to bring the youth voice to the bodies focused on improving public education in the city. We have established relationships with many of the members of the Seattle School Board, with non-profit groups such as SCAN (Seattle College Access Now), and with the Seattle Office for Education to assist them in realizing and addressing the needs and wants of the students they serve. The SYC is uniquely positioned to provide that assistance because we are comprised of a diverse group of youth racially and socio-economically, hailing from nearly every school and every neighborhood in the city. When the Families and Education Levy was up for renewal, the SYC worked hard to see it passed. We testified before the city council and lobbied the council members to place the highest dollar value on the ballot, so that the struggling students in our city would have access to the resources they need to be successful. During the course of the renewal process, we also petitioned the city council to guarantee a spot for youth in the LOC, and they promised to do so provided the levy was approved by voters in November. I am glad to say the City Council has honored its promise.
Before our appointments, the LOC had many distinguished and knowledgeable adult members, many of whom are experts in the field of education, but they were missing a key component-the voice of the youth they serve. The SYC is honored to bring that voice to the LOC. Kian and I are delighted to begin serving immediately. The Families and Education Levy does so much good for our communities, especially the struggling students and schools who desperately need all the help they can get. The Youth have the biggest stake in the success of the levy and it high time we finally have a seat at the decision making table.
I want to say thank you to all the people who made this happen. In particular all the members of the Seattle City Council, especially council member Tim Burgess and his intern Michael (who wrote the resolution), and to Sid Sidorowicz from the Office of Public Education. None of this would have been possible without you guys.
Low-Income Kids Receive 70 Percent of Federal Spending on Children; Disproportionately Vulnerable to Budget Cuts
Via Urban Institute. Follow link for full story.
Low-Income Kids Receive 70 Percent of Federal Spending on Children; Disproportionately Vulnerable to Budget Cuts: Children in low-income families would be disproportionately affected by cuts in federal spending, an analysis of public resources spent on children concludes. Low-income children, 42 percent of the child population, received 70 percent of federal spending and tax expenditures in 2009 geared toward those 18 years or younger.
Low-Income Kids Receive 70 Percent of Federal Spending on Children; Disproportionately Vulnerable to Budget Cuts: Children in low-income families would be disproportionately affected by cuts in federal spending, an analysis of public resources spent on children concludes. Low-income children, 42 percent of the child population, received 70 percent of federal spending and tax expenditures in 2009 geared toward those 18 years or younger.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Getting Silly
Getting Silly:
Via United Way of King County
Measuring preschoolers’ progress can involve many variables. Volunteer Reader Arie Whitman “measures” one thing: excitement! At the beginning of the school year at Olympic Hills Elementary Head Start, books and reading are new and can cause some anxiety; but by the third or fourth week of school, the children are tumbling over each other to read with Arie!
Arie incorporates activities that teach basic skills into reading time such as naming letters, rhyming, and counting; but best of all, Arie gets silly! When the wife in Goodnight Gorilla wakes up shocked to see animals crowding her bedroom, Arie and the kids practice their “surprised” faces! Arie also wears “elegant” costumes while reading; she describes one student, who, despite being a macho little guy, loves to read while wearing a pink feather boa wound around his neck as well as Arie’s!
By making reading time so enjoyable, Arie hopes to instill a love of books and reading. The children likely are unaware of how much they are learning while having fun, but Arie is: she sees how much they benefit from one-on-one attention, so she maintains a rule of reading to one child at a time, and turns that child’s chair away from the classroom to minimize distraction. Arie states, “You just know that once they leave Head Start and go into kindergarten they are going to have a clue about what books are about…and that letters mean something, and they’re learning those letters…you can see the wheels turning.”
Via United Way of King County
Measuring preschoolers’ progress can involve many variables. Volunteer Reader Arie Whitman “measures” one thing: excitement! At the beginning of the school year at Olympic Hills Elementary Head Start, books and reading are new and can cause some anxiety; but by the third or fourth week of school, the children are tumbling over each other to read with Arie!
Arie incorporates activities that teach basic skills into reading time such as naming letters, rhyming, and counting; but best of all, Arie gets silly! When the wife in Goodnight Gorilla wakes up shocked to see animals crowding her bedroom, Arie and the kids practice their “surprised” faces! Arie also wears “elegant” costumes while reading; she describes one student, who, despite being a macho little guy, loves to read while wearing a pink feather boa wound around his neck as well as Arie’s!By making reading time so enjoyable, Arie hopes to instill a love of books and reading. The children likely are unaware of how much they are learning while having fun, but Arie is: she sees how much they benefit from one-on-one attention, so she maintains a rule of reading to one child at a time, and turns that child’s chair away from the classroom to minimize distraction. Arie states, “You just know that once they leave Head Start and go into kindergarten they are going to have a clue about what books are about…and that letters mean something, and they’re learning those letters…you can see the wheels turning.”
Teach for America's rocky first year
Teach for America's rocky first year:
Via Seattle Times: Education
It's been a rocky first year for the Puget Sound branch of Teach for America, but principals say the first TFA teachers are performing well.
Via Seattle Times: Education
It's been a rocky first year for the Puget Sound branch of Teach for America, but principals say the first TFA teachers are performing well.
Learning more about what our kids need to succeed
Learning more about what our kids need to succeed:
Via Mayor McGinn
Last year Seattle voters generously approved a $232 million Families and Education levy, during the deepest and longest recession since the Great Depression. Times are tough for a lot of people in our community, but Seattleites know that if we want a brighter future we need to invest in our kids today.
In addition to the Families and Education levy, the City provides many other services that support our kids – library reading programs, parks programs in our community centers, and through initiatives like the attendance campaign. But, in most cases, we don’t have a coordinated way to measure success across programs, and across departments. We know these programs are impacting students in our community, but it is difficult to be sure – is it enough to make a difference in kids lives? Right now, we focus on the programs themselves, and we are not focusing on knowing who the kids are in the programs, how often they are receiving services from our many different departments, and whether those programs are making an impact.
We need to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of our spending. Every dollar counts. One key area is 3rd grade literacy – we know that if a student is not literate by the third grade, they are more likely to drop out of school.
Last week Mayor McGinn visited the Northgate Elementary Family Literacy Night to read Green Eggs and Ham to students and talk to parents about a small pilot project that is working to change all of that.
A small group of City departments, including Parks and Library, are partnering with Northgate Elementary to see how City services in the North End can make a difference in reading for a specific group of kids, a cohort. The goal is to help this group of kids read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. This means looking at how we can deliver services in a coordinated way across departments to meet the needs of this cohort group. To do this, these departments are first learning from teachers and parents about the needs that exist, and from there, we are determining how departments and programs can work in a new way together to deliver results.
With the help of parents and teachers at Northgate Elementary, City services are working to make a measurable difference in kids lives.
Via Mayor McGinn
Last year Seattle voters generously approved a $232 million Families and Education levy, during the deepest and longest recession since the Great Depression. Times are tough for a lot of people in our community, but Seattleites know that if we want a brighter future we need to invest in our kids today.
In addition to the Families and Education levy, the City provides many other services that support our kids – library reading programs, parks programs in our community centers, and through initiatives like the attendance campaign. But, in most cases, we don’t have a coordinated way to measure success across programs, and across departments. We know these programs are impacting students in our community, but it is difficult to be sure – is it enough to make a difference in kids lives? Right now, we focus on the programs themselves, and we are not focusing on knowing who the kids are in the programs, how often they are receiving services from our many different departments, and whether those programs are making an impact.
We need to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of our spending. Every dollar counts. One key area is 3rd grade literacy – we know that if a student is not literate by the third grade, they are more likely to drop out of school.
Last week Mayor McGinn visited the Northgate Elementary Family Literacy Night to read Green Eggs and Ham to students and talk to parents about a small pilot project that is working to change all of that.
A small group of City departments, including Parks and Library, are partnering with Northgate Elementary to see how City services in the North End can make a difference in reading for a specific group of kids, a cohort. The goal is to help this group of kids read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. This means looking at how we can deliver services in a coordinated way across departments to meet the needs of this cohort group. To do this, these departments are first learning from teachers and parents about the needs that exist, and from there, we are determining how departments and programs can work in a new way together to deliver results.
With the help of parents and teachers at Northgate Elementary, City services are working to make a measurable difference in kids lives.
Program bridges learning gap
Program bridges learning gap:
Via Seattle Times: Education
It made me happy to see a group of 11- and 12-year-olds sitting together smiling and laughing. It was Saturday morning, around 8:30, and...
Via Seattle Times: Education
It made me happy to see a group of 11- and 12-year-olds sitting together smiling and laughing. It was Saturday morning, around 8:30, and...
Talk to Your Principal about Ed. Levy
Talk to Your Principal about Ed. Levy:
Via SOWA Live (So Alive!)
The City of Seattle’s Families and Education Levy Request for Investment is now posted on the City’s website.
In order for your program to be considered for funding through the levy, your principal needs to specify your program in their proposal. Also, organizations must be on the list of qualified agencies to receive more than $5,000 of levy funds. Now is a good time to talk with your principal about her/his plan for the funding request. You can educate your principal on the positive academic and social/emotional outcomes that result from quality afterschool or expanded learning opportunity programs.
School’s Out Washington is here to help. We are happy to provide you with resources/research that will support your principal’s proposal. Please contact Emily Emerson for more information. Any questions regarding the request for investment itself will be referred to the city’s Office for Education.
Via SOWA Live (So Alive!)
The City of Seattle’s Families and Education Levy Request for Investment is now posted on the City’s website.
In order for your program to be considered for funding through the levy, your principal needs to specify your program in their proposal. Also, organizations must be on the list of qualified agencies to receive more than $5,000 of levy funds. Now is a good time to talk with your principal about her/his plan for the funding request. You can educate your principal on the positive academic and social/emotional outcomes that result from quality afterschool or expanded learning opportunity programs.
School’s Out Washington is here to help. We are happy to provide you with resources/research that will support your principal’s proposal. Please contact Emily Emerson for more information. Any questions regarding the request for investment itself will be referred to the city’s Office for Education.
A Glimpse into the Parent-Child Home Program at Kindering in Bellevue
A Glimpse into the Parent-Child Home Program at Kindering in Bellevue:
Via United Way of King County
Kindering, located on the Eastside, is a not-for-profit neurodevelopmental center that has been providing comprehensive services for children with special needs and their families since 1962. On Friday, March 2nd, I visited Kindering’s weekly Parent-Child Home Program’s (PCHP) staff meeting to see first-hand how they use the grant received from United Way of King County to provide this great service to qualified families in their community. The Parent-Child Home Program is a proven early literacy, school readiness and parenting program that encourages verbal interaction and educational play between parents and their preschool children in families that have had limited exposure to educational opportunities and activities. While there, I got to meet their home visitors Judith and Alma and right away, I was able to see how very dedicated they both are to their work. They eagerly shared with me some of their experiences working with the immigrant/refugee families (most of whom are Spanish-speaking and of Mexican descent) in Bellevue and Redmond. Recently, Alma had this experience with a family:
“Alma works with a family whom week after week the father has been sitting off to the side of the room observing during every visit. He is typically quiet while the mom participates with her daughter. Two weeks ago, when mom was in the kitchen as Alma arrived, she invited dad to come over and help review the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Dad seemed apprehensive at first, but then came alive while taking the lead to read to his daughter.”
In addition to parents who are sometimes reluctant to participate in the visits initially, there are times when the home visitors have to actually overcome objections from family members. One such time was when a father did not want his son to play with a doll that was the selected toy for that week’s PCHP visit. Because the home visitors who are hired for the Parent-Child Home Program are either from or a part of the same communities of the families that they serve, this particular home visitor understood the cultural reasons why the father felt that way and was able to couple that knowledge with the use of appropriate tactics that she learned during the PCHP home visitor training she received from the start of the program and each week during the staff meeting, to help the father understand the purpose for that toy. One of the benefits of this toy that the home visitor explained is it helps children learn their body parts. The father was able to understand and allowed his son to receive and learn from the toy that week.
In addition to providing PCHP to the families in their community, the PCHP Coordinator and Home Visitors help to connect families with additional resources such as connecting them to the local free tax preparation site for low income families (provided by United Way of King County) located conveniently at the Crossroads Shopping Center in the Bellevue, Washington community as well as providing them with baby and children’s clothing and items through a partnership with Eastside Baby Corner. The home visitors at Kindering are so dedicated to providing exemplary service to their families that they didn’t just stop at helping them receive additional resources in the community, they also created a Parent-Child Home Program newsletter to help the families stay informed about other programs offered at Kindering, plan for any upcoming events that their family may want to attend and to share pictures and stories from other families like them who are receiving PCHP. The newsletter is available to families in both English and Spanish.
I learned so much more than I would have ever imagined I would during my 90 minute visit with the Kindering PCHP staff! It was great to be able to come back to my office full of information and stories to share with my team! I enjoyed meeting and talking to everyone on the PCHP staff at Kindering, being able to learn about the program while playing with Play Dough (which the staff was preparing for the next week’s toy being offered to families) made it a very enjoyable visit indeed!
Via United Way of King County
Kindering, located on the Eastside, is a not-for-profit neurodevelopmental center that has been providing comprehensive services for children with special needs and their families since 1962. On Friday, March 2nd, I visited Kindering’s weekly Parent-Child Home Program’s (PCHP) staff meeting to see first-hand how they use the grant received from United Way of King County to provide this great service to qualified families in their community. The Parent-Child Home Program is a proven early literacy, school readiness and parenting program that encourages verbal interaction and educational play between parents and their preschool children in families that have had limited exposure to educational opportunities and activities. While there, I got to meet their home visitors Judith and Alma and right away, I was able to see how very dedicated they both are to their work. They eagerly shared with me some of their experiences working with the immigrant/refugee families (most of whom are Spanish-speaking and of Mexican descent) in Bellevue and Redmond. Recently, Alma had this experience with a family:
“Alma works with a family whom week after week the father has been sitting off to the side of the room observing during every visit. He is typically quiet while the mom participates with her daughter. Two weeks ago, when mom was in the kitchen as Alma arrived, she invited dad to come over and help review the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Dad seemed apprehensive at first, but then came alive while taking the lead to read to his daughter.”
In addition to parents who are sometimes reluctant to participate in the visits initially, there are times when the home visitors have to actually overcome objections from family members. One such time was when a father did not want his son to play with a doll that was the selected toy for that week’s PCHP visit. Because the home visitors who are hired for the Parent-Child Home Program are either from or a part of the same communities of the families that they serve, this particular home visitor understood the cultural reasons why the father felt that way and was able to couple that knowledge with the use of appropriate tactics that she learned during the PCHP home visitor training she received from the start of the program and each week during the staff meeting, to help the father understand the purpose for that toy. One of the benefits of this toy that the home visitor explained is it helps children learn their body parts. The father was able to understand and allowed his son to receive and learn from the toy that week.
In addition to providing PCHP to the families in their community, the PCHP Coordinator and Home Visitors help to connect families with additional resources such as connecting them to the local free tax preparation site for low income families (provided by United Way of King County) located conveniently at the Crossroads Shopping Center in the Bellevue, Washington community as well as providing them with baby and children’s clothing and items through a partnership with Eastside Baby Corner. The home visitors at Kindering are so dedicated to providing exemplary service to their families that they didn’t just stop at helping them receive additional resources in the community, they also created a Parent-Child Home Program newsletter to help the families stay informed about other programs offered at Kindering, plan for any upcoming events that their family may want to attend and to share pictures and stories from other families like them who are receiving PCHP. The newsletter is available to families in both English and Spanish.
I learned so much more than I would have ever imagined I would during my 90 minute visit with the Kindering PCHP staff! It was great to be able to come back to my office full of information and stories to share with my team! I enjoyed meeting and talking to everyone on the PCHP staff at Kindering, being able to learn about the program while playing with Play Dough (which the staff was preparing for the next week’s toy being offered to families) made it a very enjoyable visit indeed!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Kindergarten Inventory Bill Passes House
Kindergarten Inventory Bill Passes House
Via OSPI
On Monday, the state House of Representatives passed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2586. The bill would provide a structure for families, teachers and early learning providers to work together for each student beginning kindergarten.
Follow link for full article.
Via OSPI
On Monday, the state House of Representatives passed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2586. The bill would provide a structure for families, teachers and early learning providers to work together for each student beginning kindergarten.
Follow link for full article.
Dorn Approves 12 “Innovation Plans”
Dorn Approves 12 “Innovation Plans” Recommended by Educational Service Districts
Via OSPI
State Superintendent Randy Dorn today announced his approval of the applications for 12 “innovation plans” submitted by 11 Washington state schools and one district and recommended by their local educational service districts.
Follow link for full article.
Via OSPI
State Superintendent Randy Dorn today announced his approval of the applications for 12 “innovation plans” submitted by 11 Washington state schools and one district and recommended by their local educational service districts.
Follow link for full article.
School of the Future Showcases School Design
School of the Future Showcases School Design
Via OSPI
Good school design can just as easily come from students as it can from adults.
Follow link for full article.
Via OSPI
Good school design can just as easily come from students as it can from adults.
Follow link for full article.
Minority students face harsher punishments
Report: Minority students face harsher punishments:
Via Seattle Times
More than 70 percent of students involved in school-related arrests or cases referred to law enforcement were Hispanic or African-American, according to an Education Department report that raises questions about whether students of all races are disciplined evenhandedly in America's schools.
Follow link for full article.
Via Seattle Times
More than 70 percent of students involved in school-related arrests or cases referred to law enforcement were Hispanic or African-American, according to an Education Department report that raises questions about whether students of all races are disciplined evenhandedly in America's schools.
Follow link for full article.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Enfield accepts offer to lead Highline schools
Enfield accepts offer to lead Highline schools:
Via Seattle Times: Education
If contract details are finalized, Susan Enfield would start her new job as Highline schools superintendent July 1.
The Alliance for Education awards Nathan Hale High School principal Jill Hudson with the Foster Award
The Alliance for Education awards Nathan Hale High School principal Jill Hudson with the Foster Award:
Via Alliance for Education Community Blog
At an energetic all-school assembly in the gym, District & Alliance leadership, school staff and a lot of Jill's family and friends surprised her with the award. Please see below for details on her accomplishments on behalf of students.
 |
| (left to right) Sara Morris, President & CEO, Alliance for Education; Jill Hudson, Principal, Nathan Hale High School; Judy Runstad, Foster Pepper, PPLLC & Alliance for Education Emeritus Board Member |
This morning, the Alliance for Education was delighted to award the Thomas B. Foster Award to Principal Jill Hudson of Nathan Hale High School. For ten years, we have granted this award to an exceptional secondary school principal. Included is a $50,000 cash grant to the school to be used at the principal's discretion.
At an energetic all-school assembly in the gym, District & Alliance leadership, school staff and a lot of Jill's family and friends surprised her with the award. Please see below for details on her accomplishments on behalf of students.
From everyone here at the Alliance, we extend huge congratulations to Jill on such well-earned recognition. Thank you for everything you do! What a great morning! People like you put a spring in all of our steps.
More information:
Methods Workshop Series
Methods Workshop Series:
Via SOWA Live (So Alive!)
Via SOWA Live (So Alive!)
Youth Program Quality Initiative
All regions of the Washington Regional Afterschool Project (WRAP) are implementing the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality’s Program Quality Intervention (PQI). Although the assessment component of this process required organizations to apply ahead of time, some of the Youth Work Methods workshops are open to the public. Please contact the WRAP specialistin your region to learn if you may attend.
These interactive and hands-on courses provide participants with practical skills that are geared to improve the quality of interactions with youth.
Use the chart below to decide which workshops you are interested in. Which region are you in? Click on the date to learn more and register
Central | Northwest | Southwest | Northeast | North Central | Southeast | |
Active Learning | ||||||
Ask, Listen, Encourage | ||||||
Building Community | ||||||
Cooperative Learning | ||||||
Planning and Reflection | ||||||
Youth Voice | March 16, Tacoma |
Workshop Description: Click on the title of the worksop to see a sample from the guidebook. To learn more about the Youth Work Methods series, click here to watch an interactive video.
Active Learning (Y/SA: II-H) – Do you know the difference between active learning and “hands-on” learning? Giving youth materials is just the beginning. This interactive workshop introduces the “ingredients” of active learning, explains the role that active learning plays in the experiential learning cycle, and helps participants create more powerful learning opportunities for youth.
Ask-Listen-Encourage (Y/SA: II-J) – Do you communicate with youth in a way that makes them feel supported and heard? This interactive workshop introduces various communication techniques that help you build more supportive, youth-centered relationships. Participants will learn how to ask more effective questions, to listen actively to youth, and offer youth encouragement rather than praise.
Building Community (Y: III-L, SA: III-M) – Do you know what it takes to build an emotionally and physically safe space for youth? Building an emotionally safe community of peers and adults is essential for youth to learn and develop as individuals. This interactive workshop will introduce participants to a variety of activities designed to support the community building process.
Cooperative Learning (Y: III-M, SA: III-O) – Do the youth in your program have opportunities to work together in groups, teaching and learning from each other? Cooperative learning is an excellent way to nurture youth leadership, build community, and keep things fun. This interactive workshop will equip participants with grouping strategies and ways to think about building cooperative learning into any program offering.
Planning and Reflection (Y: IV-P, IV-R, SA: IV-Q, IV-T) – Are you engaging youth in the critical life skills of planning and reflection? Are you ready to be more intentional about including planning and reflection strategies into your daily routine and activities but not sure where to start? This interactive workshop will introduce participants to powerful and easy to use methods that promote youth engagement in planning, implementing, and evaluating activities and projects.
Youth Voice (Y: V-C, V-D, III-N, SA: III-O, IV-S) – Are you providing young people with authentic, meaningful choices throughout your program? Does your program reflect the input of the youth involved? Research shows that quality programs incorporate youth input at both activity and organizational levels. This workshop will emphasize the importance of offering real choices and meaningful participation to youth, and nurturing youth leadership. This interactive workshop is focused on providing meaningful choice within activities and opportunities for youth input within the youth program itself.
(The text in this blog, except that describing SOWA or WRAP, comes directly from the Weikart Center's website).
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