Guaranteed tuition for qualifying college-bound 8th grade students

Guaranteed tuition for qualifying college-bound 8th grade students:
Via Mayor McGinn

Did you know that the State of Washington will guarantee tuition to a Washington public college or university to any student on the federal free and reduced lunch program — if that student maintains a 2.0 grade point average and does not commit a felony during high school?

It’s true. But they have to enroll in the scholarship program by the 8th grade. And the deadline is almost here.
It’s called the College Bound Scholarship Program, and our goal is for 100 percent of eligible 8th graders in Seattle to be enrolled in the College Bound Scholarship program by the June 30, 2012 deadline.

Last year our office was able to help meet that goal by getting the word out in the community about this incredible opportunity. In fact, last year 42% more kids signed up than in 2010.

We need to step up and take responsibility as a city to help our children, especially when many families cannot afford to send their kids to college. Even if you don’t have a child who qualifies, you probably know someone who does. Please share the above information and the following link as widely as possible. Students may apply for the College Bound Scholarship online at: http://hecb.wa.gov/collegebound

Mercer Island schools won't try another bond measure right away

Mercer Island schools won't try another bond measure right away:
Via Seattle Times: Education

After its proposed bond measure was soundly rejected by voters this week, the Mercer Island School District has no immediate plans to put the issue back on the ballot.

Catching the kids we let fall

Catching the kids we let fall:
Via Seattle Times: Education

Teachers mend what never should have been broken.

Sliding enrollment means schools to see dip in state money

Sliding enrollment means schools to see dip in state money:
Via Seattle Times: Education

Because of a lower-than-expected increase in student enrollment, Washington state's public schools will be forced to make do with $61 million less than what had been earmarked by the state in the two-year budget passed in 2011.

Bullying in schools: What is the problem, and how can educators solve it?

Bullying in schools: What is the problem, and how can educators solve it?:
Via New Directions for Youth Development

Abstract

This chapter reviews recent research on bullying from an educator's perspective. It is well known that bullying, a serious issue in schools, can be prevented when educators intervene. But research has shown that it is difficult for educators to detect bullying situations in their school and intervene competently and effectively. This chapter examines how educators can detect bullying, how they can best tackle serious cases of bullying, and how they can best prevent bullying in the long run.

Educational or Social Reform? Students Inform the Debate Over Improving Urban Schools

Educational or Social Reform? Students Inform the Debate Over Improving Urban Schools:
Via Education and Urban Society Recent Issues

The educational community is divided over which is the best approach for improving urban schools: focus on teaching and learning or underlying social inequity? This article argues that the students who attend urban schools can inform the debate. The study draws on interviews with fourteen urban youth about their participation in a community-based program that supports school activism. In the program, the students selected a surprising, and seemingly trivial, set of school problems as their top reform priorities. Yet findings reveal that from the students’ vantage point, these concrete changes will enhance engagement and the perceived fairness of the educational environment. Urban students therefore bridge current policy debates by posing recommendations pertinent to both educational and social reform advocates. The study concludes with reflections on students’ contributions to the content and process of urban educational reform.

Let's Move in Schools celebrates Recess and Play in their April toolkit

Let's Move in Schools celebrates Recess and Play in their April toolkit:
Via King County Food and Fitness Initiative

Let's Move in Schools celebrates Recess and Play in their April toolkit


Single Focused Theme
www.aahperd.org
Generating Family and Community Involvement is critically important for building support for a comprehensive school physical activity program.

Bullying in schools: What is the problem, and how can educators solve it?

Bullying in schools: What is the problem, and how can educators solve it?:
Via New Directions for Youth Development

Abstract

This chapter reviews recent research on bullying from an educator's perspective. It is well known that bullying, a serious issue in schools, can be prevented when educators intervene. But research has shown that it is difficult for educators to detect bullying situations in their school and intervene competently and effectively. This chapter examines how educators can detect bullying, how they can best tackle serious cases of bullying, and how they can best prevent bullying in the long run.

Support Treeswing and their fundraising efforts to support schools, kids, nutrit...

Support Treeswing and their fundraising efforts to support schools, kids, nutrit...:
Via King County Food and Fitness Initiative

Support Treeswing and their fundraising efforts to support schools, kids, nutrition & play!


Reminder: Treeswing Farm : Table : Playground Dinner- Registration Closes Soon!
myemail.constantcontact.com
Treeswing is a Seattle-based non profit with a mission to help children develop lifelong healthy habits through innovative programs and partnerships. Our vision is to fight childhood obesity for healthy kids and healthy futures. Through physical activity and better nutrition, Treeswing believes we c...

The Effective Principal

The Effective Principal:

Executive Education for Educators A Vehicle for Improving K-12 Systems

Executive Education for Educators A Vehicle for Improving K-12 Systems:

Seattle student wins first-place award for C-SPAN video

Seattle student wins first-place award for C-SPAN video:

Leo Pfeifer, a Seattle middle-school student, has won a first-place award in a national C-SPAN competition for a video that asks: "Who Owns Free Speech?"

Downtown Seattle could be in line for 1st elementary school in years

Downtown Seattle could be in line for 1st elementary school in years:

After months of discussions with city planners and downtown developers, Seattle school officials have included $32 million to open a public elementary school in South Lake Union in the district's first draft project list for its next construction levy. The school wouldn't open until 2019.

Empowerment: Recognition and Reality

Empowerment: Recognition and Reality

Via Younger World

 

All sense of "power" is an internal job. Empowerment can only come from inside you, because your understanding of power comes from within you. Power literally has no boundaries. There is nothing in the universe that is not powered and affected by power. 

Heartspace shows how, through engagement in the worlds within and around us, we are infinitely connected to everything, always. These infinite connections give us infinite capacities. Because of this, you are able to experience infinite power. Knowing this is the key to empowerment. We are fully capable of being hugely powerful in any moment, at all times. If we're real. And recognize.

When we are not real, or genuine, we desire power. Our experience of desire creates the presence of lack, which serves to reinforce desire. Then we experience the desire for power, rather than becoming empowered.

When we do not recognize our power, we experience disempowerment. We connect ourselves with people, places, experiences, ideas, actions, and knowledge that actively consume, withhold, or otherwise undermine our power.

Recognition requires is seeing the connections we have to the worlds within and around us. We experience empowerment according to the position we have in relation to the lasting connections we have throughout our lives. If we are powerfully connected with our kids, we'll be empowered parents. Connections with bosses, neighbors, partners, and politicians all demonstrate the same effect. Recognize why you're connected with the worlds around and within you and you'll become empowered.

Being real, or genuine, is a personal checkin focused on motivation and integrity. When we name why we're connected to the world around us and within us, we'll be motivated to maintain those connections. Integrity happens through alignment between our values and our actions, when our hands reflect our hearts.

Seeking to become empowered is not the way to be empowered. Neither is emptying ourselves, filling ourselves, denying, or acquiring. Empowerment only comes through recognition and reality.

The way towards empowerment is being real and recognizing Heartspace.

Written by Adam Fletcher for CommonAction Consulting. It was originally posted at YoungerWorld.org. Contact us for more information by emailing info@commonaction.org or calling +1 (360)489-9680.

The REAL Youth Revolution

The REAL Youth Revolution

Via Youth World

 

Ten years ago I began an international campaign to revolutionize the roles of young people throughout society. The Freechild Project was born in the steely fires of my career in local and national youth work, and I was ready to fight. For more than a decade I crisscrossed the country and traveled the world promoting youth-driven social change. Today I'm happy to report that I've learned that the REAL youth revolution isn't a revolution at all- its a transformation. And it's not just about youth- it's about youth and children and adults and the whole world. It ain't happening tomorrow, and it didn't stop yesterday- its happening right now.

It turns out that as our society continues to transform through technology, young people are on the bleeding edge of what is actually happening. Where adults have long spoke of globalism and interconnectedness, children and youth growing up around the world right now are experiencing that in real time. The transformation at hand is deeper though.

Instead of just inheriting whatever stuff adults chose to hand to them, youth today are actively creating and co-creating the worlds they want to live in right now. They are not waiting for permission, education, or even laws to catch up with them- they're just going, right now. That's the REAL youth transformation, and luckily, it's happening right now.

We need to get on board with what's happening. Adults need to work with young people, unite in interdependent solidarity, and encourage and support this transformation. Check the Freechild Project website and join our Facebook page to learn more.

Written by Adam Fletcher for CommonAction Consulting. It was originally posted at YoungerWorld.org. Contact us for more information by emailing info@commonaction.org or calling +1 (360)489-9680

School officials stand by test scores despite paper's findings

School officials stand by test scores despite paper's findings:
Via The Seattle Times
An investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has identified about 200 school districts, including four in Washington state, that recently reported test-score gains the article describes as extremely improbable.
Follow link for full article.

Putting School Reform in Its Place: Social Geography, Organizational Social Capital, and School Performance

Putting School Reform in Its Place: Social Geography, Organizational Social Capital, and School Performance:
Via American Educational Research Journal
For decades, policymakers and researchers have struggled to understand the reasons that schools in disadvantaged contexts have relatively more trouble responding successfully to reform demands. This analysis extends theory regarding the challenges of school change in disadvantaged contexts by illustrating how the internal resources that schools rely on to respond to external policy demands can be affected by the social contexts in which they are embedded. The article draws on data from a study of five high poverty high schools’ responses to the pressures of Texas’ high stakes accountability system. The case study data illustrate how a school’s social context can precipitate instability in some schools and relative stability in others, how organizational stability in turn can affect schools’ organizational social capital, and how organizational social capital can influence schools’ ability to respond to external policy demands.
Follow link for full article.

Seattle Schools' goal: to create arts education for everyone

Seattle Schools' goal: to create arts education for everyone:
Via The Seattle Times
Seattle school officials are using a $1 million grant to try to craft a comprehensive, K-12 arts curriculum — something that the district hasn't had in decades, if ever.
Follow link for full article.