Seattle Labor Agreement Judged, Found....

....rather lacking in the reform department, if this press release from the Department of Education is any indication. 8 districts cited for innovation, and Seattle isn't one of them.

Read more here, if any.

I Have Stared Into the Soul of Madness....

....and it's trying to talk policy with the Department of Education.

Here in Washington State we only pay for 1/2 day of kindergarten for students. Some schools are starting to have full-day K added incrementally, but because of our low poverty numbers we're way, way down on that list for additional money from the state.

So we thought we'd try the model where we ask parents who are interested to pay a monthly fee for the other half of the day, something we've seen other schools in our area do. We were all set to go forward last year when our financial guy discovered that if we charged for a half day we'd lose our Impact Aid money from the federal government, which is several thousand dollars per student.

Fast forward to this year. We're losing teaching positions, and if I could offer full-day K in my school I'd be able to save some jobs. Plus, I have kids who *need* that full-day experience, and I've got parents who are more than willing to pay--the only problem is the Department of Education.

Tried my state level impact aid coordinator. He turned me down flatly. I explained that the K students would still get their free half day that the state has deemed is the "free and appropriate public education" (FAPE) for K students; that didn't matter. If we charge them for a service that they wouldn't get otherwise, the other half of the day, then we lose our impact aid funding.

I went to the next level above him. This gal said she understood and was very sorry, but there was nothing she could do.

Now I've got Rep. McMorris-Rogers office involved trying to convince the DoE to see things our way. My bottom line is that DoE's ruling is making it so that I can't offer my military kids a service that many other schools can, and that's not fair to them or their families.

Good times.

Read more here, if any.

Bridging the Research-Practice Gap

That’s the title of an interesting commentary by Stanford University’s Deborah Stipek in the November 14th issue of Education Week. It’s actually a paid-for advertisement, not uncommon for EdWeek, but I think this one rises above the fray for the examples it provides and the thoughtful tone it takes.

Narrative after the article calls it part of a series from the Education Deans Alliance. If this is their first effort, I look forward to seeing more of their work. You can find out more at their website, here.

Later on in the same issue of Ed Week there’s an article highlighting the recent launch of the Doing What Works website from the Department of Education. Designed to complement the What Works Clearinghouse they already run, Doing What Works is set to have video of teachers using those research-based practices in the classroom. I just checked it out, and there are some neat clips of ELL teachers working with primary students. It looks like it’ll be a good place to keep an eye on in the coming months!

Read more here, if any.