Category Archives: Education Policy

Weekly Legislative Update – January 20, 2023

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CSTP Updates:

• February 6: Zooming In & Out on Inclusionary Practices Dr. Katie Novak and Shelley Moore
• March 21: Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom: An Equity Framework for Pedagogy written by Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge

This week was a busy one for lawmakers on the hill. The second week of the session always brings more bills and hours full of committee hearings. Last week, the Education Committee held a series of work sessions, designed to get their newest members up to speed. These sessions consisted of in-depth overviews of our K-12 system, and the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on student outcomes and district services. This week we saw a pivot in focus. The House and the Senate held multiple public hearings, gathering testimony from local constituents and the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee held their first “executive session,” passing several bills out of committee.

On Tuesday, the House Education Committee held a public hearing on HB 1109, which would provide some reimbursements for school districts for special education evaluations. The issue of special education funding is long standing and a priority for both Superintendent Reykdal and Governor Inslee in the 2023 session. This week’s article from the Seattle Times’ Education Lab, breaks down our state’s special education funding numbers and highlights where gains could be made to close the funding gap between what districts spend and what the state provides for special education.

As we look ahead at the session, referring to the 2023 cut-off calendar is very helpful when trying to keep pace with our education committees. The first legislative cutoff with the house of origin policy committees is on February 17th, shortly followed by the house of origin fiscal committee cutoff on February 24th. These cutoffs mean that all bills need to be heard, debated, and voted on by the committees and sent to their respective Rules Committee in order to be considered for further action. 

Education Hearings for Next Week on TVW.org

House Education Committee

  • Monday, January 23 at 1:30pm
  • Tuesday, January 24 at 4pm
  • Thursday, January 26 at 8am

Senate Early Learning & K12 Education

  • Monday, January 23 at 1:30pm
  • Wednesday, January 25 at 1:30pm
  • Thursday, January 26 at 1:30pm

New Bills

HB 1305:  which would improve access to and provision of a free appropriate public education for students with disabilities.

HB 1308: which concerns high school graduation pathway options.

HB 1316:  which would expand access to dual credit programs.

HB 1332: which would support public school instruction in tribal sovereignty and federally recognized Indian tribes.

HB 1354: which concerns parental involvement through volunteering in schools after a criminal conviction.  

HB 1376: which would align policies to reflect the updated standards of practice for school district staff.

HB 1377:  which would require the posting of approved courses and providers of continuing education.

HB 1411: which would support student success through cross-sector professional development. 

HB 1436: which would increase funding for special education.

SB 5315: which concerns nonpublic agencies operating special education programs for students with disabilities within public schools.

SB 5355: which would mandate instruction on sex trafficking prevention and identification for students in grades seven through 12.

SB 5408: which would establish the ninth grade success grant program. 

SB 5441: which would promote school district adoption of curricula that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

SB 5442: which would provide enrichment funding for charter public schools.

SB 5462: which promotes inclusive learning standards and instructional materials in public schools.

Bills We’re Following:

HB 1003: which would expand access to dual credit programs.  

HB 1013: which would require OSPI and Washington ESDs to jointly establish a regional apprenticeship pilot program with one site each in Eastern and Western Washington (hearing time: 49:55). Testifying in support: a student representative from the SBE, representatives from Curlew SD, Marysville SD, NCESD, WSSCA, and the WTIA. Testifying in opposition: representatives from the Conservative Ladies of Washington. Testifying as “other”: representatives from the MCAWW.

HB 1015: which revises minimum employment requirements for paraeducators (hearing time: 3:32 and 17:44). Testifying in support: representatives from the Rural Ed Center, Highline SD, Lake Washington SD, PESB, WEA, PSE and the Lynden SD.

HB 1044: which would provide capital financial assistance to small school districts with demonstrated funding challenges.

HB 1057: which would provide a benefit increase to certain retirees of the public employees’ retirement system plan 1 and the teachers’ retirement system plan 1.

HB 1071: which would authorize funding for a school resource officer in every school.

HB 1093: which aims to provide parents and their children with more choices for a quality elementary and secondary education through the family empowerment scholarship program.

HB 1109: which would provide additional special education funding to school districts in order to increase initial evaluations during summers (hearing time: 9:33 and 35:39). Testifying in support: representatives from OSPI, WEA, WSSDA and WSPTA. Testifying as “other”: representatives from Lake Washington SD.

HB 1113: which would require the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) to adopt rules for reviewing and vacating reprimands issued to certificated professional educators (hearing time: 47:57). Testifying in support: a concerned citizen and the WEA. Testifying in opposition: representatives from OSPI.

HB 1146: which would require schools to notify high school students and their families about available dual credit programs and any available financial assistance.

HB 1207: which aims to prevent and respond to harassment, intimidation, bullying, and discrimination in schools through updated policies and procedures (hearing time: 0:33 and 35:27). Testifying in support: representatives from OSPI and Bellevue SD.

HB 1273: which would empower school districts to determine requirements for high school and beyond plans regarding student fulfillment and graduation.

HB 1277: which would establish rules to improve the consistency and quality of the implementation of the fundamental courses of study for paraeducators (hearing time: 14:23). Testifying in support: representatives from the WEA, PESB and Yelm Community Schools.

SB 5008: which relates to providing parents and legal guardians access to instructional materials.

SB 5009: which would require parental or legal guardian approval before a child participates in comprehensive sexual health education.

SB 5019: which removes “classified staff providing student and staff safety” from the definition of physical, social, and emotional support staff and the specific funding considerations for that group (hearing time: 26:34). Testifying in support: representatives from the WEA, NASW and OSPI. Testifying as “other”: representatives from the WSSDA, Lake Washington SD and PSE. The bill was passed out of committee and sent to the Senate Rules Committee.

SB 5020: which would lower the minimum age for compulsory school attendance from eight to six years old, and amend truancy provisions to align with this change, as well as require parents who homeschool to file an annual declaration of intent beginning at age 6 (hearing time: 46:17). Testifying in opposition: representatives from the Conservative Ladies of WA and several concerned citizens. The bill was passed out of committee and sent to the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

SB 5024: which would establish a parents’ bill of rights related to their child’s public education.

SB 5038: which would modify deadlines for notice of nonrenewal of certificated educator contracts from May 15th to June 1st (hearing time: 1:03:44). Testifying as “other”: representatives from the WEA.

SB 5048: which would eliminate college in the high school fees.

SB 5054: which would modify instructional hours to include time students spend in educational activities under the supervision of noncertificated staff while teachers participate in professional learning communities (PLCs) as well as encourage school districts to adopt a school calendar that includes at least four hours per week for teachers to engage in PLCs during the school day (hearing time: 3:08). Testifying in support: representatives from the WEA. Testifying in opposition: representatives from the Conservative Ladies of Washington.

SB 5064: which concerns excess cost allocations for special education programs.

SB 5072: which would establish new requirements for identifying students who may be eligible for highly capable services, including conducting universal screenings once in or before second grade, and again before sixth grade (hearing time: 4:15). Testifying in support: representatives from the UW Faculty, OSPI, SBE, Rochester SD, Northshore SD, WA Coalition, WSSDA, WSPTA, Lake Washington SD, Michelson Elementary and the CSF.

SB 5085: which would remove statutory limitations on the scope of collective bargaining in regards to supervisors, or principals and assistant principals, and would require specific evaluation criteria when transferring a principal/assistant principal to a subordinate certificated position. This bill would prohibit school district employment applications from including a question asking whether the applicant has ever been on a plan of improvement, or under an investigation (hearing time: 3:09). Testifying in support: representatives from AWSP, Kentlake HS, Rogers HS and Seattle PS. The bill was passed out of committee and sent to the Senate Rules Committee.

SB 5102: which concerns school library information and technology programs.

SB 5127: which would clarify school districts’ ability to redact personal information related to a student.

SB 5147: which would modify the student transportation allocation formula and expand the definition of “to and from school” to include the transportation of students participating in career connected and work based learning opportunities (hearing time: 1:07:59). Testifying in support: representatives from OSPI, ESD 105, WEA, WSSDA, Pullman SD, College Success Foundation, Teamsters 174 and PSE. Testifying in opposition: representatives from Conservative Ladies of Washington. Testifying as “other”: representatives from Bellevue PS, Olympia PS, Seattle PS and Highline PS.

SB 5175: which would allow employment contracts between a school board and principal to be up to three years in length, as opposed to limited to a term of one year (hearing time: 43:08). Testifying in support: representatives from AWSP, Kentlake HS, Rogers HS, Seattle PS, Othello SD and Lakeside HS. The bill was passed out of committee and sent to the Senate Rules Committee.

SB 5180: which aims to support the retention of teachers by removing barriers to licensure and creating a streamlined pathway to licensure mobility (hearing time: 27:43). Testifying in support: representatives from the Department of Defense, the VLC, the OSPI, the CSG, NASDTEC, SSMCP and several concerned citizens. Testifying as “other”: representatives from the WACTE and the PESB. 

SB 5237 which would direct OSPI to establish procedures to investigate and address complaints alleging noncompliance with state laws regarding civil rights, certain curriculum requirements and student discipline. (hearing time: 59:17). Testifying in support: representatives from the WEA and OSPI. Testifying in opposition: several concerned citizens, representatives from the Washington Policy Center the Conservative Ladies of Washington. Testifying as “other”: representatives from the WSSDA, Reardon-Edwall SD and a concerned citizen.

SB 5257: which would ensure that public schools provide daily recess for all elementary students with a minimum of 45 minutes when the school day is longer than five hours and a minimum of 30 minutes when the school day is shorter, as well as prohibit schools from withholding recess as a punitive action (hearing time: 29:31). Testifying in support: representatives from the King County Play Equity Coalition, several WA State students, several concerned citizens, WSSDA, Special Olympics WA, SBE and the UW Faculty. Testifying as “other”: representatives from OSPI.

SB 5311: which would increase the special education excess cost multipliers for pre-K and K12 students over a four-year period and increase the special education enrollment funding cap from 13.5 percent to 14.5 percent.

Odds and Ends:

This week from Crosscut, leading the way in classroom inclusivity, one Woodinville school works to better integrate special education students with their peers (featuring several members of the Inclusionary Practices Professional Development Cadre).  

“What is pushed out to the mainstream is only half of who he was.” In honor of Martin Luther King Day, from TIME Magazine, The New Ways Teachers are Talking About Martin Luther King Jr.

Meet CSTP’s Legislative Update Coordinator Samantha Miller

Samantha Miller returns as CSTP’s Legislative Updates Coordinator for the 2023 legislative session. She writes weekly emails during the legislative session focusing on bills that impact Washington educators. Samantha has degrees in both Political Science and History, as well as a Master in Teaching. Samantha has worked in Elementary Education for 6 years, most recently as a 3rd Grade general education teacher. The majority of her time is spent chasing around her two children who keep her very busy. Samantha enjoys running, working in her yard, listening to political podcasts, and spending time with her family.

Weekly Legislative Update – January 13, 2023

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CSTP Updates:

January 17: Online book study with Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge on Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett

February 6: Zooming In & Out on Inclusionary Practices Dr. Katie Novak and Dr. Shellie Moore

Odds and Ends

From the Seattle Times’ Education Lab, Meet the 2023 Student Voices writers. For the seventh year in a row, eight Washington teens and young adults are chosen to share their experiences and make suggestions on how schools can better support students in our state.

“How do we make students feel empowered? We lift up stories and information that include all people…” From MindShift, Everyone is Welcome: Making School Libraries Culturally Relevant for all Students.

From the Seattle Times’ Education Lab, Meet the 2023 Student Voices writers. For the seventh year in a row, eight Washington teens and young adults are chosen to share their experiences and make suggestions on how schools can better support students in our state.

“How do we make students feel empowered? We lift up stories and information that include all people…” From MindShift, Everyone is Welcome: Making School Libraries Culturally Relevant for all Students.

Legislative Update for January 13, 2023

The 2023 Legislative Session officially kicked off this Monday, January 9th, and lawmakers were busy from the get go. The inner workings of the state capitol have returned to the “pre-covid era,” with legislators, lobbyists, and even the public back inside the building. Lawmakers have a full agenda, including writing a new two-year state operating budget, and education funding remains a top priority. As in most sectors of our state, the pandemic has left it’s mark and education is no exception. According to this Associated Press article, a district-by-district analysis by researchers, “found the average pupil in the United States lost over half a school year in math and nearly a quarter of a school year in reading.” This data includes students from a number of school districts across our state. Crosscut reports that the two Senate leaders, both of whom worked years ago on the Legislature’s McCleary school-funding fix, raised the need for a focus on education. Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig said, “a big focus will be early learning programs and special education and an increase in nurses, counselors and other staff.”

State Superintendent, Chris Reykdal, gave his annual address on Monday, sharing information regarding student learning recovery, student mental health and well being, graduation and enrollment data and school funding. Reykdal stated, “I have put forward a package for legislative consideration that would support continued recovery and acceleration for our students and ensure our state is investing at least at the national average.” Dahlia Bazzaz, of the Seattle Times, digs into the details of Reydal’s policy proposals in her article, Why the State’s Education Leader Says WA Schools are ‘Accelerating.’

Governor Jay Inslee gave his “State of the State” speech on Tuesday, which has become an annual custom in Olympia. For the first time since 2020, Inslee delivered the speech to a full chamber, including state representatives, senators, elected officials, state Supreme Court justices and foreign dignitaries, the Seattle Times reported. During his speech, Inslee praised the Legislature for last year’s “historic investments” in schools and said his proposed budget includes a $3 billion increase in spending for K-12 public education, including more money for special education.

Education Hearings for Next Week on TVW.org

House Education Committee

  • Monday, January 16 at 1:30pm
  • Tuesday, January 17 at 4pm
  • Thursday, January 19 at 8am

Senate Early Learning & K12 Education

  • Monday, January 16 at 1:30pm
  • Wednesday, January 18 at 1:30pm
  • Thursday, January 19 at 1:30pm

Important Legislative Links

Legislative Website: Get information on bills, legislators, hearings and more.

Bill Tracker: Track specific bills, read bill reports.

TVW: Watch live and archived legislative proceedings.

Note about legislative updates: CSTP relays these legislative updates to provide information on bills, budgets and legislative processes. CSTP doesn’t have a legislative agenda, but does track legislative issues most relevant to teaching.

Legislative Bills

HB 1003: which would expand access to dual credit programs.  

HB 1013: which would establish regional apprenticeship programs.

HB 1015: which concerns minimum employment requirements for paraeducators.

HB 1044: which would provide capital financial assistance to small school districts with demonstrated funding challenges.

HB 1057: which would provide a benefit increase to certain retirees of the public employees’ retirement system plan 1 and the teachers’ retirement system plan 1.

HB 1071: which would authorize funding for a school resource officer in every school.

HB 1093:  which aims to provide parents and their children with more choices for a quality elementary and secondary education through the family empowerment scholarship program.

HB 1109: which would provide additional special education funding to school districts in order to increase initial evaluations during summers.

HB 1113: which relates to reviewing reprimands for professional educators.

HB 1146: which would require schools to notify high school students and their families about available dual credit programs and any available financial assistance.

HB 1207: which aims to prevent and respond to harassment, intimidation, bullying, and discrimination in schools through updated policies and procedures.

HB 1273: which would empower school districts to determine requirements for high school and beyond plans regarding student fulfillment and graduation.

HB 1277: which would establish rules to improve the consistency and quality of the implementation of the fundamental courses of study for paraeducators.

SB 5008: which relates to providing parents and legal guardians access to instructional materials.

SB 5009: which would require parental or legal guardian approval before a child participates in comprehensive sexual health education.

SB 5019: which removes “classified staff providing student and staff safety” from the definition of physical, social, and emotional support staff and the specific funding considerations for that group (hearing time: 26:34). Testifying in support: representatives from the WEA, NASW and OSPI. Testifying as “other”: representatives from the WSSDA, Lake Washington SD and PSE.

SB 5020: which would lower the minimum age for compulsory school attendance from eight to six years old, and amend truancy provisions to align with this change, as well as require parents who homeschool to file an annual declaration of intent beginning at age 6 (hearing time: 46:17). Testifying in opposition: representatives from the Conservative Ladies of WA and several concerned citizens. 

SB 5024:  which would establish a parents’ bill of rights related to their child’s public education.

SB 5038: which would modify deadlines for notice of nonrenewal of certificated educator contracts from May 15th to June 1st (hearing time: 1:03:44). Testifying as “other”: representatives from the WEA.

SB 5048: which would eliminate college in the high school fees.

SB 5064: which concerns excess cost allocations for special education programs.

SB 5072: which would advance equity in programs for highly capable students.

SB 5085: which concerns principal and assistant principal terms of employment.

SB 5102: which concerns school library information and technology programs.

SB 5126: which would provide common school trust revenue to small school districts.

SB 5127: which would clarify school districts’ ability to redact personal information related to a student.

SB 5180: which aims to support the retention of teachers by removing barriers to licensure and creating a streamlined pathway to licensure mobility.

SB 5311: which concerns special education funding formula.

SB 5315: which concerns nonpublic agencies operating special education programs for students with disabilities within public schools.

Meet CSTP’s Legislative Update Coordinator Samantha Miller

Samantha Miller returns as CSTP’s Legislative Updates Coordinator for the 2023 legislative session. She writes weekly emails during the legislative session focusing on bills that impact Washington educators. Samantha has degrees in both Political Science and History, as well as a Master in Teaching. Samantha has worked in Elementary Education for 6 years, most recently as a 3rd Grade general education teacher. The majority of her time is spent chasing around her two children who keep her very busy. Samantha enjoys running, working in her yard, listening to political podcasts, and spending time with her family.

Weekly Legislative Update – January 6, 2023

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Meet CSTP’s Legislative Update Coordinator Samantha Miller

Samantha Miller returns as CSTP’s Legislative Updates Coordinator for the 2023 legislative session. She writes weekly emails during the legislative session focusing on bills that impact Washington educators. Samantha has degrees in both Political Science and History, as well as a Master in Teaching. Samantha has worked in Elementary Education for 6 years, most recently as a 3rd Grade general education teacher. The majority of her time is spent chasing around her two children who keep her very busy. Samantha enjoys running, working in her yard, listening to political podcasts, and spending time with her family.

CSTP Updates:

Odds and Ends

Here’s a helpful article from Crosscut that breaks down the complicated Washington State K-12 school funding system. 

Taking it to a whole new level, from the Seattle Times this week, Librarians Are Meeting Young Readers Where They Are: TikTok.

2023 Pre-Session

Happy New Year! We are back to kick off the 2023-24 biennium legislative session which begins on Monday, January 9th. In Washington State, the legislative cycle is two years long and within that two-year cycle, there are two kinds of legislative sessions: regular (the odd number years) and short (the even numbered years). As the gavel comes down on Monday, the 2023 regular session will convene and last 105 days. Congressional members have been busy pre-filing bills throughout December, and there are a substantial amount of education related bills in the pipeline. It is worth mentioning that several bills are back in similar forms from last session. SB 5020, which requires children to start their education at six years of age, HB 1003, which expands access to dual credit programs and SB 5072, which focuses on equity in highly capable programs are all newer models of last year’s bills that failed to make it out of committee.

As for the political make up of congress, not much has changed. Democrats will enter 2023 with strong majorities in both the state House of Representatives and the state Senate. In early December, Governor Jay Inslee released his 2023-25 budget proposals which focus funding mainly on housing, homelessness, and mental health but education is not left out. Inslee’s budget targets early learning subsidies, and expands mentoring for beginning teachers as well as expanding residency programs for teachers planning to specialize in special education, dual language or working in high-poverty districts. The governor also proposes more than $120 million for special education services and support, including additional funding for young students ages 3 to 5 years old. 

While we are on the topic of budgets, in late September, Washington’s State Superintendent of Schools, Chris Reykdal, released his proposed budget to Governor Inslee which outlined his top priorities for our state’s schools and future. “The Superintendent’s budget aims to expand student access to learning a second language throughout elementary school, hands-on science learning opportunities, regional pre-apprenticeship programs to prepare students for future work in trades fields, early literacy for our youngest learners, and more.” To hear from Reykdal himself, tune into TVW this Monday, January 9th at 10am for a media briefing where the superintendent will provide his second annual update on the state of Washington’s K–12 students, educators, and schools.

Education Hearings for Next Week on TVW.org

House Education Committee

  • Tuesday, January 10 at 4pm
  • Thursday, January 12 at 8am

Senate Early Learning & K12 Education

  • Wednesday, January 12 at 1:30pm
  • Thursday, January 12 at 1:30pm

Important Legislative Links

Legislative Website: Get information on bills, legislators, hearings and more.

Bill Tracker: Track specific bills, read bill reports.

TVW: Watch live and archived legislative proceedings.

Note about legislative updates: CSTP relays these legislative updates to provide information on bills, budgets and legislative processes. CSTP doesn’t have a legislative agenda, but does track legislative issues most relevant to teaching.

Pre-Filled Bills

HB 1003: which would expand access to dual credit programs.  

HB 1013: which would establish regional apprenticeship programs.

HB 1015: which concerns minimum employment requirements for paraeducators.

HB 1044: which would provide capital financial assistance to small school districts with demonstrated funding challenges.

HB 1057: which would provide a benefit increase to certain retirees of the public employees’ retirement system plan 1 and the teachers’ retirement system plan 1.

HB 1064: which would create a school safety capital grant program.  

HB 1071: which would authorize funding for a school resource officer in every school.

HB 1093:  which aims to provide parents and their children with more choices for a quality elementary and secondary education through the family empowerment scholarship program.

HB 1109: which would provide additional special education funding to school districts in order to increase initial evaluations during summers.

HB 1113: which relates to reviewing reprimands for professional educators.

SB 5008: which relates to providing parents and legal guardians access to instructional materials.

SB 5009: which would require parental or legal guardian approval before a child participates in comprehensive sexual health education.

SB 5019: which concerns classified staff providing student and staff safety.

SB 5020: which would require elementary education to start at six years of age.

SB 5024:  which would establish a parents’ bill of rights related to their child’s public education.

SB 5029: which would empower school district boards of directors.

SB 5038: which would modify notification deadlines for certain education employment contracts and related dates.

SB 5048: which would eliminate college in the high school fees.

SB 5064: which concerns excess cost allocations for special education programs.

SB 5072: which would advance equity in programs for highly capable students.

SB 5085: which concerns principal and assistant principal terms of employment.  

SB 5102: which concerns school library information and technology programs.

SB 5126: which would provide common school trust revenue to small school districts.

SB 5127: which would clarify school districts’ ability to redact personal information related to a student.

Until next week, have a good weekend!

Samantha Miller

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The Exodus

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Current Affairs, Education, Education Policy, High School, Life in the Classroom, Middle School, Online Teaching, Parent Involvment, Professional Development, Teacher Leadership, Uncategorized |

Are you here to stay?

For some educators, it is the end. They are leaving the classroom. Others are leaving their current positions, changing their teaching assignments, seeking the change that will heal the damage, the damage of the last three years.

It’s hard to fully analyze what has happened to our profession. So much has changed, and these changes are real and here to stay, whether or not we are.

Let’s break it down into a few chewable bites.

Loss of Control

We educators take years to establish control in our classrooms and in our practice. But, the pandemic stripped away our control. Suddenly, we were tasked with solving unsolvable problems, such as how to continue educating students who were no longer in our classrooms. As students returned, we had no control over the work we could expect from them. Expectation had to be lowered, or we would have experienced prolonged failure for our students and ourselves. Then, close on the heels of the subdued and masked, return to schools, this year brought us a marked increase in behavior issues. Unhappy students, fueled by TikTok challenges, anti-public education sentiment, and pent up emotions, vandalized our schools, stole from us, threatened us, and refused to comply with the simplest tasks.

Loss of Respect

With parents on a national scale accusing us of teaching inappropriate materials, violating their students’ rights with mask mandates and quarantines, and having unrealistic expectations, what should we do? Some students parrot the words of their parents, disrespecting public education in general and their teachers specifically. No matter the hours we put in, the changes we endure, the new training we take on, the tears we shed, we are not always seen as allies in the public eye.

Loss of Hope

The statistics are rolling in. We are going to see the effects of the pandemic and the staggering economy on student achievement for years to come. We face the prospect of appearing to fail at our life’s work for many years to come. We have experienced the effects firsthand in our classrooms with students who are easily a year or more behind, not just academically, but developmentally. We are tasked with the continued problems of inequity and achievement gaps, the threat of gun violence, the ongoing lack of mental health support, diminished resources, and a world full of false narratives and propaganda that we fight on a daily basis, just trying to help our students discover their own truths.

Loss of Joy

There is less time for play, for art, for relaxation in the school setting. The urgency around learning loss and solving the problems growing in the system is driving us away from one the most important elements of education. Students and teachers need to find joy in learning and in being a community. Without it, there is less engagement, less safety, less overall satisfaction in the experience of teaching and learning.
It is tough to face all of the loss and carry on, but we must. Of course, some will not come with us on the journey ahead. We certainly understand their need to seek a new profession or remove themselves from uncomfortable situations. However, the rest of us need to rally and carry on in a way that restores the loss.

Let’s be clear. Restoring the loss is not a call to return to normal. There is no normal, no make education great again rhetoric. We need to embrace new solutions to the problems we face.

If we want control of our profession, we need to lift our voices and let our needs be known. Teacher leadership efforts all but disappeared in the pandemic. It is time to step back into the role of advocates and leaders. What do we need? How can we get it? Why do our voices matter? Who is willing to listen and give us the agency we have earned through our experiences.

If we want respect, we need to face this issue on two fronts. First, in the classroom respect is not a given. We cannot stand in front of a group of young people who have suffered through the last few years and demand, because we are older or we are the authority, that we deserve their respect. When you study the effects of trauma on children, you start to understand that traumatic experiences tend to create an aloofness in children. They do not automatically trust adults. Without trust, true respect cannot exist. To earn the respect of students, it will take time. Teachers will need to focus on the safe and supportive environment they provide in the classroom. They need to model the respect they want to receive. That is the only way to get it from kids who have been struggling. On a larger scale, our respect as a profession will also take time. We need to openly advocate for the safety and support of our students. Our voices need to be heard, so that the false narratives have some competition. And, maybe most importantly, we need to reach out to families and communities, including them and opening our doors. When they see what we do for kids, they will have a deeper understanding.

If we want hope for the future of education, the time is ripe for innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Seek and share solutions to our common problems. What works? What helps our students? What makes us happier in our classrooms? For me, I am diving deeper into trauma-informed teaching practices and brain science. The pandemic gave me the opportunity to put my work online and expand the resources I provide to my students. I am not pulling back from that; I am leaning in. I am embracing technology as a way to open up a world of knowledge for my students, and I resolve to help them find their own truth through informed research and inquiry. After all, those kids are my hope.

Finally, if we want joy, we need to play and create together. We need to offset the incessant testing with music, theater, dance, art, physical activity, and all pursuits that bring smiles to the faces in our buildings. Happiness is the cure for all the ills we are facing, and the pursuit of happiness in education is a noble cause.

So, if you are not giving up on finding your joy in this profession, I invite you to join me in my quest for regaining our control, our respect, our hope, and our joy.

Despite the challenges (and because of them), I’m staying.

Are you?


Ready for a deeper dive? Check out the links below.

Links to stories about the crisis:

NPR’s Consider This: Teachers Reflect on a Tough School Year

EdSource: Covid Challenges, Bad Student Behavior, Push Teachers to the Limit & Out the Door

The Wall Street Journal: School’s Out for Summer & Many Teachers Are Calling It Quits

NPR: We Asked Teachers How Their Year Went; They Warned of an Exodus to Come

Here some more to address some of the problems:

Education Week Video: How Can We Solve the Teacher Staffing Shortage

Secretary Cardona Lays Out a Vision to Support and Elevate the Teaching Profession

Education Week: How School Leaders Can Support Social Emotional Learning (and Retain Teachers, Too)

Experts Say We Can Prevent School Shootings; Here’s What the Research Says

Your Turn: What does culturally responsive teaching look like in your district?

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Education, Education Policy, Equity, High School, Life in the Classroom, Middle School, Parent Involvment, Professional Development, Social Issues, Teacher Leadership, Uncategorized | , , ,

We asked our bloggers to tell us about their experience with culturally responsive teaching. We asked them:

What does culturally responsive teaching look like in your district?

How are you and the educators you know using relationships to connect with students, honor their individuality and support academic achievement?

Gretchen Cruden

“We embrace learning that connects to their real lives…”

Culturally responsive teaching may look a little different in our school. I work in a high-poverty, extremely rural school. Example? We are so rural that we are defined as a frontier school and have had “cougar patrol” as part of our playground supervisory activities. That said, our school embraces what our students walk in the door with and honor it. We are a culture of “make do” and “outside the box” thinking because our students often do have to be creative in their problem solving in their home environments. We embrace learning that connects with their real lives including studying outdoor survival skills, gardening and dissecting parts of animals their families have hunted. These lessons honor their home lives and connect families to the school. In this way, our school embraces and supports our students’ backgrounds and helps build bridges to adjacent possibilities as they grow in their academics.

Lynne Olmos

“…more celebrations of diverse cultures could benefit us all.”

For all the time I have worked in my small, rural district, there has been a sort of self-congratulatory attitude in our district. We are proud of our students of color and how successful they are in our schools. However, that success is really a tribute to their hard work more than it is to any sort of outreach or responsive programs built into the system. Latinx families make up around 35% of our community, and, though we have a migrant support program that hosts occasional events and the standard English language learner supports, we don’t do a great deal to celebrate Latinx culture. Our kids are awesome, and some of our teachers go the extra mile to embrace the diverse cultures in our classrooms. However, there is a need for a more culturally responsive system.

Every now and then, we get the opportunity to celebrate our diversity. One very cool opportunity that landed in my classroom recently was through a national project funded by the CDC and managed by the Olympia Family Theater. The project, entitled Fully Vaxxed, utilized the input of bilingual youth from our school and a few others to write plays about the impact of the Covid vaccines on Latinx communities. Three of my students participated in the program, and our Drama Club attended opening night to celebrate their work. It was awesome! 

We really do a great job supporting all students in my district, but more celebrations of diverse cultures could benefit us all. Everyone deserves to see their home language, culture, and traditions represented, respected, and honored in their school environment.

Emma-Kate Schaake

“I want students to know they have strengths in their cultural, linguistic, and ethnic backgrounds…”

I am grateful to have a district and department with enough funding to have some creativity in lesson planning and curriculum. Last year, I was able to buy four class sets of contemporary young adult books for book groups and that unit was the best engagement I had online by far. The English teacher saying that books should be windows into other perspectives or mirrors into your own is almost trite by now, but still incredibly true. 

The books we read allowed students to share their own experiences and empathize with the characters. As much choice as I can offer in my curriculum, the better. I want students to know they have strengths in their cultural, linguistic, and ethnic backgrounds, regardless. So often, students do not see themselves in texts (especially those written by old, dead, white men) and I try to deviate from that norm as much as I can.

So now it is your turn.

Tell us how your school responds to the culture of its students. How do you connect with your students, honor their culture, and support their academic achievement?

Encouraging Dis-Comfort

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Current Affairs, Education Policy, Elementary, Life in the Classroom, Mathematics, Social Issues

At the beginning of this year, in the middle of a math lesson, one of my most advanced students, Caren,  suddenly said, “I don’t get it.”

Another student immediately spoke up to offer help. “Let me show you how to do it!”

I stopped the second student, saying, “That’s ok. Let her struggle.”

Caren’s face went bright red. She wasn’t used to struggling at anything. But I let her sit in that discomfort. I let her struggle. Eventually she said, “Oh, I see what I did wrong.” She was able to explain how she made her mistake on the problem.

After school, in the parking lot, I talked with her father and told him what I had done. He laughed and said he agreed with my strategy.

On March 14 I showed my class a SlideShow of pie charts during math for Pi Day. They were all jokes. My class had a wonderful time laughing at all the visual puns.

Toward the end I put up the following slide.

Pie Charts Are Hard

One of my students, Edgar, said, “I don’t get it.”

Kids tried to explain, but I just said, “Look at the title.”

Edgar said, “There’s no red!”

I said, “Look at the title.”

He said, “There’s no red anywhere!”

I repeated, “Look at the title.”

Finally, he said, “The title, what? The title … I don’t get it … I don’t … oh. Now I understand.”

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Ready for Some Smiles?

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Current Affairs, Education, Education Policy, High School, Life in the Classroom, Middle School, Social Issues, Uncategorized | , ,

This week Chris Reykdal, Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, released a statement supporting removal of the mask mandate in our schools. Likewise, Governor Inslee announced upcoming changes in mask mandates statewide. With mask mandates being lifted all across the country, it seems like only a matter of time before it happens in our classrooms.

Locally, in my rural region of Southwest Washington, some conservative families have been staging protests against mask-wearing. They are still holding on to the tired old claims that masks are more harmful than COVID and that people who follow the governor’s rules are sheep.

Sigh.

My four-year old grandson, masked

Well, they are going to get what they want. The days of masks in school are numbered. And, how do I feel about that? A bit conflicted, actually.

This has been a wild ride. For two years, I have been in close contact with infected students countless times. The majority of my 139 students have been quarantined at least once, sidelining sports teams and filling up the absence list, leaving half the desks empty at times.

I have lost friends to the virus. I have heard of the suffering and near death experiences of others. I know how awful it can be.

Due to my high rate of exposure, I missed out on so much time with my family, not wanting to spread anything to vulnerable family members. I stressed out over any symptoms, took my temperature hundreds of times…

The funny thing is that I was less sick these last two years than I have been in all twenty years of teaching. Why? What was the difference?

The mask. I believe this, 100%.

Still, it’s time. The masks are coming off, and I predict that it will be like a collective sigh of relief being released in every classroom across the state. As much as we have relied on them for safety, their absence will bring back something we have truly missed- the faces of our students.

One of my favorite areas of research is trauma-informed teaching practices. Recently, everything I read about the effects of trauma on children seems to apply to all of my students these days. Collective trauma. Stress. All of us, and particularly young people with less agency in their lives, have been under a great strain. Part of that strain is the inability to read the faces around us. There is research on this aspect of mask wearing, and it is the only valid argument against masks that I have seen. It comes down to one big truth – you cannot build trusting relationships with people when you struggle to read their emotions. Masks complicate that process.

With our new focus on the emotional health of our students, we will definitely benefit from the ability to openly smile at them. And won’t we also benefit from their smiles? Meanwhile, all this time teaching in a mask has likely honed our ability to communicate more clearly with our eyes, our gestures, and our body language. I think we can look forward to some big gains in relationship building very soon!

My four-year old grandson, unmasked

So, while we may have some nervous moments when we take off those masks, let’s make the most of it and enjoy the smiles we are about to see.

As you sort through your own emotions about the possible lifting of the mask mandate, here is some suggested reading:

Reykdal’s Statement

Protests in Lewis County

Study on the Impact of Face Masks…

Do Masks Stunt Students’ Social and Emotional Development?

With Mask Restrictions Set to Lift, a Haze of Uncertainty Lingers

Doctors Warn Ending School Mask Mandates Will Lead to Rise in COVID Cases

The Freedom to Read

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Current Affairs, Education, Education Policy, Equity, High School, Literacy, Social Issues, Teacher Leadership, Uncategorized | , ,

Censorship Gone Wild 

There have been a plethora of school library censorship and banned book stories lately. Unfortunately ,there are too many to list, but here are a few highlights that may have graced your news feeds. 

A school district in Tennessee banned the graphic novel Maus by Art Speiglman over concerns of profanity and female nudity. 

Another in removed Toni Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye from library shelves for obscenity. 

Texas, perhaps unsurprisingly, has a whole host of books their officials want to ban, an overwhelming amount of which feature LGBTQ+ characters and themes. 

Librarians have been accused of poisoning young minds, buying pornography, and indoctrinating students. 

One of my favorite frequently banned books, Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, prominently placed in our library’s Black History Month display. 

In the midst of all of this, it would be easy for Washington educators and librarians to rest on our laurels, grateful not to be working in one of these states with high profile cases. After all, Washington is liberal and progressive, right? 

But, when a colleague sent me this article on Book Riot, “LGBTQ+ Books Quietly Pulled from Washington State Middle School” I was reminded that issues of intellectual freedom and censorship in school libraries are everywhere. Stories like this one that don’t make national headlines are even more unsettling for their insidiousness.

In Our Backyard 

In Kent, The Cedar Heights Middle School librarian, Gavin Downing, was deemed to have “sexually explicit” books on his shelves. The principal pulled books from the shelves, insisted that she monitor all future purchases, and created a council at school to advise Downing on “age appropriate material.” 

It all started with Jack of Hearts by L.C Rosen about an “unapologetically queer teen” who “celebrates the freedom to be oneself, especially in the face of adversity.” If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo, an award winning novel about a trans girl, and All Boys Aren’t Blue, a memoir by LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson, were also discussed at board meetings and removed. 

Kent has a board policy to “revolutionize school libraries” across the district but clearly,  censoring queer voices is out of alignment with the third phase of their plan which seeks to “reinforce equity and excellence.”

I can’t help but draw parallels to Texas where 59.95% of the 850 books on the governor’s banned list feature LGBTQ+ characters. 

In Defense of Libraries 

I am an English teacher, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that I take the freedom to read very seriously. I have also been unspoken about the fact that I think we need to update our curriculums to reflect a more accurate, diverse, and empathetic world view. 

Additionally, this year, I’ve been a librarian half the day, a move that has encouraged me to pursue my library media endorsement, with the hopes of becoming a full time school librarian.

In preparation for one of my classes, I researched Library Bill of Rights and the American Library Association makes it clear that the principles of the bill apply to school libraries. 

The American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights.

The ALA has a series of interpretations of this bill and there are a few principles that stood out to me in regards to both local and national censorship. 

Intellectual Freedom: School librarians are leaders in promoting “the principles of intellectual freedom,” and must empower students with “critical thinking skills to empower them to pursue free inquiry responsibly and independently.” 

In the Cedar Heights Middle School case, the removal of books from library shelves limits free and independent inquiry. Remember, we aren’t talking curriculum here, but simply books that students have the freedom to read on their own time. 

Diverse Points of View:  Collection material should “represent diverse points of view on both current and historical issues” and “support the intellectual growth, personal development, individual interests, and recreational needs of students.” 

Representation matters. Books by and about the LGBTQ+ community can be powerful mirrors into students’ own experience or windows to foster empathy. I’d argue the titles that were removed from Cedar Heights could have played an integral role in students’ “intellectual growth” and “personal development.” 

Political Views: The resources in the library should not be constrained by “personal, political, social, or religious views” and school librarians should resist efforts of outside groups to “define what is appropriate for all students or teachers to read, view, hear, or access.” 

It’s no coincidence that the books banned in Kent were all written by and about members of the LGBTQ+ community. As long as those individuals continue to face discrimination, their existence and their stories will remain politically charged. 

Rights of Minors: “Children and young adults unquestionably possess First Amendment rights, including the right to receive information through the library” and equitable library access should not be abridged by “chronological age, apparent maturity, educational level, literacy skills…”

Librarians are tasked with using their expertise in areas of literacy and adolescent development to fill their shelves. They are uniquely positioned to help their patrons explore those materials and think critically. Students are exposed to more than ever before online, and libraries are a safe place for them to explore a variety of resources with the guidance of a caring adult.

Parental Responsibility “Parents and guardians have the right and the responsibility to determine their children’s—and only their children’s—access to library resources. Parents and guardians who do not want their children to have access to specific library services, materials, or facilities should advise their own children.” 

While I can see why some content might be deemed too mature for young readers, all of the books facing removal at Cedar Heights are highly vetted, award winning, and deemed important young adult texts. As an educator who has, at times during this pandemic, felt more like a babysitter than a teacher, I very much appreciate the focus on families’ individual choices. 

What’s Next? 

I wish I had answers during these “polarizing” and “unprecedented” times. Maybe, some day, we can live in a more harmonious political climate and experience some mundane, precedented news stories, though I’m not holding out hope. 

However, as an educator, English teacher, and aspiring school librarian, it’s clear to me that the challenges we’re facing around intellectual freedom warrant our full attention. 

So, pay attention to your school library and the books filling it’s shelves. Does your librarian curate a collection that is representative of your students’ needs? 

Tune into your local school board meetings and contact the members. (The Book Riot article has contact information for Kent board members if you want to help the situation in Cedar Heights ). 

Have conversations with your principal and colleagues. Where do they stand on issues of censorship and equity? 

Our students deserve the freedom to read and we should never stop fighting for that right.

Identifying Students for Highly Capable Programs

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Assessment, Education Policy, Equity | ,

It’s hard to identify students for gifted—or Highly Capable (HC)—programs.

I just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s 2009 book What the Dog Saw. One chapter was called “The New-Boy Network: What Do Job Interviews Really Tell Us?”

Gladwell explained that people can give a terrific interview and be bad at the job. Why? Because people’s traits and abilities are task-specific. Someone may have the characteristics of a great interviewee and the ability to answer interview questions well, but that same person may not have the temperament or personality or skills to perform well at the job. An interview and a job are different situations, and the person will respond differently to the two types of situations.

How does that apply to gifted identification? Imagine that a district limits itself to a single test. You may have a child who delights in that type of test question and who is comfortable with that type of testing situation. On the other hand, you may have a child who finds that kind of test question boring or who is distressed at the testing situation. If those same children have identical abilities, the first child is going to have a higher test score.

A psychologist in New York state gave a 4-year-old girl an individual IQ test that took over an hour. When the test was over, the psychologist came out and said the child missed the cut-off score by one point. However, he added, the score wasn’t valid because the girl got hungry halfway through the test.

He never gave her the chance to take a snack break.

In a district in North Carolina, the means of identification was single creativity test: “Draw a person.” Of course, the more detailed the drawing, the more creative the student. One child barely drew a stick figure, so was not identified as gifted. His mother said they should have had him draw a map. He would have been working on it for over an hour. 

He needed a different prompt.

In Washington state, districts are required to use multiple criteria for identification.

  • The more points of information, the better. Having just three items is ridiculously low, especially if two of them are subjective.
  • The more diverse kinds of information, the better.
  • The more familiar the setting for data collection, the better. Assessing kids in their own school during the school day is the best.
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Your Turn: 2021 in Education- Back to Normal?

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Current Affairs, Distance Learning, Education, Education Policy, Equity, High School, Life in the Classroom, Middle School, Online Teaching, Professional Development, Social Issues, Teacher Leadership, Uncategorized | , ,

Is going back to “normal” a valid goal? Or should we learn from our experience in order to grow and change?

The last year and a half has caused a lot of havoc in education. We had to learn new ways to deliver instruction, and we had to face important equity issues with a crisis igniting urgency. What did we learn from this?

We asked our bloggers these questions: We keep hearing “back to normal,” but is that what it is? Is that what we want? Here are their responses:

Gretchen Cruden

Going “back to normal” may be a comforting thought, but I hope we don’t—at least not completely. There have been some incredibly wonderful new changes that have arisen in education due to the pandemic. I am beyond thrilled that an emphasis on SEL is occurring across the state with…wait for it…actual money to support it!  We are starting every day with mindful breathing and stretches now. Life feels good!

“I am beyond thrilled that an emphasis on SEL is occurring across the state…”

I am also grateful for the opportunity for more educators to explore the ways in which technology can play a powerful in personalized instruction. And, shhhhh…but I am also over having my students sit in pods ever again. Short sets of direct instruction in rows with break outs for small group interactions will forever be my new norm, as I can see where this serves the learning brain the best.

Jan Kragen

One of the best parts of the day is Circle Time. We spread out our chairs in a big circle around the perimeter of the room. I have a karaoke machine, so I use the microphone as our talking stick. It’s so much easier to hear kids talk through their masks with an electronic boost!

This year every one of my students has a ChromeBook. That’s been a learning curve, just in terms of logistics. Every ChromeBook goes home every night and gets charged at home. They return to school every day, get out of backpacks, and into desks. I’ve worked much harder on helping kids keep their desks organized this year because I can’t have them stuffing things on top of their ChromeBooks!

“Now everything is in Google
Classroom…It’s paperless
and super easy.”

At the same time we’ve switched to Google. For decades I’ve taught students using all of Microsoft Office. Trouble is, not everyone had MS at home, so files would go home as MS files and return as RTF or OTD or PDF files–or even pictures of files. Sometimes I could do electronic comments and sometimes I couldn’t. Now everything is in Google Classroom. I post the assignment, kids hand it in, I add comments and a grade. It’s paperless and super easy. 

What I’m missing now is the ability to have lunch with small groups in my room. That’s been so useful in the past for small groups who want to have a writers group or who share another common interest.

Lynne Olmos

I often reminisce about the old days, back when I wasn’t shocked to see what a seventh-grade student looked like without their mask. That said, I think we unveiled issues concerning equity and emotional support over the last year and a half. 

We have seen the need to ensure access to technology for all; however, we started this year without seeing to that. I feel that the hope was that we would not have to get ChromeBooks and hotspots out to those who needed access. We have less capability to provide this access than we did last year! Hope of normalcy set us up for a possible disaster, should we have to go remote at some point.

“I won’t go back to normal, because normal wasn’t good enough for the kids.”

Some of us shifted our practice to take care of our vulnerable students during a time of crisis. Personally, I changed  my grading practice and relaxed a lot of traditional discipline and “classroom expectations” to meet kids where they were and give them a safe place to feel respected and supported. I won’t go back to normal, because normal wasn’t good enough for the kids.

Denisha Saucedo

NOPE, we did not learn. In fact we took three very LARGE steps backwards. Education may never be the same. This is not meant be be negative, but reality is that we as a society may never be the same.

“New habits were formed. Students and staff have new needs.”

From year to year we know that we teach the students in front of us. Well, those students had to do (or not) school online for over a year. It is said that you need to repeat something  66 times to create a new habit, well you can triple that. New habits were formed. Students and staff have new needs. Families and communities look different, therefore the education has to look different. Educators are also dealing with trauma and that in itself has caused them to grab onto bits and pieces of the way education “use to look.”  

Emma-Kate Schaake

I’d love to have seen a full scale reimagining of education after last year, but I know that kind of revolution needs to be more of a slow burn than a five alarm fire. What I have seen in our building is a dedicated focus on student mental health, systems of support, relationships, and community. 

“..education should look different going forward, to meet students where they are and provide what they need…

We seem to be coming in with a strong “kids over content” lens and I think that’s absolutely essential. Some students haven’t been in “real” school in a year and a half. Many have crippling social and academic anxiety. 

I fully believe that students didn’t “lose learning,” but we’ve all been changed by the last year and half. So, education should look different going forward to meet students where they are and provide what they need, academically, personally, and holistically.

Your Turn: Should we be trying to get “back to normal?”

In your opinion, what should education look like going forward? What changes should we embrace? What did we learn? What are the new priorities we need to acknowledge? Share your thoughts with us.