By Tracey

One sunny afternoon in the spring, during my third year of teaching, I walked into my classroom to find two strangers.  They were smiley and warm, and apologized for startling me.  They were also elementary teachers.  I could tell this was true, as they wore the uniform – sandals, jumpers, and turtle-neck shirts.  They explained that they were attending a conference nearby.  They went for a walk and stumbled upon my school and my open door.  They were most excited about seeing the word science posted on my schedule for the day.  “Wow,” they explained, “You have time to teach science everyday?  Where we come from they got rid of that.  We’re lucky if we can teach it once a week!”  I think they said they were from Idaho, or maybe it was Iowa?  In any case, I thought that comment was strange at the time, and then promptly forgot all about it until recently.  It was as if these women came from the future, foreshadowing what is yet to come, and warning me of the road ahead. And now here I am, ten years later, remembering their prescient words while feeling lucky to have the chance to teach science once a week.

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 by Brian

 "Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."  Benjamin Franklin

Earlier this month Gov. Chris Gregoire released her 2010 supplemental state budget,
which would fill a $2.6 billion hole in the budget for 2009–11 through
service eliminations, reductions or suspensions. As required by law,
she submitted a budget based on currently available revenue. And she basically said she hates it.

Senator Rosa Franklin recently wrote a guest editorial in The Seattle Times calling for an overhaul of our state's regressive tax system.  If we are going to really deal with school funding we are going to have to talk about taxes.  No politician in this day and age can consider reelection without having a default position of no new taxes.  But given the projected $2.6 billion shortfall, something must be done.

Last month I participated in a policy symposium where our task was to prioritize the implementation of the education reform bill, ESHB 2261.  It's feeling more and more like an exercise in futility to talk about education reform when it requires funding that just isn't there.

The present taxation system was cobbled together over the last hundred years or so, and little of it makes sense in the 21st century.  People who earn less than $20,000 pay 17.3% of their income to state taxes.  People who earn between $99,000 and $198,000 pay 7.6% of their income.  In tough economic times like these state revenues dwindle because spending decreases, and a big piece of our tax system is the sales tax.

Seven years ago the Gates Commission recommended the tax-reform plan that Senator Franklin has championed. It calls for an income tax, which is a tough, but necessary sell. In their report to the legislature in 2003 the members of the commission said it might take ten years before their recommendations would be enacted.  Looks like they were right on that one.

If we are serious about education reform and funding, and we must be, then we need to overhaul our regressive tax system and create a state income tax.  If we don't the only options will be to drastically cut public services or raise taxes and make our present system even more regressive.  If we truly want a world class education system in Washington State we're going to have to find a better way to pay for it.

By Tom

Besides having the most functional name in the publishing industry, US News and World Report also ranks high schools. This year Bellevue's International School, one of our area high schools, made their top ten. Three other schools in the Eastside suburbs made the top 100: International Community School in Kirkland, Bellevue High School, and Newport High School, also in Bellevue. Let me first of all offer my most sincere congratulations to the students and staff of these schools. I have heard wonderful things about each of these institutions even before the list came out.

So what makes these schools so great? Is it their staff? Their students? Their mascots? And more importantly, what can other schools learn from their success?

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By Tom

(Editor's Note: The Quality Education Council has backed off a proposal to examine transferring local collective bargaining to the state level. On Tuesday, QEC members voted to remove the bargaining amendment from the discussion portion of their House Bill 2261 required draft report. Sen. Eric Oemig, who voted to approve the amendment at a previous meeting, introduced the motion to remove the amendment. Sen. McAuliffe (absent from the last meeting) was a strong second to the motion and worked with Oemig to remove the item.)

Just when we thought things couldn't get bleaker, Washington State's Quality Education Council, charged with the unenviable task of fleshing out HB 2261, recently passed an amendment to their preliminary draft document to "Examine transferring local collective bargaining to the state, including all matters pertaining to compensation, benefits and employment terms and conditions."

For crying out loud.

I understand the need to look everywhere and anywhere to save money, but do we really think the school system will run more efficiently without local collective bargaining?

Let's imagine what that might look like.

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  By Kristin

The proposed state budget for Washington suspends some pretty crucial things. 

Everything that's being suspended in education directly affects the ability of public schools to teach disadvantaged kids.  So, here's my proposal to the people of Washington:  if we're going to suspend things like reducing class size and making sure 3-year olds living below the poverty line get quality preschool, then let's also suspend our expectations of equity in public education.  Let's suspend No Child Left Behind.  Let's suspend expectations that every child, even the one who spent his first 15 years in a refugee camp in Chad, needs to pass the WASL.  If we're going to suspend financial support for the programs that help the poorest among us gain equal footing in education, we are fools to think public education is democracy's shining jewel.  Without these programs the poor will sink, because the golden ticket in our society, the thing that helps kids break generational poverty, is a quality education.  The children of some of our neighbors need more help in this area than others.

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By Representative Marko Liias 

We can all remember classic sitcoms about American
families.  In every one, there is at
least one episode about a bully.  I can
still remember the Brady Bunch episode where poor little Cindy is teased by the
mean bully, Buddy Hinton.  Like all
sitcoms, there is conflict, but everything works out and always a happy ending.

In the 21^st Century, we understand that school
bullying and harassment is much different than these classic images.  Fights are no longer about lunch money, they
are about the very basic characteristics of our students, and today’s bullies
use the powerful tools of technology to harass and intimidate their victims 24
hours a day.

And the impacts of this behavior are devastating.  Victims of school bullying and harassment
struggle to perform in the classroom, and fall behind their classmates.  Many face emotional and psychological stress
that turn into on-going mental health challenges.  In the most extreme cases, these victims try
to take their own lives, and a few succeed.

Simply put, we’re not doing enough to prevent bullying and
harassment in our schools.

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by Brian

I finally found the definitive word on how we are moving from the WASL to the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) on the OSPI website:

*Mathematics: In spring 2010, high school
students will take the math High School Proficiency Exam, which is
based on the 2006 Standards. Beginning in spring 2011, students will
take end-of-course assessments, based on the 2008 Standards, in Algebra
I/Integrated I and Geometry/Integrated II. Students who already
completed one or more of those classes will take a comprehensive exam
in April 2011. Students in the class of 2013 and beyond must pass both
end-of-course assessments or the comprehensive exam to meet the math
graduation requirement. Students in middle school who take Algebra
I/Integrated I or Geometry/Integrated II will take the grade-level
state assessment (for NCLB purposes) and the appropriate end-of-course
assessment.

I'm starting to get this sorted out.  The last WASL was given in August 2009, and is replaced by the High School Proficiency Exams in Reading, Writing, Math, and Science in the spring of 2010. (This year's sophomores are still exempt from needing to pass the Math and Science HSPE's). 

Except in math, which will transition into End of Course Exams in the spring of 2011.  And except for the freshmen who are taking Algebra 1 this year, who will be taking Geometry next year.  They will take a comprehensive exam on Algebra 1 and Geometry in April 2011.  That's 10 months after they finished Algebra, and 2 months before they will finish Geometry.  Not exactly End of Course timing. 

And the advanced students who are taking Algebra or Geometry in Middle School will be rewarded by having to take 2 tests: the Measurement of Student Progress for their grade level, and the End of Course Exam for their math class.

Did you get that?  Doesn't it seem just a little confusing, and maybe unfair?  Yet that is the law for this year's freshmen.  If they don't pass 5 high stakes exams, 3 of which have never even been field tested, they won't graduate.  But it could be worse: Texas has 12!

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 Stories from School has been featured on the most recent EduCarnival of Blogs hosted by our friend Clix at this site. What is EduCarnival? On the site, Clix explains: 

"EduCarnival v2 is continuing from the Carnival of Education: interesting and informative posts from around the EduSphere — and a few from the Larger 'Sphere.' Typically, articles [are] focused on K-12 public schooling, but private, homeschool, school/life, college or other related topics are welcome as well." 

There are a number of intriguing, inspiring, and informative posts shared on the EduCarnival…take a look!

Also, Stories from School has been listed as one of the top education policy blogs at the GuidetoOnlineSchools list of the best education blogs. Keith, the Project Manager writes that 

"the terrific commentary on the real world effects of education policy presented on your blog made it one of our favorites."

Thanks, readers, for coming back often and reading our thoughts and sharing yours as well here at Stories from School.

By Tom

I was sitting at home the other day, perusing the Spokesman-Review, and I came across an interesting editorial, criticizing Randy Dorn's recent proposal to make the state math test more reasonable. You can read it yourself, but here's the money quote:

"The state will only institute math and science requirements after it’s been demonstrated that a higher percentage can pass. This is like watching high jump practice and then deciding where to place the bar so that most competitors will clear it. When the consistent message is that the state will call off accountability, then it’s impossible to gauge students’ best efforts."

When I read this, I thought to myself, "Isn't that exactly how a high jump competition is supposed to run?" I mean, like most Americans, I only catch snippets of high jumping every four years, so I'm no expert, but that seems like the way I remember it. So I looked it up, and found that:

"In a competition, the bar is initially set at a relatively low height, and is moved upward in set increments … The competitor who clears the highest jump is declared the winner."

That sounds right. You set the bar low and then raise it until only one jumper is left. But unlike a high jump event, our goal in education is not to designate a single winner. Despite the fact that you hear it all the time, high jump competitions are a really bad metaphor for educational standards and assessments. So I decided to find a better one.

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 By Tracey
 

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