Education

Highline District Offers Free Full-Day Kindergarten To All Students

Ann Dornfeld — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:20 +0000

Highline School District plans to offer free, full-day kindergarten to all students next school year.

Currently, half-day kindergarten is the norm: two and a half hours a day. Most Washington parents have to pay tuition if they want their kids in full-day kindergarten.

State Auditors Find Seattle Schools Still Needs Tighter Internal Controls

Ann Dornfeld — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:20:51 +0000

After years of sloppy bookkeeping and at times lax financial oversight, Seattle Public Schools has improved its internal financial controls, but needs to strengthen them further, auditors from the Washington State Auditor's Office told the school board in a special meeting Wednesday.

School Brings Back Swim Requirement After Pool Tragedy

Jessica Robinson — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:55:55 +0000

A tragedy in Wenatchee, Wash., is prompting educators there to bring back a high school aquatics program. Starting this fall, high school freshmen in the central Washington city will have to demonstrate they know how to swim.

Formal swimming lessons in Wenatchee had gone by the wayside, as is frequently the case lately in public schools.

Two Seattle School Board Seats Up For Grabs In Primary

Ann Dornfeld — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:12:35 +0000

Six candidates are vying for two Seattle School Board seats in the August 6 primary election.

In Director District 5, which includes Capitol Hill, the Central Area, Beacon Hill and downtown, Kay Smith-Blum is stepping down from her board seat after one term.

UW Students Seek End of Fossil Fuel Investments

Allie Ferguson — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:19:21 +0000

Students at the University of Washington want the school to dump its investments in major fossil fuel companies like Exxon and BP as part of a nationwide campaign to combat climate change through public institutions.

District Plan To Move Indian Heritage School Angers Native Community

Ann Dornfeld — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:01:35 +0000

The latest Seattle School District plan to move the American Indian Heritage program to Northgate Mall has angered many in the Native American community.

They rallied at Wednesday night's school board meeting to protest the move, calling it just the district's latest step toward dismantling Indian Heritage.

Seattle Schools Chief Scales Back Controversial MAP Test

Ann Dornfeld — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

The standardized test that inspired boycotts by teachers across Seattle School District will be scaled back next school year.

In a letter to district staff today, Superintendent Jose Banda announced that the Measures of Academic Progress test will still be required in kindergarten though eighth grade, but it will be optional at the high school level.

UW Student Group Backs Tuition Increase For Faculty Pay Raise

The conversation with ross reynolds — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:20:45 +0000

A student advisory group at the University of Washington says it's time for faculty to get raises after a 4-year wage freeze. But if state lawmakers don't fund a raise, the Provost’s Advisory Committee for Students would support a 3 percent tuition increase to pay for it. Evan Smith, who is the President of the Associated Students of the University of Washington, tells KUOW's Ross Reynolds why he supports a tuition increase.

It Was The Best Of Education, It Was The Worst Of Education

The Conversation With Ross Reynolds — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:00:29 +0000

Overall, the United States has more top-performing students than any other developed nation. That’s according to new research by the Economics Policy Institute. Our problem, however, is a massive education gap.

Ross talks with Professor Hal Salzman from Rutger’s School of Planning & Public Policy about why this is and what should be done.

Should Principals Have Veto Authority Over Teacher Transfers?

The Conversation With Ross Reynolds — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:04:19 +0000

State senate leaders plan to revive a bill in the upcoming special session that would allow school principals to veto teachers’ school assignments. Education “reformers” support the change. Teachers’ unions are opposed. Ross Reynolds interviews both sides.