Posted by Bonnie
My morning ritual always involves two things: tea and NPR. This morning I was drinking my tea, listening to NPR and heard a great piece on Sup. Maria Goodloe-Johnson celebrating her one year anniversary in Seattle (including quotes from our very own, Lisa Macfarlane). She has been praised by advocates and policy makers alike who use words like focused, courageous, and decisive. Her strategic plan is bold in its honesty – revealing that only 17 percent of high school graduates took the credits necessary to be considered for entrance at a four-year college – and goals — to increase the 17 percent figure to 40 percent by 2012. One year in, Sup. Goodloe-Johnson says that the district has had little accountability to its 45,000 students and she plans on changing that.
But, the rubber is now beginning to meet the road and unfortunately the road is a bumpy one. A tight budget, shortages in math and science teachers, and persistent declining enrollment all pose serious challenges to the path ahead. Lisa Macfarlane states, “Where the rubber is going to meet the road is how we are going to measure progress against those goals [outlined in the strategic plan]. It’s great to say that we are going to have a quality teacher in every classroom, but how are we going to measure that and how are we going to do if we are not meeting those benchmarks?”
We look forward to rolling up our sleeves in Seattle and across Washington State – and hope you’ll join in.
There’s also a great interview with Sup. Goodloe-Johnson in the Seattle P-I.
The Seattle Public Schools strategic plan can be viewed here.
