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2009 Progress Report for LEV Foundation
Posted on 30. Nov, 2009 by Mike.
We’re thrilled to release our first LEV Foundation Progress Report. It’s a great overview of our accomplishments since our founding in 2001 and our vision for education in Washington State.
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Technology Alliance: Stick with math & science requirements
Posted on 29. Nov, 2009 by Jen.
(This is a guest blog post by Susannah Malarkey, executive director of Technology Alliance, a statewide, not-for-profit organization of leaders from Washington’s diverse technology and related businesses and research institutions.)
If “innovation is in our nature,” then sticking with the math and science graduation requirements should be the natural decision for state policy leaders to make.
On behalf of the Technology Alliance, I feel compelled to add my voice to the growing chorus of indignation at Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn’s proposal to delay math and science graduation requirements. Washington’s innovation community is deeply concerned that this proposal signals a retreat from a commitment to ensure all students possess the foundational knowledge and skills they need to be successful in post-secondary education and 21st century careers.
Sticking to the task of preparing our students to be informed, engaged citizens and to compete for family-wage jobs is not only a matter of economic competitiveness; it is a matter of basic fairness. Our state has a diverse technology sector that creates high-wage, high-impact jobs. Unfortunately, we are not preparing the vast majority of Washington students to benefit directly from the opportunities our economy is creating.
We continually tout our highly-educated and innovative workforce (we rank 4th in the nation for intensity of scientists and engineers), but we ignore how we got there (we also rank 4th for net-migration of college degree-holders).
For years, we have made do with minimum high school graduation requirements that don’t align with the level of preparation students need to be successful in college-level work (around half of Washington graduates entering community colleges must take non-credit bearing coursework on content they should have learned in high school), or even be eligible to apply for admission to our public 4-year institutions.
And now, when we have an opportunity to make significant strides in bringing our education system into the 21st century through the basic education reform work currently underway and federal investments aimed at spurring innovation and accountability within our K-12 system, Washington’s education leader proposes yet another delay in math and science graduation requirements.
How can it be that one of the most innovative states in the nation is still having a debate over whether students should demonstrate proficiency in math and science before exiting high school?
As state education strategies go, it does not inspire confidence. Instead of repeated delays and watering down of expectations, we should be pursuing reforms that would help our students to meet those expectations:
- Implementation of CORE 24 to align minimum course-taking requirements with the expectations of college and the workplace;
- A concerted focus on improving teacher quality and our teacher evaluation system; and
- Data and accountability systems that will empower teachers, school leaders, parents and policymakers to take the steps necessary to ensure our K-12 system is serving the best interests of our students.
Our state leaders need to maintain their commitment to providing a meaningful high school diploma to all Washington students. Anything less is unfair to our kids and unsustainable for our state economy.
Susannah Malarkey is the executive director of Technology Alliance.
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Weekly roundup of education news from LEV
Posted on 24. Nov, 2009 by admin.
Education advocates and newspapers quickly weighed in on Superintendent Dorn’s proposal to delay math and science high school graduation requirements last week. LEV has begun to post in-depth analysis on the final Race to the Top guidelines on our blog. We’re also introducing a Question of the Week to encourage discussion on thought-provoking questions about education and public policy.
Question of the Week
In Portland Public Schools, budget cuts could hit home to students and parents. Up to five classroom days could be cut from the school calendar because of furlough days. Recent polling shows that 60 percent of Washington residents don’t believe our state is facing a budget crisis even though higher education and K-12 have been cut by 12 percent.
Should policymakers consider eliminating all-day kindergarten or cutting school days to help balance the budget?
Join the discussion with other parents, educators and advocates:
News from LEV
Superintendent Randy Dorn’s speech to the state school directors
TVW filmed Superintendent Dorn’s speech to the Washington State School Directors’ Association on delaying math and science graduation requirements.
Wrong move, wrong time
In case you missed it, here’s LEV’s reaction to Superintendent Dorn’s proposal to delay high school graduation requirements for math and science.
What’s at risk in the state budget?
Our friends at the Washington State Budget and Policy Center have put together this excellent narrated slide show about the very real impacts of the projected $2.7 billion state budget shortfall.
What are Washington’s chances of winning Race to the Top dollars?
LEV reviews the eligibility requirements for Race to the Top and how Washington stacks up.
Final Race to the Top guidelines released
Each Race to the Top application will be evaluated based on a 500-point scale. Here’s the breakdown for how points will be awarded.
News from the Media
Editorial: State schools chief Randy Dorn blinks on math and science requirements
The Seattle Times is concerned that Dorn’s proposal will harm low-income and minority students the most.
Editorial: Don’t delay reckoning on science, math norms
The Spokesman-Review believes students will rise to the challenge to meet math and science requirements similar to how they responded to reading and writing.
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Podcast of Gov. Gregoire’s speech to the state school directors
Posted on 20. Nov, 2009 by Mike.
Gov. Gregoire gave a speech today at the Washington State School Directors’ Association annual conference. The speech begins with an update on our state’s dire budget situation. The second part is about education and the need for policymakers to make budgeting decisions with our children in mind.
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Washington abandoning Round 1 of Race to the Top
Posted on 20. Nov, 2009 by Mike.
We just got word that Washington State will not pursue Race to the Top grants in the first round.
Alan Burke, Deputy Superintendent for K-12 Education at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, just announced the news at the Washington State School Directors’ Association annual convention last night.
The news is not a surprise. This will allow our state to focus on submitting a stronger application for Round 2, which is due in May.
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Wrong move, wrong time
Posted on 20. Nov, 2009 by Lisa.
Yesterday, Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn proposed yet another delay in math and science high school graduation requirements until 2015 and 2017 respectively. The proposal received tepid support at the state school director’s conference where our state’s school chief delivered a major policy speech.
The League of Education Voters strongly opposes another delay in math and science graduation requirements. It is the wrong proposal at the wrong time.
Send an e-mail to Superintendent Dorn and tell him that we have had enough delay with math and science.
We are not going to boost the educational attainment levels for our young people by sidestepping our math and science achievement problem. Delay is not a plan. We have tried the delay strategy before and it did not work for kids. Three years ago, we delayed math graduation requirements and look what happened-math achievement is down.
We can all agree that we have a very serious problem with math and science achievement and that we need to be fair to kids.
Superintendent Dorn thinks that having students, who are graduating from high school less than four years from now, demonstrate proficiency in math and science is “punishing” them. We think that if there’s a crime here, it is continuing the practice of sending high school graduates out into the world of work or college unprepared.
We want our high school graduates to be college and career ready.
We want our kids to be qualified for the great jobs that our knowledge- and technology driven-economy is creating.
Retreating from the expectation that, by 2013, high school graduates have demonstrated proficiency in math and science is unacceptable.
- Today, more than half our students entering community college need to take remedial math courses-classes for which they receive no college credit.
- Math and science literacy are 21st century skills that everyone needs whether they are going into an apprenticeship or certificate program, a community college, or a four-year university.
- At the very time when we are trying to Race to the Top to win federal education dollars, Dorn’s proposal would sink us to the bottom. It is time for our state education leaders to make a serious plan to boost math and science achievement. We should be doing exactly that with our Race to the Top application.
Delay is not a credible strategy. Our children’s success and our state’s competitiveness depend on our ability to increase math and science achievement levels now.
Superintendent Dorn’s math and science proposal is just that-a proposal for this next legislative session.
It’s time to roll up our sleeves and do the right thing for our children.
We’re not the only ones to disagree. Read what others are saying and then add your own voice to the comments below.
Dorn’s plan is exactly the wrong approach for tough economic times.
Settling for less from Washington’s students means settling for a lesser future for the state. Our collective well-being depends on high school graduates whose diplomas mean something, on students who are ready to compete in the world. Math and science are increasingly important factors in that equation.
Low-income and minority students are most harmed by Dorn’s preference for the easy road. These students don’t need low expectations, they need the equalizing effects of a sound, rigorous education.
We understand that the teachers’ union is frustrated over a lack of adequate funding, including recent cuts forced by the recession. Earnest leaders are working on the funding puzzle, but it isn’t going to be solved this year or next. That cannot become an excuse for letting our kids fall behind.
On the contrary, students deserve a renewed commitment on the part of all adults involved. The rest of the world will move ahead, with or without them.
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Race to the Top: Final Guidelines
Posted on 17. Nov, 2009 by Heather.
As we all learned last week, the final Race to the Top (R2T seems to be the preferred acronym) guidelines were released. So what changed? Generally speaking, not that much, although a fair amount of reorganization occurred (for the better if you ask me). Each R2T application will be evaluated on a 500-point scale, with different parts of the application being worth different point values. Education Week has a great chart on the point breakdown.
Here’s an at a glance look at the guidelines/requirements:
Eligibility Requirements
- Approved application for Phases 1 and 2 of State Fiscal Stabilization Fund program
- No legal, statutory or regulatory barrier to linking student achievement or growth data to teachers and principals for the purpose of evaluation
Priorities
- Comprehensive approach to education reform (absolute priority)
- Emphasis on STEM (competitive preference priority) — 15 points
- Innovations for improving early learning outcomes (invitational priority)
- Expansion and adaption of statewide longitudinal data systems (invitational priority)
- P-20 coordination, vertical and horizontal alignment (invitational priority)
- School-level conditions for reform, innovation and learning (invitational priority)
Selection Criteria
- State success factors (district participation, capacity for reform, stakeholder buy-in, progress in student achievement) — 125 points
- Standards and assessments — 70 points
- Data systems to support instruction — 47 points
- Great teachers and leaders — 138 points
- Turning around the lowest achieving schools — 50 points
- General (making education funding a priority, ensuring successful conditions for charter and other innovative schools, demonstrating other reform conditions) — 55 points
The U.S. Department of Education also put together some budget guidance for states, breaking up all 50 states into five categories based on student population. Washington was put into Category 3, along with Virginia, Arizona, Indiana, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Missouri, Maryland and Wisconsin. By the Department of Education’s estimation, states in Category 3 should have applications in the $150-250 million range. These numbers are non-binding, so we can feel free to ask for heaps more money if we like.
Now the big question: what are Washington’s chances of scoring a piece of the pie? This week we’ll be blogging on just that, going through each section and highlighting Washington’s strengths and weaknesses (or areas for improvement).
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Tune in tonight to watch the film Paramount Duty
Posted on 16. Nov, 2009 by Mike.
How does Washington’s education system stack up against other states? Does money really matter? Is early learning the key to improving outcomes for students?
See and hear the faces of our public education system as they comment on these questions in the film Paramount Duty, which debuts today and airs through Nov. 22 on the Seattle Channel–Cable 21. The film by director Peter J. Vogt and LEV co-founder and president Nick Hanauer takes a look inside the schools of Washington State to document the challenges facing this generation of teachers, students and administrators.
The film interviews key leaders of a movement to rescue education from apathy and neglect. Tune in to hear Bill Gates Sr., University of Washington President Mark Emmert, and Governor Christine Gregoire address the pressing need for social and financial commitment to our future through educational reform.
You can watch Paramount Duty on the Seattle Channel-Cable 21 on these dates:
Monday, November 16, 2009 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 1:00 a.m.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 19, 2009 6:00 a.m.
Thursday, November 19, 2009 1:00 p.m.
Friday, November 20, 2009 1:00 a.m.
Friday, November 20, 2009 11:00 a.m.
Friday, November 20, 2009 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 21, 2009 3:00 a.m.
Saturday, November 21, 2009 11:00 a.m.
Sunday, November 22, 2009 9:00 a.m.
Sunday, November 22, 2009 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 22, 2009 11:00 p.m.
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Weekly roundup of education news from LEV
Posted on 16. Nov, 2009 by Mike.
The state Supreme Court’s decision and release of the final Race to the Top guidelines have made it a busy last few days in local and national education news. Here’s a roundup of stories from our blog and the media that will continue to shape the education debate for days and weeks ahead.
News from LEV
The Supreme Court issues a problematic decision in the Federal Way suit
LEV’s vice president, Steve Miller, reacts to the Supreme Court’s decision in Federal Way School District v. State of Washington.
Dweck Townhall: Maximizing Your Child’s Potential
Last Thursday, education activists and parents were treated to a provocative presentation about how praising your child can be good-if it’s done the right way-or how it can have long-term negative effects if it’s not.
What our early learning town hall meetings accomplished
In the past two weeks, hundreds of parents in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham and Kirkland met with early learning policymakers to talk about the challenges they face as they care for and educate their young children.
Paramount Duty film debuts on the Seattle Channel
The film Paramount Duty looks inside the schools of Washington State to document the challenges facing this generation of teachers, students and administrators.
Other Voices: Election Viewpoint From The Left
George Cheung, director of Win/Win Network, writes how those who lean to the left view the November 3rd election results.
Other Voices: Election Viewpoint From The Right
Alex Hays, executive director of the Mainstream Republicans of Washington, writes about the national and local significance of the November 3rd election for those who lean to the right.
News from the media
Column: High court passed up chance to help fix school funding problems
The Tacoma News Tribune’s Peter Callaghan writes about the implications of the state Supreme Court’s ruling on the Federal Way lawsuit.
Editorial: Race to the top in education? Who, us?
The Tacoma News Tribune Editorial Board says it would be a shame if state policymakers do not strive to win federal dollars to fund our kids and schools.
Washington in race for federal education funds
The Seattle Times interviews policymakers about what needs to be done to win Race to the Top dollars.
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The Supreme Court’s decision in Federal Way School District v. State of Washington is problematic
Posted on 16. Nov, 2009 by Mike.
(This post is written by Steve Miller, who is vice president and founding board member of the League of Education Voters and wrote statewide Initiative 728 and 884. He is a lawyer, vice chair of the Board of Trustees for Bellevue Community College, and previously served for 10 years as a school board member for Bellevue School District.)
The Supreme Court’s decision in Federal Way School District v. State of Washington is problematic. The ruling dealt with both sections of Article 9 of the Washington state constitution making education the state’s paramount duty: Section 2, the uniformity clause and Section 1, the ampleness clause.
Federal Way had won a superior court judgment and the State appealed. The trial court ruled that the State violated Section 2, the uniformity clause because it funded school salaries giving more to the employees of some districts than Federal Way, based on the grandfathering old local salary schedules in effect at the time of the adoption of the Basic Education Act of 1977. Federal Way argued successfully at the trial court that there was no basis for continuing these distinctions inherited from a system that was found to be unconstitutional.
The Washington Supreme Court decision limits its application of the uniformity requirement to the provision of an education program. The uniformity clause Article 9, Sec. 2 requires “uniformity in the educational program provided not minutiae of the funding. Such details- unless specifically mandated by the constitution- are the province of the legislative branch.” [Emphasis added] The Supreme justifies its conclusion implicitly by noting the differences in teacher pay to be a mere 4.9% less than the cost of living differences between different areas and down from 150%. It also says that Federal Way is trying to mandate “uniform salary figures statewide”, which was not an argument they made in either the trial court or on appeal. The characterization of the differences as minutiae and details made it easy to reach the conclusion that Federal Way did not prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. The Supreme Court breezed past the larger differences in administrative and classified funding or the cumulative result of a shortfall that adds ups to millions of dollars. And the Supreme Court ignores the absence of any rational basis for disparities in funding formulas, and merely concludes that Federal Way failed to prove that the funding formula disparities violated Sec. 2.
The court further held that Sec. 1 requirement of “sufficient funding” required by “a single passage” in the landmark Seattle school funding case [Doran decision] does not require uniform allocations or uniform formulas to be “constitutionally sufficient”.
The failure of the court to be even slightly concerned with the realities and real consequences of funding inequities in Washington public schools is unsettling. The hostility apparent in Justice Jim Johnson’s decision signed by all his colleagues was manifest in imposing possible new roadblocks to future challenges of education funding by individuals in an unnecessary and stringent analysis of standing.
