Posted Fri, Jul 8, 9:08 a.m.

@Pythagoras: It's always great to see the data on success from programs such as Team Read. But these statistics also suggest an important question. Why doesn't the school district -- any school district -- build into its instructional program the kind of extra help that Team Read proves works for ...

Posted Fri, Mar 25, 11:21 a.m.

Back a few years before Ryan started teaching in elementary school, the reading block in Seattle schools rarely exceeded a half hour. Lots of progress has been made since then. The two-hour literacy block described is an excellent base. But Ryan also says "that should do it." My question and ...

Posted Tue, Mar 8, 8:02 a.m.

To "Coolpapa" Charlie Mas: You are one of the most informed and analytical district critics so I really appreciate the complement.The vision here is that if every third grader actually could read at grade level by the end of the year, many of the other problems facing schools -- and ...

Posted Thu, Feb 3, 9:17 a.m.

The kind of thinking behind the science mission statement that Craig Parsley quotes is broadly prevalent, if not controlling, in American K-12 education. It is this that is the fundamental impediment to education "reform" in this country, not teachers unions, the lack of charter schools, local governance problems or anything ...

Posted Mon, Jan 24, 2:37 p.m.

Judy, Great phrase: “It looked more like the hard bigotry of none.” Another note on that story: Alonso decentralized, shifted control of school funds to principals. That, in fact, was the course of Seattle Public Schools up until about 2003. (The percentages of funding controlled at schools were almost identical ...

Posted Tue, Dec 14, 7:29 p.m.

Neither tax nor education policy bears direct responsibility for the Great Recession. What's clear though, is that recession-caused unemployment has hit those with less education (and commonly less income) much harder than those with college degrees (and commonly greater incomes). College degrees then are a proxy for the group still ...

Posted Fri, Dec 10, 4:01 p.m.

What settles it for me is imagining the tens of thousands of skyline postcards that in coming years will be sent everywhere with "Russell Investments" lit up right in the middle. Dick Lilly

Posted Tue, Mar 16, 8:51 a.m.

Since I am firmly on one side in Crosscut's ongoing discussion of whether or not to require real names on comments, I don't reply to individual unsigned notes. However, I want to thank you all for a thoughtful and illuminating series of comments. And particularly, I want to thank Janet ...

Posted Thu, Jun 25, 9:49 a.m.

The description of KIPP proves my point exactly. They know what the goal is so they make changes to get there. Most of K-12 does not make effective changes and we don't hold them accountable, do we? Dick Lilly

Posted Wed, Jun 24, 12:12 p.m.

Folks, The observations you make are certainly proof of the power of conventional wisdom; that is, that the schools are overwhelmed by factors beyond their control. Yes, it seems that way to many, professionals, electeds and parents alike, and such circumstances have at best been used to scatter school-reform efforts ...