Comments

1

"black kids, on average, perform one and a half grades below the national average, according to a 2016 study out of Stanford."

Actually some black kids test high:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/alarming-new-test-score-gap-discovered-in-seattle-schools/

"African-American students whose primary language is English perform significantly worse in math and reading than black students who speak another language at home — typically immigrants or refugees — according to new numbers released by Seattle Public Schools.

District officials, who presented the finding at a recent community meeting at Rainier Beach High School, noted the results come with caveats, but called the potential trend troubling and pledged to study what might be causing it."

What might be causing it?

Values.

3

The article says HCC is 66% White, 12% Asian, 4% Hispanic and <2% Black. What are the other 16+% of students?

5

National Security, not “white flight”:

“The resulting National Defense Education Act of 1958 provided funding to identify gifted students, among other efforts to boost the next generation’s math, science and foreign language skills.

1960s: Seattle introduces gifted education

Three years later, the Seattle School Board adopted a “Policy for the Education of Able Learners” which said the district has the responsibility to provide educational opportunities for every child that “will challenge his maximum ability” and “meet his individual needs.”

In 1963, the state legislature provided funding for gifted services. Seattle Public Schools used the money to introduce a new program, Accelerated Primary, “with the intent of providing for the individual needs of approximately 2.7% of the city’s able learners.”

Students selected for the program in first through third grade attended special classes at seven schools,then returned to their neighborhood schools in fourth grade.

Accelerated Primary was popular from day one, according to district records. “Parent interest was high and parents were most cooperative,” reads a report.

https://www.kuow.org/stories/cold-war-anxiety-and-affirmative-action-the-dawn-of-gifted-education-in-seattle-schools

7

"Between being defunded by the right "

Among OECD nations the US is #2 for per capita spending on public school students, behind Norway,

(Source: US Dept of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cmd.asp )

So money doesn't seem to be the issue.

8

The idea that HCC could be replaced by systemic differentiated instruction is absurd. It has never happened and can never happen. Anyone who suggests it either is an idiot or thinks that you are. There is no differentiated instruction in Seattle Public Schools except here and there every so often when a teacher makes an individual heroic effort to create it.
Think of it this way: take a student doing third grade work. That student can be happy and successful in a third grade classroom, but what happens if you place that kid in a first grade classroom? The student quickly becomes bored and de-motivated and then starts acting out. It would be torture for the student, who would soon start to torture the teacher and the class. No one's interests are served by such a placement. Why in the world would anyone do it?
The HCC students are working two grade levels ahead (and are capable of more). Putting them in general education classes would be like putting kids in classrooms that are two years behind. It would be abusive.
Let's remember that every single student in HCC started out in a general education classroom. They are not still there because it didn't work for them. If it had worked for them, they would not have moved to HCC.

9

@1

Keep chasing that circular reasoning between your legs, you'll catch it eventually.

10

Reading the headline I knew that this would go Racial, as so many many things do. Yeah, we DEFINITELY can't invest in challenging the best and brightest so society can benefit from the amazing things they do... well, unless the "best and brightest" mirror society at large demographically. Sheesh.

11

Thanks for writing the first article about this issue that honestly and presented the different challenges and perspectives involved.

A couple notes that I don't think contradict anything important but are good to know:
1. "Horizon" not "Horizons"
2. Thurgood Marshall situations deserve more context. I'm not sure if the principal is allowed to talk to you, but you should know that she has done, and continues to do as much as I can imagine is possible to address race and equity issues given the system the school operates in. Ongoing efforts in engaging parents and students as well as bringing in outside help to educate kids. Not only that, but there has been intentional mixing of the HCC program (mostly white) with the Scholars program (mostly black) to do Social Studies together multiple times a week. This wouldn't be possible at most of the other HCC schools that don't have as many non-white kids at them.

With regard to Ms. Adams' comments - I agree with all she says but the implications in the "he witnessed a group of white kids beat one of his black classmates on the playground" could use more sources.

There are a number of playground issues at TM which I think stem from inadequate supervision and the fact they have the largest playground in the district.

I'm very familiar with the incident she's referencing and it wasn't white kids beating one black kid (though I could see that being the perception of her kid). It did involve a group of kids that were white and asian pushing a kid that was black in the center of the group. This was an outcome of ongoing incidents of kids forming "gangs" or "groups" and claiming "territory" on the playground (exclusively HCC AFAIK). They would chase each other around and do this sort of thing in play, and while the behavior was definitely problematic and bullying, nobody was trying to hurt anybody, nobody was beat, and nobody was being targeted based on race.

I also know of a white kid in the same cohort getting hit on the head with a lunchbag that had a metal thermos in it by a black kid - however in that case as in the other one described, race was not a motivating factor by anyone's account.

After former incident happened, the school had an intervention session with all involved and their parents to discuss different perceptions and the societal implications of a black person being ganged up on by white people - regardless of the motive. The kids seemed pretty cowed in getting an understanding of that which they didn't previously have and I haven't heard of incidents like that since.

@4 - Some numbers are here, but describe "advanced learning eligible" not exactly what you're asking. Thurgood Marshall's 3rd grade HCC cohort last year had 50 something boys and 6 girls. At least one of the girls left the school by year's end.

12

Confession: I have 2 kids in HCC and neither are particularly "gifted." Above average, but not geniuses.
So how did they get in? Because, contrary to this article, eligibility is based on percentile score (not percentage), which is a measure of how they compare to other kids who took the test. Both of my kids were tested in first grade, when they were still showing the higher relative performance that you would expect of children raised in an upper middle class family. I could afford to send them to an academic pre-school and spend my above-average leisure time reading to them and playing math games. They started kindergarten surrounded by kids who did not have that luxury--that is, poor kids, who are largely brown and black. The disparity does not relate to values, but resources. Knowing this, I have some suggestions: (1) Don't test until later in elementary, like maybe 3rd grade, so the disadvantaged kids have a chance to catch up. 2) Testing should be universal and required unless parents opt out. All SPS families receive annual notice that they can opt to have their child tested for free, but many do not, perhaps because of the baked-in assumption that their kids are not as smart as the white ones (the legacy of slavery). Third, eliminate private testing, which is inaccessible for most and inherently rigged due to the incentives on private providers. Take these three steps and HCC will become a fairer, more diverse program.

13

The problem with the superintendent and this whole HCC discussion is that it doesn't actually address the problem, as defined in the SPS strategic plan, for which it sounds like Juneau got $15K to produce: how do we get better outcomes for African American boys (who aren't immigrants). This whole debate about a program that is meeting the needs of kids who are atypical from the usual student does nothing to directly produce better outcomes for the student population that has now been highlighted as the district's priority. If TAF is the solution the district is proposing for targeting black boys, then why put it at a school with more white kids like Washington? SPS is doing a lot of great things for children in our City, but this red herring of a debate just blows my mind - get focused on the problem. Removing HCC for atypical kids is not the solution to the problem, but rather a political stunt.

(For context: I have one multi-racial standard-issue student; SPS meets his needs fine in the neighborhood school, and I have one who was doing terribly in gen ed. whose academic needs are absolutely not met by the grade-level work he had been given and was a complete disruption to the class but is now thriving in an accelerated environment).

Also, to the person asking about the % gap, I think the missing % is multi-racial kids. For example, our half-black children show up as multi-racial, so aren't really a focus of the district's efforts and they would rather just leave them out because it hurts the story they try to tell with percentages (It would show more black kids in the program).

14

"The district says it screens all children from kindergarten to second grade for the program, .."

I have to wonder who said this because that just is not true. The district screens ONLY all second graders at Title One schools. Everyone else who wants to test has to apply for the program.

One thing to note is that many schools that serve more black/brown kids have very deliberately not fully informed parents about the HCC program. Why? Well, if you take the best learners out of a classroom, teachers lose those kids who generally drive discussion. As well, take the most adept learners out of a school and the average for the test scores goes down.

"My main issue with HCC is that is offers to some kids what you could be offering to everybody,..."

Well, are all kids ready to move thru compacted curriculum at a faster pace and further in-depth? As someone who has volunteered in classrooms, I can tell the answer is no. Teacher can and do differentiate curriculum but it is vastly more difficult the further apart students are in skill level. Ask any teacher.

I agree with the anonymous HCC teacher; equity is being used as a billy club in the district and there is no way to discuss issues or ask questions without being labeled a racist.

"(Another issue with testing is that students who don’t initially qualify can pay to undergo private testing and then use that score to appeal. This can cost upwards of $700, and, once again, advantages families with higher incomes.) " Just to note, Seattle Schools will pay for the appeal testing for any F/RL student.

“For the people concerned that the gifted kids won't get the education they need, the gifted kids are going to be fine regardless of whether they are in the gifted program or not,”

A terrible thing to say and bullshit. Will these kids do okay academically? Probably. But they will also not be with peers who accept them. They may not achieve as highly as they would otherwise (and the research is there to back that one up).

Also to state, HCC kids are only a true cohort in grades 1-5. In middle school, they have one class together as a cohort and many are in math together but anyone else can also test into that math class. HCC kids are with other kids in music, PE, science and electives. In high school there is NO pathway, just AP or IB courses that, again, anyone can sign up for.

The district has whittled down the highly capable program (which fyi, is the State's term for these kids) to almost nothing. The district HAD, on paper, a program that would have something in every single school. Guess what? Every single school did NOT provide for any student who wanted more rigor.

Why anyone thinks that, in 100 schools, there will be the rigor in every classroom with large class sizes and the need for professional development for teachers in compacting curriculum and differentiating both the curriculum and their teaching, is a mystery. SPS is not good at large-scale initiatives. Even the Advanced Learning Task Force has preliminary said any effort of this sort should be piloted.

15

@3 - Good catch. That 16% are Asians which Superintendent Juneau likes to ignore and, it seems, not consider them a minority.

@4 - good question but I think it's pretty even with probably a few more girls.

@13 - "If TAF is the solution the district is proposing for targeting black boys, then why put it at a school with more white kids like Washington?" Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.

I really like STEM by TAF. They have a great program and, that they seek to serve black/brown students is great.

So why did SPS pick Washington Middle School that is majority white? The district had at least three other schools to pick from with majority black/brown students and yet didn't.

Nope they picked Washington MS because it has HCC. STEM by TAF doesn't have divisions like HCC so, in order to have that STEM by TAF at WMS, you'd have to end HCC. That means an entire area of the district would not have gifted programming and it is the area with the most black and brown HCC students. Many parents of color have raised this red flag and asked, "Why?"

Juneau is playing a bit of a dangerous game because unless she can adequately prove that gifted services are happening in a meaningful way, the State may come down on her hard.

Lastly, if a Dem wins the White House, look for Juneau to jump ship fast if she gets offered a high post in the Department of Education.

16

I was in the honors/spectrum/whatever program since 2nd grade. Comparing my experiences to "regular" classes, I would have suffered immensely without the greater challenges and being around similarly-apt peers. Killing this program will squander the potential of tons of kids who can do better than standard-issue material.

17

Juneau regular never mentions Asians kids in her "white supremacy" line. Apparently she likes to lump Asians in with whites. Ditto any multiracial kids with a white parent.

Over 70% of African American kids (as opposed to African immigrant families) in Seattle Public Schools come from single parents households.

Therein lies the problem.

18

Can’t raise up kids at the bottom? Knock down the kids at the top!

19

What the heck did I just read. The solution to helping people is NEVER EVER EVER EVER to take away from someone else! These are children and we are sending a dangerous message if we continue down this path.

20

@10 I know man it is just too annoying that so many things "go racial" here in a country where black people alive today weren't allowed to drink from the same fountains as white people when they were kids.

@15 Maybe reading comprehension and arithmetic are special advanced gifted-student subjects? Here's the question again: "The article says HCC is 66% White, 12% Asian, 4% Hispanic and <2% Black. What are the other 16+% of students?"

21

@20 Plenty of black African immigrants come to this country, many from war torn countries, with nothing and are doing better in SPS schools than African Americans.

Values, apparently, matter.

22

My child was in SPS kindergarten through high school. He could probably have tested into the AP program (as it was called back then) in elementary school, had I known such a thing existed (I did not), or had his teachers "flagged" him (they did not). If the HCC program survives, I do think elementary teachers need to do a better job at finding those kids, no matter their color - and SPS needs to do a better job "advertising" the benefits of the HCC program to parents, and later, AP classes, to everybody. He did indeed later find herself mightily unchallenged in the "regular" SPS classes. However, as time went on and he went into high school (at Garfield), he was able to take some AP classes in his areas of interest with those HCC kids. This was an absolute GODSEND. I really can't imagine what his experience would have been like without that opportunity. So - in a nutshell, getting rid of HCC would also greatly affect non-HCC kids, at least at the high school level, who are able, ready, and willing to take challenging classes with that peer group. And there is just no way "differentiated instruction" could ever work in big, rowdy SPS classrooms.

25

99.9% standardized all the way.

My second grade teacher was against the idea of gifted programs and would require me to do the schoolwork for the one day a week I was out of class.

It took me twenty minutes.

My stepmother did not allow me skip one grade one year, and then two grades the next because it would have been “unfair to her Jacob”.

I remember how absolutely stunned my teacher was upon hearing her shit those words from her mouth.

Imagine that, a dropout.

Get fucked.

26

The gall of these neuro-privileged children, deliberately outperforming their peers! They need to be taught the most important lesson of all: Nobody likes a poindexter. Not even your superintendent.

27

The Stranger joining its brethren at the Seattle Times in reinforcing a structurally racist program. I wasn't surprised by Danny Westneat or David Horsey hoarding privilege for their children, but I must admit I'm shocked The Stranger published such a one-sided article - one that is not factual. HCC is not being dismantled; it is being reimagined so that our children of color can begin to erase the disparities of a racist system. HCC was created so white families wouldn't flee Seattle when their kids were at risk of going to school with kids of color, and the parents screaming foul are on the same side of history as segregationists during the civil rights era.

Seattle prides itself on being progressive - the most progressive thing in this situation is to relinquish the power of being white so others can benefit. I have a kid in HCC, and am willing to give up the current model so all of his peers can benefit.

28

Wow.

29

@21 Legacy of American slavery? Why, that wouldn't apply specifically to Americans and less so to immigrants, would it? No, sir, the very notion is preposterous. In fact, I don't see any legacy of American slavery at all around here. None of that left, not a lick of it. Definitely gone for good, the legacy of American slavery.

30

@27 "it is being reimagined"

Good choice of words. Just like Spectrum, which served the 5% who tested in. Say, where is spectrum? That's right, it was "reimagined" into advanced learning opportunities, which now means extra worksheets. In other words, it was dismantled, and that is what people like you want for HCC.

At the factory, you are rewarded for fast work with....more work. So why work at all? Kids learn that lesson at age 5 and guess what? They aren't quiet when they are bored.

31

@27

See, you should have just sat there and ate your food.

I’m black, my son is black and he’s in HCC, despite not one of his teachers recommending him for testing AND assessing him as below grade level—-even as he tested through the roof on his standardized tests.

As Adams said, what happens to kids like mine and children of color in general when they sit at the confluence of low expectations and virtue signaling of white folk who think they know what’s best for these kids—-all while slamming shut and locking door after door of opportunity in their faces then refusing to hold accountable those blocked them in the first place?

Let me say this to you and to all the well meaning white folks in the back: Seattle Public Schools has NEVER done what is needed to make this program more equitable and instead of doing what is proven to work, they now want to eliminate the program IN THE SOUTH END, WHERE MOST OF THE BLACK AND BROWN CHILDREN IN HCC ARE ENROLLED—-and experiment on the children who are most in need.

This is not just, reasoned or rational in any way, shape or form and SPS needs to be held accountable for years of perpetuating the disparities in this program.

Period.

And if you are so against the HCC program, pull your own kid out of the program and be on your merry way but do not deign to think for one moment you know what is best for my black son.

32

Keep in mind that leftists do not want equality, they want equity.

So if someone is high performing (therefore creating inequality/inequity), it is a perfectly good leftist solution to take from them or handicap them so they can not be better than low performing individuals.

As such, taking educational opportunities away from high performing kids so that they do worse is a great leftist solution to the problem of poor performing kids.

33

@27 HCC parent here. Close down the program and my mixed race kid would be going back to a whiter school. But again, the folks wanting to destroy the program don’t count Asians as ‘people of color’.

34

I'm confused, is this Sponsored Content? It reads like the talking points of all the (mostly) privileged HCC parents who are panicked their children won't continue to be able to take advantage of a racist system.

Let's be clear: the HCC program isn't being dismantled, the district is considering delivering these services through integrated classrooms. This change is being considered so the TAF program can be introduced, a curriculum that is evidence based and designed to help our kids who are furthest removed from equity.

Yet the only voices we hear, once again, are mostly white and mostly advantaged, and they're drowning out families in general education who would gain by the introduction of TAF.

In order to overthrow racist structures, white people must give up power. This is yet another example of (mostly) white parents unwilling to give up power and advantage when other could benefit.

The HCC program is some Jim Crow nonsense. Kudos to Dr. Juneau for recognizing this, and responding to a systemic problem with a structural response.

35

The African-American versus African immigrant discussion here is partially the by-product of selection mechanisms. Consider the privilege it takes to immigrate from Africa to the USA and how wealth and privilege in the home nation translates into privilege in the USA.

I've taught school in Nevada and Washington and have seen how this plays out. I've seen the differences between wealthy kids from Mexico City and kids who came from the ejidos and backwaters of rural Mexico. I've seen the differences between the middle class kids from Seoul who I taught in Shoreline and the children of refugees who I grew up with in Greenwood.

36

"Let's be clear: the HCC program isn't being dismantled, the district is considering delivering these services through integrated classrooms. "

Well let's be clear, that's bullshit and you know it. Neighborhood schools do not have the resources to educate these kids, and will not be given the resources to educate these kids, and will simply throw them into gen ed classes, especially in schools where they make up a smaller fraction of the students (yep, that would be those black and brown kids you claim to care about).

My kid is HCC, not white and the school she's in is far more diverse than her regular school.

What's your answer for her? Go back to the school that ignored her educational needs and bored her crazy because SPS is too lazy to make access to these programs easier?

Well, not without a fight. Take your tired white guilt and leave people of color like my kid alone.

37

@34 "Let's be clear: the HCC program isn't being dismantled, the district is considering delivering these services through integrated classrooms."

Juneau talking point, Jasmine. SPS can't deliver on this. There is no plan, no funding, no training, no staffing, and apparently, no awareness by the superintendent that these conditions exist. She isn't doing her job. Zach DeWolf and his ilk need to realize they are being duped with this unicorn, but sadly, I won't hold my breath.

38

@35

The only privileges African immigrant kids (many of whom are refugees) who come to Seattle and do well in our schools have is the values their families come with. That's it.

39

@34 Shutting down the HCC program does NOTHING to help low performing students of color perform better. What it does is remove opportunity for the children in marginalized communities. When everyone rolls back to their neighborhoods, the wealthy neighborhoods will have a third to half of the school at an advanced learning level and lots of funding to run a robust advanced learning program. The kids who lose here are the kids to roll back to neighborhoods that are marginalized and only a handful of the kids in the school are at that level. Those kids will essentially be put in classes with kids 2-4 grades below their level. Closing the HCC program is the MOST RACIST option. Adding the TAF program and ending the HCC program are not decisions that must be correlated.

40

There is an obvious and easy solution here where no one has to lose.......Add TAF to Washington and move the HCC program to Meany. Half the HCC kids at Washington are from there anyway. Meany has the capacity to take all of the HCC kids from Washington.

41

@40: "Add TAF to Washington and move the HCC program to Meany."

This is beating a dead horse. It's not going to happen and if SPS tried it would not survive the move. You would accomplish Juneau's mission by other means.

42

@Jasmine Reynolds, OK, let's talk about TAF. Seattle Superintendent Denise Juneau wants to let TAF -- a private school -- take over a Seattle Public School. Pause right there. Why is that ok? How is that different from a charter school? That's after she let a deranged principal tear the school apart for a year. Juneau is selling out Seattle schools and kids. By the way, the Washington Middle School teachers voted AGAINST letting TAF take over their school. So how's that going to work out? Jasmine, you say families will "gain" by the takeover of their school by TAF. How so? Look at TAF's test scores --- https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ReportCard/ViewSchoolOrDistrict/106056
Only 31% met math standards, 32% met science standards and 45% met language arts standards. That's what Juneau wants to force on Washington Middle School? No wonder parents and teachers aren't buying it. You know who else isn't buying Juneau's cynical political moves? Garfield High School Students, who Juneau defamed in her rampage to destroy Washington Middle School and HCC and just about everything she touches. But the Garfield students fought back and called her out. Check out this letter to Supt Juneau from the Garfield Messenger newspaper student staff:
https://www.garfieldmessenger.org/5295/editorial/letter-to-denise-juneau/ Here's an excerpt: "We are not another piece of evidence for your campaign. We are not the sole example of what a racist school looks like. This narrative you are perpetuating simplifies broader racial issues and paints an inaccurate, black-and-white depiction of our diverse community. Instead of working towards unity and pushing for true reform, your loaded language overlooks the many ways Garfield is impacted by HCC. It also overlooks the other schools and families that are impacted by HCC."
There's more to this story than just the district's Highly Capable program. This is a superintendent with political ambition who is destroying Seattle's public schools and ushering in private interests. Watch closely.

43

@35

You utterly fail to address the fact that SPS wants to eliminate the program in the south end of Seattle where most of the black and brown children in HCC reside and leave it intact north of the ship canal bridge.

So how does this address the inequities of the program?

To quote comedian Katt Williams, “Don’t worry, I’ll wait...”

If Juneau was serious about addressing the inequities of HCC, she would clear the table in one fell swoop—-but instead she’s allowing some to continue to eat while others starve, all because she’s afraid to incur the wrath of those she sees as most powerful and allowing the most vulnerable kids to become the latest experiments in the district’s ongoing pursuit of good optics.

And the recent report on education outcomes shows that despite huge investments in STEM education and models, American students’ test scores are stagnant in reading and math.

And your post fails to put the blame on the district who has failed to provide equitable access to this program, despite evidence that if certain steps are taken, we would see more black and brown children enter the program.

I am black. My child is black. He is in HCC. No one ever recommended him for the program, not once, not ever.

His former teachers failed him as I have no doubt they are failing other children of color, refusing to acknowledge and affirm their potential.

But of course, your post fails to address this failure, too.

44

@41 Why would it not work to put HCC at Meany? That is the school most of the HCC kids have as a neighborhood school. I personally think they should leave the HCC at Washington as that is a more central location for the southend, but if their concern is that they need TAF to help these low performing students of color, it seems like an option to do both.
Although is TAF at Washington was rejected overwhelmingly by the staff and the students and the test scores someone just posted for them doesn't suggest they would be a success.

45

Re: TAF.

Anyone else remember what a disaster the African American Academy was? Set up, just like TAF, by activists and left wing political hobbyists, and was so horrible, after less than a decade, blacks were fleeing from it.

46

Damn it's like a Betsy DeVos fan club up in here!!!!

Imagine putting all of this passion and energy into creating opportunity for our kids who have been marginalized for centuries instead of using it to protect a patriarchal and racist system.

Nothing gets lefty Seattle parents to go full Trump than threatening their privilege.

47

"Nothing gets lefty Seattle parents to go full Trump than threatening their privilege."

Does that include the Asian and black parents trying to protect the program or do you simply chose to ignore them?

49

also an HCC parent. @27- take your kid out if you want to be "fair" to us POCs but don’t stunt our kids’ growth by closing the program.

50

@49 Want to bet @27’s kid is in 8th grade already?

51

Interesting reading all the comments. As a parent of a kid who was part of the APP program, I can't imagine that not being an option for families. I really think testing for all kids is what is needed for identification. We had our son tested because a friend thought he seemed to catch on to new ideas quickly, and also hearing his complaints about the teacher repeating the same thing multiple times. I can see a teacher not identifying a kid as capable because they are acting up due to boredom, and not recognizing the real reason for the behavior. A teacher's job is tough, especially having large classes and a wide range of capabilities. Do better at identifying the capable students and give those students the challenges that will keep them engaged. All will benefit from the classes being separate, allowing teachers to give the directed instruction according to the students' level. This will help all students rise to their potential. It is not clear to me that this proposal with TAF will do that.

52

Can we also demand more Asian and white kids on school basketball and football teams in Seattle then?

53

“HCC was created so white families wouldn't flee Seattle when their kids were at risk of going to school with kids of color,...”

You can keep saying that; it isn’t true.

@31, thank you for speaking up. I note that many parents of color in HCC have spoken up at Board meetings and Huneau ignores them.

@34 You must not be listening or reading. HCC parents of color HAVE spoken out and some are in this article. But that would hurt your narrative.

@42 Well said

The district has neither a plan nor resources to send all a HCC students back to their attendance schools. Most of the Advanced Learning service dollars are spent on testing. And the unintended consequences of this move are two-fold. One, schools get whiter and some will get more crowded.

One last item, a couple of people have pointed out that African immigrants are different from African Americans. Know who else thinks that? Juneau. In the annual racial diversity form, there’s one box for “Asian.” One box for “Hispanic/Latino. But for “Black?” Three boxes you call out the differences in those populations. Know why? Because one tenet of Juneau’s Strategic Plan is supporting Black boys. But see she’s drilling down to support just for American black boys because it’s a smaller group to work with so easier to get better outcomes. Plus, it’s in her contract to get a bonus if she makes progress in that area. So hence that smaller group.

54

Surprisingly well thought out article for Stranger; slanted but not a regular leftist rant.
As for the comments... remember kids, it's all totally 100% about race. Race and nothing but race. As for right-wing atheistic Arab activists, pro-Trump Hispanics, African American presidents, Egyptian kids who vastly outperform the locals of the same background, Native Americans who sell out the rituals to rich tech kids, they are just not real African Americans/Arabs/Hispanics/Natives/etc. They don't represent the minorities. But, yeah, it's all about race, 100% about race.

55

Denise Juneau sat across from me in a decenniel teacher standards review & revision meeting in Helena, MT and actually told me we were not going to include any standards beyond proficient because bright students did not need the extra help; we just needed to bring students up to meet benchmarks. I am sure the Seattle districts are very proud to have hired someone who concentrates her efforts on conformity rather than excellence; which, by the way, CAN address learners at all levels of ability, if promoted by those who care.
I wish you luck, Seattle parents, in fighting this deliberate denial of appropriate education for bright students. Dont give up!!! I fear you will have little sucess until Juneau is replaced!!!


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