Category Archives: Education

OPINION: Intentional Collaboration Ensures Education Equity In Times of Crisis

by Jordan Goldwarg


In times of crisis, communities survive through collaboration. We need to remember this as we look for solutions to educating our kids during the coronavirus crisis. During a time when Seattle Public Schools has been under fire for not acting quickly enough to find equitable solutions to begin distance learning, it is becoming clear that in order to support the intellectual and socio-emotional growth of all students, we need to develop strong partnerships between school districts, non-profits, and the private sector. Continue reading OPINION: Intentional Collaboration Ensures Education Equity In Times of Crisis

Students on the autism spectrum and their parents face extra hurdles in trying to learn from home

by Carolyn Bick

Less than a week after Seattle Public Schools closed its schools’ doors to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, working single mom Karen Anthony found her seven-year-old son James on the roof of the house.

“He’s climbed up on my roof twice now. And this happens in five minutes –– quite miraculous, actually,” Anthony said with a small laugh.

Anthony’s two children, James and his brother Elliott, 13, both attend Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and are severely impacted by autism spectrum disorder. They were each diagnosed at age two-and-a-half. When school is in session, the boys require high levels of support in the classroom.

Continue reading Students on the autism spectrum and their parents face extra hurdles in trying to learn from home

Partnership Tackles Opportunity Gaps Facing Skyway Youth

by Carolyn Bick

Ryan Quigtar grew up in the Skyway community. Even then, he said, there was a lack of educational and enrichment opportunities for school kids like him. Decades later, this lack of opportunity persists. But as the Executive Director of the Renton Innovation Zone Partnership, Quigtar is now in a place to help do something about it. Continue reading Partnership Tackles Opportunity Gaps Facing Skyway Youth

Q&A: Student, Author and Activist Azure Savage Discusses Racism and Centering Students of Color at Seattle Public Schools

by Guy Oron

Azure Savage is an author, activist and senior at Garfield High School. Savage recently published You Failed Us: Students of Color Talk Seattle Schools, a memoir and oral history of his and 40 other students of color’s experiences with racism in the Seattle Public Schools district. The book confronts Seattle’s education system and shows how programs, such as the advanced learning program, harm students of color. Continue reading Q&A: Student, Author and Activist Azure Savage Discusses Racism and Centering Students of Color at Seattle Public Schools

How The South King County Discipline Coalition Responds to Disproportionate Treatment

by Kayla Blau

If your child has ever been disproportionately disciplined, the South King County Discipline Coalition (SKCDC) is here for you. The coalition is comprised of community members and organizations that believe discipline disproportionality and the school-to-prison pipeline are unacceptable.

Continue reading How The South King County Discipline Coalition Responds to Disproportionate Treatment

PESB Convenes Education Stakeholders to Tackle Educator Diversity

by Melia LaCour

As educators grapple with inequitable systems responsible for undercutting the success of black and brown students, the State of Washington Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) is taking bold leadership to tackle one of the state’s biggest culprits: systemic failure to retain teachers of color.  Currently, only 11 percent of the teaching workforce are teachers of color despite a rapidly growing diverse student population.

Continue reading PESB Convenes Education Stakeholders to Tackle Educator Diversity

Rainier View Elementary Principal Wins Foster Award for Closing Opportunity Gap

by Makenna Dreher

Walking down the soon-to-be bustling hallway of Rainier View Elementary on a Thursday morning, Principal Anitra Jones describes the history of the school, including its reopening eight years ago. In mid-sentence, Jones stops as she sees a student coming out of the bathroom. She leans over and greets him by name with a high-five.

Continue reading Rainier View Elementary Principal Wins Foster Award for Closing Opportunity Gap

Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap on Education and being South Seattle College’s First Female President of Color

by Carolyn Bick

Meet Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap, South Seattle College’s first woman of color to serve as president.

Looking out at the room from the stage at her first Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges (WACTC) meeting, Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap and the five others who became college presidents this year realized their very presence was a turning point in education.

Continue reading Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap on Education and being South Seattle College’s First Female President of Color

Opinion: Say Yes to City of Seattle Proposition 1, Renewing Our Commitment to Seattle’s Kids

by Elizabeth Whitford, CEO of School’s Out Washington, Jessica Werner, Executive Director of Youth Development Executives of King County, Erin Okuno, Executive Director of Southeast Seattle Education Coalition

It is an exciting time for children, youth, and families in Seattle. The future holds promise with a new superintendent, city government and the school district working more closely together, and community support for critical educational programs. However, Seattle Public Schools still faces many challenges in its commitment to closing opportunity gaps and ensuring excellence in education for every student.

Continue reading Opinion: Say Yes to City of Seattle Proposition 1, Renewing Our Commitment to Seattle’s Kids

Garfield students, teachers protest displacement of two educators

Story and photos by Susan Fried

Most Garfield High School staff and students left their classes and gathered in the school’s gym to show support for two teachers displaced from Garfield High School around 10 a.m. on September 28. The two teachers being displaced are Jessie Purcell, who teaches health and physical education, and Amy Miller, who teaches health. The teachers work with a lot of students, particularly students of color and low-income students.

Continue reading Garfield students, teachers protest displacement of two educators