crosscut.com : K-12 Education

Sausage Links, 'piece of cake' edition

Crosscut — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:00:01 PDT

So. What did you think about Hillary Clinton last night? Most opinion writers in the media say the former first lady's speech at the Democratic National Convention was one of her finest moments. As Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly put it, the speech "erased the bad blood of a lengthy nomination battle ... and raised the party's blood for the fall campaign." Eli Sanders at the Stranger said she was "magnanimous," also calling it her "best, most selfless moment." I'm not sure I buy it. But I'll leave it up to you. Discuss. ...

Sausage Links, top-two primary Cuban cigar edition

Crosscut — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:26:01 PDT

Today is "Top-Two" Primary's Eve, and as usual, the pundits have circled and speculated about tomorrow's big turnout. But we'll get to that in a second. First, Oregon congressional candidate Mike Erickson has a lesson for us titled What not to do when going on a "humanitarian trip" to Cuba. In 2004, Erickson said he visited a Cuban "medical center, met with doctors, and attended a presentation on the plight of the disabled." But according to a recent story in The Oregonian, the medical center Erickson said he visited does not exist. The story goes on to say that Erickson and some friends spent nearly $1,698 each for the weeklong Cuban vacation, which conveniently coincided with the Habanos Festival, an annual celebration of Cuban cigars. ...

Sausage Links, 'Everybody wants to rule the world' edition

Crosscut — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:00:01 PDT

Angie Vogt at Red County Washington has posted an exclusive one-on-one interview with Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi. However, don't expect attacks like those seen in Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire's interview with the Stranger last week — this one is fairly vanilla. From the start, Rossi channels the Obama-patented change mantra, saying "this election is not about me, it's not about Christine Gregoire; it's about changing the culture and direction of state government for a generation." It may be a sign Rossi is looking to court more independent voters like this. Or that he's sticking to the high road for now. His campaign, however, isn't so sure he'll be ahead after Tuesday's primary election. But they aren't worried. ...

Sausage Links, debating the polls edition

Crosscut — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:00:01 PDT

Washington state pollster Stuart Elway unveiled his latest poll — and it's a doozy. Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire is crushing GOP challenger Dino Rossi by 16 points. A SurveyUSA poll taken last week, however, showed Gregoire only up 49 percent to 46 percent — a pretty big discrepancy. Either way, voters will get a chance to refine their choices in coming months, as the two gubernatorial candidates agreed yesterday to debate at least three times before the Nov. 4 general election. So far, the debates would be in Seattle, Yakima, and Spokane. ...

Unsubstantiated accusations in the Internet age

Crosscut — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:38:01 PDT

Two huge legal principles clashed in last week's Washington Supreme Court decision holding that the privacy rights of teachers trump public disclosure in cases where allegations of sexual misconduct were unsubstantiated. The case, Bellevue John Does 1-11 v. Bellevue Sch. Dist. No. 405, resulted in a 6-3 split on the court.

Behind the scenes, playing no role in the legal ruling but surely on the minds of the nine justices, are two developments of recent years that have changed both the playing field (literally) and the stakes in public disclosure.

Sausage Links, transit migraine edition

Crosscut — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:00:01 PDT

Ready to pay $6.85 round-trip to drive across the 520 bridge? Me neither. That's the proposed toll that would raise money to help pay for improvements to the floating fossil. But the idea of a toll begs another question, something I've been dying to get reader input about: Do you think having a toll on local bridges like 520 will sway voters to vote for the proposed light rail measure this November? Thoughts?

Sausage Links, blame-game edition

Crosscut — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:05:01 PDT

David Goldstein at Horse's Ass says everyone has missed the boat about the latest mess surrounding the "top-two" primary. The Seattle Times blamed the parties. The parties blamed the state. Others blamed the lawyers. Goldstein, however, says the person to blame for what could be the "most monumental legal fuck up in state history — one which puts the legitimacy of our entire 2008 election in jeopardy" — is state Attorney General Rob McKenna.

Teach both sides of the flat Earth!

Crosscut — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:01 PDT

It's really quite simple: A lot of knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Sausage Links, media-bashing edition

Crosscut — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:00:01 PDT

Lefty blogger David Goldstein at Horse's Ass has been battering the local media lately. Yesterday, he unleashed on Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter Chris McGann for his coverage of Gov. Chris Gregoire's now infamous state gambling compact. Today he asks Crosscut's Ted Van Dyk to apologize to Gregoire for his own coverage of Casino-gate. ...

Orchids and onions for a new week

Crosscut — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:53:01 PDT

First, orchids:

To Barlett Sher, Intiman artistic director, who won a Tony Award Sunday of his direction of the New York Lincoln Center revival of the 1950s Rogers-Hammerstein musical, "South Pacific." The revival won six additional Tonys.

Polimedia lunch links

Crosscut — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:53:01 PDT

Ruby Chow remembered: Brad Wong outlines the contributions from the life of a local political icon. ...

Elite opinion on Obama: Jamieson, Sims and Locke, Horsey, Westneat. ...

Lost in the blind alley of busing

Crosscut — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:00:01 PDT

The impetus for desegregation came from commendable civil rights-era reform attempts, but school busing to achieve ethnically diverse classrooms has largely failed. Understanding desegregation's history may shed light on what we can do right in the future.

Love the warrior but hate the war, and other weekend ruminations

Crosscut — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:00:01 PDT

Also: Whom to blame for gas prices, kudos for the schools supe, Sound Transit's latest audit, and polygamy's free pass.

Fast times and loads of fun, despite expensive gas

Crosscut — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:00:01 PDT

Photo story: Drag racing today is a AAA-sanctioned activity for high school students — on a track, without alcohol, and with plenty of supervision. But high-priced fuel takes a toll.

Evolution of a think tank

Crosscut — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

A journalist comes of age with Bruce Chapman, watching him launch Seattle's Discovery Institute and the intelligent design movement.

Wondering about the WASL

Crosscut — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:00:01 PDT

As my children finish up their last week of WASL testing, along with students all over Washington state, I'm left with the question, "What's it all for anyway?" In search of an answer, I found some great Web sites that explain the importance of the WASL and what's in it for schools and parents.

Washington schools report card: A way to grade your child's school

Crosscut — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:08:01 PDT

Ever wonder how school in Seattle compare with other school districts in the state of Washington? Maybe you'd like to know how Seattle schools compare to each other. How do Seattle's schools measure up to schools in the burbs?

Washington's higher ed priority: posh dorms

Crosscut — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:00:01 PDT

Officials at Washington State University announced last week that the school plans to build new dorms. On the face of it, the initiative seems long overdue: The school hasn't built dorms in 37 years. However, the $26 million dollar residence hall adds only 229 beds, at a cost of $113,537 per bed. The residence hall is part of a larger plan to upscale the dorm experience.

Good news wrapped in a conundrum at Rainier Beach High School

Crosscut — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:42:01 PST

The Seattle Times on Monday's front page wanted to know if Rainier Beach High School is headed, finally, for a renaissance — or at least a rediscovery by southeast Seattle families. The school is rapidly pushing WASL scores up for its primarily African American students. And, as Emily Hefter reported, African-American students at Rainier Beach are making WASL progress faster than African Americans enrolled in any of the district's other high schools. This is truly good news. RBHS is closing the achievement gap.

But that may turn out to be a real conundrum for Seattle Public Schools and the School Board as administrators and elected officials set out to make changes in the district's outdated assignment plan.

Critics cut to the core of our curriculum

Crosscut — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:42:01 PST

When it comes to problems with our schools, there’s a lot more insight in Robert Jamieson’s Thursday column than in the school district’s curriculum audit by consultants Phi Delta Kappa International, summarized elsewhere in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s local section by Jessica Blanchard.