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Category Archives: Basic Education
New schools chief stumbles in first month
Randy Dorn barely had time to tie his shoes and put his books away before jumping into his new job as superintendent of public instruction, which may explain why he has stumbled repeatedly during his first month in Olympia. One week after taking office, the former lawmaker announced he was replacing the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, boasting he didn't need the Legislature's permission.
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Guest editorial: Four-day school week would provide the flexibility to be creative
School districts around the country that have adopted a four-day school week found that the concerns of increased daycare costs were not necessarily realized. In part, because the school day lengthened by about 40 minutes, which mean students spend less time in after-school care. Many districts organized mentoring and tutoring activities utilizing classified employees, and middle and high school students for the planned non-class day. All-in-all, most districts report that the altered schedule did not result in the negative impact feared.
Commit to prioritizing children by funding education first
On Nov. 12, 2006, after the 18-month education study by the Washington Learns Task Force, Gov. Gregoire said in a Tacoma News Tribune column, "Education is the most important investment we can make for our citizens, our economy, our state and our future. If we want Washingtonians to be competitive in the global economy and succeed, we must have an education system that meets world-class standards." What, if any, action came of this statement?
The Basic Education Finance Task Force has met an additional 24 months since then, and crafted a proposal that reforms our schools to world class standards, improves transparency, and provides more accountability to taxpayers. Our Fund Education First proposal incrementally funds that commitment with no new taxes.
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