Howard Thurman: Jesus and the Disinherited Mr. Thurman passed in 1981 but his insights continue to influence thinking today, especially about the intersection between religious faith and public policy.
Paul Tough: How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character The author of "Whatever It Takes," the story of Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem Children’s Zone, provides insight into the early development of children. What’s best? Cognitive or non-cognitive learning? Tough’s theory is that character is what really matters.
Anthony S. Bryk: Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago In 1988, Chicago public schools decentralized, granted parents and faculty resources and authority to reform. This book reports on a seven-year study of what happened and identifies the practices and conditions that were essential for improvement of student academics. The authors arrived at their conclusions by researching 100 elementary schools that improved and 100 that didn't. The five essentials—school leadership, parent/community ties, professional capacity of faculty/staff, student-centered learning environment, and instructional guidance system.
David M. Kennedy: Don't Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America Kennedy has shared his ideas with us and Seattle police successfully used his Drug Market Initiative along 23rd Avenue to stop decades of open drug trafficking. Now, Kennedy's new book tells the whole story, from the beginning to today. It's a story of reform, hard work, determination, and guts. It's about justice in the true sense of that word, a justice that infects a community and spreads. It's about the police and how their pursuit of excellence can inspire all of us. It's about cities and specific neighborhoods and how to create peace and community. If you want safe streets and sidewalks, if you want to end mass incarceration, if you want racial equity, if you want truth and fairness returned to the justice system, read this book!
Jan Gehl, Architect and Urban Quality Consultant: Cities for People Gehl is a global expert on urban places. His firm's 2008 conclusion that Seattle should move as many vehicles as possible underground and work to reduce surface traffic is a compelling argument. Read Gehl's book at the same time you read Edward Glaeser's "Triumph of the City." Both authors present persuasive arguments for city planning that focuses on people.
Seattle police officers and detectives have so far rescued 45 children, age 17 and under, from being prostituted this year. That's a record number, highest in the United States. Last year, 30 children were rescued.
The problem of children forced into street prostitution in our region is well documented. One of my proudest and most gratifying initiatives since joining the City Council is the successful launch of the safe-haven residential treatment facility where these kids can begin to get their lives back. The Bridge, the program's official name, opened a few months ago. Five
UPDATE: August 31, 2010 Good news announced last night. Read Seattle Times story here.
PREVIOUS POST: This will be a pivotal week for Seattle public school children. We will learn this week whether the school district and the teacher's union are able to reach agreement on very important reforms that could transform public education in Seattle.
The stakes are high.
Remember the facts: In Washington State, almost one-quarter of high school students don't graduate. In Seattle, nearly one-third fail to graduate. A comprehensive study of the Class of 2006 revealed that only 34% of Seattle high-school graduates demonstrated the baseline skills needed to be successful in college. By 2018, it is projected that 67% of all jobs in Washington will require post-secondary education.
The graduation and prepared-for-college statistics are unacceptable. In fact, we've lived with them for far too long. The schools district's proposed reforms represent a reasonable first step. They are certainly not a panacea, nor will change happen overnight. But they will introduce greater accountability and form the basis for student improvement.
I have an antidote to conservative activist Glenn Beck's rally that took place yesterday on the Mall in Washington, D. C. The rally was held 47 years to the day after the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his now famous "I Have A Dream" speech (sermon) at the Lincoln Memorial. So in the spirit of rallying Americans, I have two suggestions.
First, listen to the audio of Dr. King's speech. I especially like listening only to the audio because it allows me to form a mental picture of what it must have been like that day in 1963 when King stirred the nation. King's commanding performance seems more powerful every time I listen.
Second, read Seattle author Drew Hansen's book, "The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech That Inspired A Nation." Drew's book lays the groundwork for King's speech, providing interesting insight into the theological and political underpinnings. It also tells the fascinating story of the road that led to Washington and how King assembled the speech from his life's work. A great read, one that will inspire, motivate and ground the reader in King's philosophy of engagement and political action. (Watch Hansen describe and read from his book in this CSPAN video.)
Mayor McGinn is hosting a crime prevention seminar focused on street, sidewalk and open space design factors that are proven to reduce crime. The details are here for this seminar in Seattle tomorrow evening.
Former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice weighed in this morning on education reform and he nails it! Read his piece in The Seattle Times. Thank you for standing up for our children, Mayor Rice.
The potential benefits of education reform—including linking student performance to teacher evaluations and compensation—far outweigh maintaining the status quo. The Seattle proposal for teacher evaluations includes safeguards that the teachers' union itself proposed—a 4-level rating system and multiple evaluators (not just principals as is the case today). Those parts of the proposal that link student performance to teacher compensation will only apply to new teachers; current teachers can voluntarily choose to be part of the new system or stay with the current method. (Here is a independent, side-by-side comparison of the proposed contract from the school district and the teachers' union response.)
Education reform is more than teacher evaluations and compensation. What's needed is a thorough reexamination of how we deliver public education and hold those responsible—administrators, principals, teachers, support staff—for the results. No one suggests this is
The New York Muslim community center fiasco just won't stop. The problem isn't the center itself, it's the reaction from some Americans who are wrapped up in fear, anger and hate. Frankly, it's embarrassing. Whatever happened to religious tolerance and the freedom to worship? Come on, Republicans, remember the Constitution?
Today's New York Times carried two excellent opinion pieces that put this fake "crisis" into perspective. Nicholas Kristof shows how the whole affair plays right into the hands of Osama bin Laden and Frank Rich traces the beginning of the controversy and the role of Fox News.
The reform of public education is one of the most important issues we must tackle. My colleague Richard Conlin and I presented part of the case for reform in an opinion piece that ran a couple of weeks ago in The Seattle Times. Response to the Times piece was mixed; many of the people responding at the Times website or to me personally were negative and accused me of attacking our teachers. (The economic argument in favor of strong reform measures in Seattle was presented by local business leaders yesterday.)
The reforms needed in public education involve the entire system, not just teachers. Everyone involved in public education—administrators, principals, school board members, and teachers—is responsible for the system we have today that routinely fails a third to one-half of our children. There is enough failure for everyone to share.
The City Council voted this afternoon 8-0 (Conlin excused) to confirm Mayor McGinn's appointment of John Diaz as Chief of Police. As part of his confirmation, the Council sent this letter of expectations to Chief Diaz.
Prior to the Council's vote, I shared the following comments with my colleagues:
Today, we vote on the confirmation of John Diaz as Seattle’s chief of police. Compared to other cities of our size, confirmation of a police chief doesn’t happen here very often. The last time was 10 years ago when Gil Kerlikowske was confirmed as Chief.
The last permanent chief appointed from within the ranks of the police department was 36 years ago when Mayor Wes Uhlman chose Robert Hanson. Chief Hanson was confirmed by the City Council on a razor thin 5 to 4 vote. All of the police chiefs following Bob Hanson came from outside Seattle.
Many Americans have been shocked that a government commission in New York City gave the go-ahead this past week to an Islamic community center, including a Muslim worship facility, just two blocks north of Ground Zero. They wonder why the government of New York City would allow such a facility so close to the site of the World Trade Center towers that were attacked by terrorists in the name of Islam. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on that terrible day.
I had a different reaction. I wondered whether a Christian or a Jewish group would be able to build such a facility in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan or Iran or Iraq. No, they likely wouldn't. The religious freedom we have in our country has fostered a religious pluralism that is something to be cherished and celebrated. And it points to something else as well—a tolerance that has bred creativity and strength. Thomas Friedman says it better than I can in this piece in the New York Times from last Wednesday.
Yesterday morning I spent time with 11- and 12-year-old boys and girls in summer school. Operated by Rainier Scholars, the summer sessions are part of a 14-week immersion program designed to strengthen academic proficiency, teach organizing skills, and set the kids on a path to college.
I visited three classrooms: American history (Frederick Douglass, slavery), English literature (Shakespeare and Homer's Odyssey), and mathematics (algebra). I saw seasoned teachers in control of each classroom, peppering their students with questions, engaging in dialog, walking around. The students were engaged, attentive and excited to be there.
