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Title : Parents Surrender: Is That Juneau's Message?
link : Parents Surrender: Is That Juneau's Message?
Parents Surrender: Is That Juneau's Message?
In the past, many superintendents have used the term "laser-focused" but Superintendent Denise Juneau is about the only one who really walks the talk on that term.But I see signs that there seems to be a parallel, less articulated agenda with the Superintendent and the Strategic Plan. Let's examine the evidence.
This is what she says at the Strategic Plan webpage:
Seattle Excellence, is guided by four priorities and is laser-focused on supporting students of color who are furthest away from educational justice, beginning with African American boys and young men. This work is not about changing students. It is about changing broken systems and undoing legacies of racism in public education. By actively addressing racism in our educational system, and ensuring students furthest from educational justice thrive, conditions in Seattle Public Schools will improve for all.The main "Theory of Action" posited is this (bold mine):
During the 2019-20 school year, we are focused on three initiatives: Seattle Super Readers, making sure all students read well by 3rd grade; safe and welcoming schools; and culturally responsive professional practice and instruction.
Targeted Universalism holds that targeted and differentiated efforts are required to meet the needs of specific student populations, so every student meets the universal goal. By focusing on students of color who are furthest from educational justice, especially African American males, we will make the greatest progress toward our collective vision.See that part in bold? I initially missed that.
We believe that an intentional focus on African American males will ultimately benefit every student. We will refine our systems and structures that will ultimately be used to better meet the needs of students throughout SPS. We will also learn how to develop and provide differentiated efforts to meet the needs of specific populations, allowing us to better serve the needs of additional student populations.
Learn how to develop and provide differentiated efforts to meet the needs of specific populations
I'm thinking that sentence does NOT relate to their intentional focus on Black boys; I'm thinking that sentence may be about HCC. This so that, later on, JSCEE senior staff can point to it and say ,"See, it's been there all along."
And that focus on Black males? Well, we have seen the newest racial designation sheet from the district, the one with just one box for "Asian" and one box for "Hispanic/Latino" but a variety of boxes for "Black."
Why would that be? Why would the Superintendent drill down to just black boys born in the U.S.? Well, if you had a heavy lift and could shave off a couple of pounds of weight, wouldn't you do that? Narrow that group and you have a better chance of achieving the goal (and getting your bonus).
Just to note, there are job openings for not one but two people for the new Office of African American Male Achievement.
This is another part of the parallel agenda that is, expansion of jobs at JSCEE. And interesting that the district is supporting Mia Williams' work in the OAAMA by hiring two people but refusing to for Tracy Castro Gill's work in Ethnic Studies.
Next, remember the revamping of the district's motto and symbol? And they hired a consulting firm, right? Turns out that wasn't the only communications consulting firm they hired. They sent out an RFP for a communications consultant. It includes:
- weekly project management of plan and communications
- content creation including internal letters, external letters, social media posts, web page stories, School Beat articles, etc.
- media relations and crisis communications as needed
- what tools and tactics are needed for any communications gap
Here's one tweet the Superintendent has sent out or retweeted from others several times:
Proud to call@ScarlettFevah a colleague. Dr. Scarlett is going to help lead us down the path of realizing educational justice for all our students, per #SeattleExcellence. Take a listen. #proudsupt #SPSConnects
What this is in reference to is a story from KNKX by reporter Ashley Gross about SPS Chief of Equity Keisha Scarlett. I listened to the whole thing - they don't have the entire story in print - thinking it would be more of a profile. But it was very much a piece about HCC and Scarlett's own experiences at Garfield as an HCC student. It's worth listening to but my ears really perked up at the end.
Scarlett was only one of a couple of black students in the gifted program at Garfield. She says it was a "cultural" struggle for her. Interestingly, another person in the radio piece was a former classmate of hers at Garfield, Sasha Rabkin. He runs a group called Equal Opportunity Schools. They don't say that SPS is part of this group but I would suspect so.
Equal Opportunity Schools’ mission is to ensure that students of color and low-income students have equitable access to America’s most academically intense high school programs and succeed at the highest levels.
And EOS is talking about IB/AP classes.
But Gross then veers off into the current HCC issue. She inserts a clip of the Superintendent using an old, inflammatory term for Garfield. She then provides a couple of short clips of HCC parents speaking about not radically changing the program.
Then there is this: Scarlett says that "When you ask people to suspend their privilege, it becomes really hard."
Gross then says "Keisha says this is where racial equity does get really hard and it comes down to opportunity hoarding. That families of privilege do a lot to make sure their kids continue to have privilege. But that it's not a zero sum game if one group isn't thriving, it hurts all groups."
Scarlett then continues: "About gifted education, I would posit that all children are highly capable and gifted - because they are - and they just need the opportunity. Education is not just a moral responsibility but life or death."
That's a lot to try to decipher.
First, I believe I understand what "parents of privilege" probably means but if the district is using this term - over and over in messaging - then they should give the district's meaning to parents. Same with "opportunity hoarding." If the district is calling this out, they need to explain what it means and what it looks like.
And what would "suspend your privilege" look like for SPS parents? What is the ask?
I also really don't like this meme of using words that have an educational meaning, like "highly capable" and then applying them to all students.
Yes, and absolutely, all kids have gifts, of all kinds, but when the state of Washington uses that term in law and the district has a program based on that specific term's meaning in law, then it's confusing when those in the district in senior leadership use it broadly.
Except that I think they use it in order to shut down discussion.
Meaning, parents, not just HCC parents, but many other SPS parents, you should give up. Equity is going to be used as a bully club in SPS and there is no way to find common ground when the other person has decided not to listen.
It's weaponizing equity issues to move forward an agenda - both seen and unseen - that the folks at the very top of JSCEE have created.
( To note, there have been a couple of comments here from readers about how these new initiatives will be going full blast and if the people at JSCEE charged with doing that work don't get it done, that the Board will be directing Juneau to fire them. Not going to happen - it's beyond micromanaging and Juneau would never, ever stand for it.)
Personally, I would prefer an approach that was less reactionary and more "let's do this together" a lá John Stanford. And no one can say that the Superintendent is striving to unite and be inclusive in this work. On this point, I find her very Trump-like.
From some of what has been said at this blog recently, I think there are many communities who would say, "About time the district says this and does that."
Okay then but understand that when you silence some active parents, you silence even more people who will not even speak up at all. And frankly, no superintendent can succeed without parental support.
Scarlett was only one of a couple of black students in the gifted program at Garfield. She says it was a "cultural" struggle for her. Interestingly, another person in the radio piece was a former classmate of hers at Garfield, Sasha Rabkin. He runs a group called Equal Opportunity Schools. They don't say that SPS is part of this group but I would suspect so.
Equal Opportunity Schools’ mission is to ensure that students of color and low-income students have equitable access to America’s most academically intense high school programs and succeed at the highest levels.
And EOS is talking about IB/AP classes.
But Gross then veers off into the current HCC issue. She inserts a clip of the Superintendent using an old, inflammatory term for Garfield. She then provides a couple of short clips of HCC parents speaking about not radically changing the program.
Then there is this: Scarlett says that "When you ask people to suspend their privilege, it becomes really hard."
Gross then says "Keisha says this is where racial equity does get really hard and it comes down to opportunity hoarding. That families of privilege do a lot to make sure their kids continue to have privilege. But that it's not a zero sum game if one group isn't thriving, it hurts all groups."
Scarlett then continues: "About gifted education, I would posit that all children are highly capable and gifted - because they are - and they just need the opportunity. Education is not just a moral responsibility but life or death."
That's a lot to try to decipher.
First, I believe I understand what "parents of privilege" probably means but if the district is using this term - over and over in messaging - then they should give the district's meaning to parents. Same with "opportunity hoarding." If the district is calling this out, they need to explain what it means and what it looks like.
And what would "suspend your privilege" look like for SPS parents? What is the ask?
I also really don't like this meme of using words that have an educational meaning, like "highly capable" and then applying them to all students.
Yes, and absolutely, all kids have gifts, of all kinds, but when the state of Washington uses that term in law and the district has a program based on that specific term's meaning in law, then it's confusing when those in the district in senior leadership use it broadly.
Except that I think they use it in order to shut down discussion.
Meaning, parents, not just HCC parents, but many other SPS parents, you should give up. Equity is going to be used as a bully club in SPS and there is no way to find common ground when the other person has decided not to listen.
It's weaponizing equity issues to move forward an agenda - both seen and unseen - that the folks at the very top of JSCEE have created.
( To note, there have been a couple of comments here from readers about how these new initiatives will be going full blast and if the people at JSCEE charged with doing that work don't get it done, that the Board will be directing Juneau to fire them. Not going to happen - it's beyond micromanaging and Juneau would never, ever stand for it.)
Personally, I would prefer an approach that was less reactionary and more "let's do this together" a lá John Stanford. And no one can say that the Superintendent is striving to unite and be inclusive in this work. On this point, I find her very Trump-like.
From some of what has been said at this blog recently, I think there are many communities who would say, "About time the district says this and does that."
Okay then but understand that when you silence some active parents, you silence even more people who will not even speak up at all. And frankly, no superintendent can succeed without parental support.
Since forever, this district has struggled with one basic issue in schools; making sure that when people come into a school building, they feel at least acknowledged and hopefully, welcomed. I know it has got to be hard to be front-office staff especially in middle and high school. And I cannot tell you how many school DO have wonderful front office staff.
However, there are other front office staff who sit at faraway desks with a tall computer monitors in front of them and barely say anything when you come thru the door. I just had this experience this week and I actually had an appointment with someone in the building. I can't imagine what you get when you are a parent just walking in.
It makes all the difference in the world to hear, "Good morning. What can I help you with?" And yet, it is still a problem in many buildings. So on that 2019-2020 initiative "safe and welcoming schools," I say, "Good luck with that."
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