Ok, Ok, I know posts are way down and loyal (all three of you) readers are complaining.

The Seattle Times continues with their Killer, horrible PR for ed stories with todays article on an "alternative" HS in Seattle.

Here is the opening:

Between schoolwork and raising her daughter, 16-year-old Kathy Graves wrote letters. First to her principal; then to the man in charge of high schools; finally to the superintendent of schools himself.

More than a dozen letters, asking for help at John Marshall Alternative School. In one eight-week period, Graves wrote, she had a different substitute teacher every day — except for six days she had no teacher at all.

Wait it gets better:

- Only 24 percent of students graduated on time in 2004-05. By contrast, South Lake High School, which serves at-risk students across town, graduated 66 percent of its students on time. Last year was particularly dismal: Only one John Marshall student received a diploma on schedule.

- On any given day, John Marshall teachers are doing work normally reserved for the principal. Others lead classes they're not qualified to teach. Over three school years, one teacher was absent more than half the time.

That second paragraph happens in any school. Don't we all know the teacher who misses work to get an oil change or "emergency" dental work (3x a year no less)


Also, like my last post, the principal takes it fast, hard, and below the belt:

But in interviews with a dozen current and former staff members, most of whom would not go on the record for fear of retribution, a consensus emerged: The principal is not doing his job. He's anointed teachers to do it instead.

One teacher regularly communicated with district officials on staffing matters, writing e-mails "on behalf of Dr. Drake." That same teacher, along with a colleague, set up a booth at the district's kindergarten fair last winter, trying to recruit children as young as 5 to John Marshall, which serves grades six to 12.

The district had not even heard of the plan to add elementary-age students, let alone approved it.



The Times has links to PDF files of Kathy's letters and some other district memos.