Why some walk away from Seattle public schools
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Kris Aamot and his wife Christine considered Seattle public schools. But this fall they'll be sending all three of their young daughters to a private institution, Westside School. At $6,000 per child, that's no easy decision for a one-income household.
Aamot, a software consultant who lives in West Seattle, says, "Christine and I were both so bored when we went to public schools." Viewing classes at a highly regarded public elementary in West Seattle, they "had that same flashback. A third of the kids were sitting around bored because they already knew the material cold."
Teacher-student ratios were another eye opener. At Westside, the Aamots' kids will be in classes no larger than 18 students, each room with a teacher and a teacher's assistant. That compares with 28 kids to one teacher and the occasional parent volunteer in the public school they visited. It doesn't help that state legislators recently cut voter-approved funds for smaller classrooms.
The Aamots explored other public-school options. They were ready to bite at a proposal to turn Fairmount Park Elementary in West Seattle into an internationally themed magnet school. But district officials say teacher and parent support never reached a critical mass.
Then there's Spectrum, a program serving the second tier of highest-achieving students. It's under review by the district. A distinct possibility looms that instead of continuing to be grouped together in their own classrooms at a few selected schools, Spectrum enrollees could end up mixed in with less-advanced students at a larger number of facilities.
Aamot wonders, why fix what's not broken?
He says, "We have friends with kids in Spectrum, and they like it a lot. The district has a winning model here, but they could give us no assurances the program will exist in anything like its current form" in the future. District decisions on Spectrum are expected after a broader steering committee report next month on "highly capable" programs.
I also spoke to a prominent elected official who yanked his kids out of the Seattle system. "One of the biggest complaints they had was that the hallways and bathrooms were a war zone. And as a classroom volunteer, I saw without question that teachers dumbed down the curriculum to the least capable students."
"Jeff" is a Seattle public school teacher. He identifies as major problems disruptive student behavior, lax parental involvement, unchallenging classroom material and homework, poor teacher morale, lack of substitute teachers, and administrative bloat. He and his wife send their child to a private school.
Performance indicators in Seattle public schools are poor to mediocre. Only 44 percent of fourth-graders tested at or above Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) standards in math and writing last year. For seventh-graders, only 30 percent met the WASL standard in math, 39 percent in reading, and 45 percent in writing. Just one-third of 10th-graders cut it in math, half in reading, and 38 percent in writing. Some WASL scores rose last year; some are leveling off.
Overall, cumulative percentile rankings on 2001 national standardized tests were middling, ranging from the low and mid-50s to low 60s.
Meanwhile, high school "completion" rates for 2001 dropped to 61.1 percent. As elsewhere, this includes dropouts who get a GED. But a GED is a shabby substitute for a diploma, according to a recent study on high school graduation rates issued by the Black Alliance for Educational Options.
All told, for school parents who don't flee Seattle for the suburbs, it's not an encouraging picture. The elected official says, "The WASL scores were the straw that broke the camel's back. Where are my kids going to get the best education? If I can afford a private school, it's a no-brainer."
What about Seattle families that can't afford private schools? Reports cited in Education Week, School Reform News and elsewhere continue to show the benefits of school choice for poor minority students, and others.
There are now almost 2,500 charter schools in the U.S. Washington is one of only 12 states without any. We need a pilot charter program, and a levelheaded discussion on vouchers after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the current Cleveland school vouchers case.
Aamot always votes yes for school levies. And he wants to show support with more than his wallet. "We'd like for our kids to be able to use the Seattle public schools one day."
Two years ago, the Seattle schools hired a survey firm, which found parents of district students and members of the general public felt the system was doing a pretty good job. Next time around, the district's survey consultants should focus on parents who've voted "no" with their feet. The district might learn something.
Seattle writer Matt Rosenberg is a regular contributor to The Times' editorial pages. E-mail him at oudist@nwlink.com.