K-12 schools
Native and state leaders push for K-12 schools to fully implement tribal history curriculum
Miranda Lopez remembers when she first learned about local Indigenous activist and athlete Rosalie Fish. Fish, a University of Washington runner from the Cowlitz Tribe, is nationally known for dedicating her races to Indigenous women who are missing or murdered, including her aunt. Lopez is from the same part of eastern Washington where Fish’s aunt […]
Online schooling for Washington’s youngest students is on the rise
If you asked most families with young kids whether they’d do virtual schooling again after the shift to online classes during the pandemic, they’d likely say “never again.” But for Lia Carlile, it’s not a hypothetical — it’s a choice she’s made for her four kids. Her youngest, 7-year-old Samuel Carlile, met his first-grade classmates […]
Cursive makes a comeback — by law — in public schools
In 2016, California Democratic state Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva sat with then-California Gov. Jerry Brown at an event where he signed baseball-type cards featuring the image of his dog, Colusa. But many of the recipients of the cards couldn’t read his cursive signature, Quirk-Silva recalled, much to the Democratic governor’s dismay. “The governor asked me what […]
School culture wars give rise to candidates and activists defending LGBTQ+ rights
It started with opposition to masks during the pandemic. Then came pushback to critical race theory and sex education. Lately, it’s book bans and controversies over pronouns and other LGBTQ+ inclusive practices. As in other parts of the country, public schools in Washington have increasingly been dragged into ideological battles, targeted by groups like Moms […]
WA Board of Education sets its priorities for next legislative session
The Washington State Board of Education on Wednesday adopted a legislative platform that prioritizes funding for equity initiatives and special education. While the platform does not promote specific bills or budget requests for the upcoming legislative session starting January 2024, some priorities are connected to bills that the board believes will be up for consideration. […]
Progressive reforms or harsher punishments alone won’t fix student misconduct
The 2022-23 school year was a particularly violent year for educators. In Florida, a high school student beat a paraprofessional unconscious. A 15-year-old in Georgia left her teacher with difficulty walking. And a group of students in Texas sent their assistant principal to the hospital after an assault. Recent headlines suggest the 2023-24 school year […]
Washington Board of Education approves new high school graduation rules
Washington may soon expand the list of high school courses that meet graduation requirements. That’s according to a set of rules unanimously advanced by Washington’s Board of Education last Friday under House Bill 1308. The law, passed this year, directs the Board of Education to establish a list of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge […]
WA Supreme Court says state isn’t responsible for 100% of school construction costs
The Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday the state is not required to fully cover school construction costs, dealing a blow to districts unable to raise the local tax dollars they need for new buildings and other facility upgrades. In its unanimous decision, the court said Washington’s constitutional mandate for the state to amply fund basic […]
Camas teachers vote to end strike
About 450 teachers on strike in the Vancouver area will soon return to classrooms after voting to approve a tentative agreement with Camas School District. As part of the deal, the district agreed to increase teacher wages by 13% over the next two years, reduce class sizes and establish a resource fund for libraries, physical […]
State will keep fiscal tabs on three cash-starved Washington school districts
As students return to Washington classrooms, state education officials are closely monitoring how three cash-strapped public school districts are spending money. Marysville, La Conner and Mount Baker districts, all located in western Washington and part of Northwest Educational Service District 189, are in this position because they are beginning the school year without a balanced […]
Gun law raises funding concerns for school hunting programs
WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers are concerned that the Biden administration is interpreting last year’s bipartisan gun safety law to cut funding for school archery and hunting programs, though programs themselves say they haven’t been affected. A provision in the law – a bipartisan effort to curb gun violence that established new criminal offenses, and expanded background […]
Teachers strike in southwest Washington delays school year for thousands of students
The start of the school year was delayed on Monday for about 7,000 students in Camas, Washington after 450 teachers in the district went on strike. This is the first time the teachers’ union has ever gone on strike in the district, which is located along the Columbia River, just east of Vancouver, Washington. The […]