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Did you know…

…about schools in Southeast Seattle?

• 90% of Southeast Seattle schools are at Level 3 or below?
• all 5 Seattle schools on the list of Washington’s poorest performers are in the South end?
• in 2011, Mercer Middle School and Maple Elementary became Southeast Seattle’s first level 5 schools?

…about the community in Southeast Seattle?

• 57% of students in the Southeast identify as non-white?
• Nearly 60 languages are spoken in the 98118 zip code?
• You can map various indicators from the 2010 census here.

…who else is working on this in Seattle?

• Communities in Schools Washington: surrounding students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
• Community and Parents of Public Schools of Seattle: a network of parents and community members from across the city, working together to ensure quality public schools for all Seattle children
• Community Center for Education Results:CCER’s goal is to double the number of students in South King County and South Seattle who are on track to graduate from college or earn a career credential by 2020.
• Our Schools Coalition: A group of citywide organizations and community leaders united to express the community’s voice in teacher contract negotiations, to advocate for our children, and to support teachers as professionals.

… about efforts that are working elsewhere?

• Give Kids Good Schools: a national campaign to guarantee a quality public education for every child in the nation.
• Annenberg Institute for School Reform: Established at Brown University in 1993 to develop, share, and act on knowledge that improves the conditions and outcomes of schooling in America, especially in urban communities and in schools serving underserved children.
• Collaborative Communications Group: Uses innovative communication strategies, products and technologies to bring people together for the improvement of organizations, schools and communities.
• National Issues Forum: Nationwide network of educational and community organizations that deliberate about nation-wide issues.
• The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence: An independent, non-partisan organization of Kentucky parents and citizens who mission is to give Kentuckians a voice for vastly improved education. Recommends solutions to problems and informs the public through its publications, including guidebooks on school-based decision making and school law.
• Public Education Network (PEN): Network of independent, community-based school reform organizations dedicated to building local communities’ ability to effect and sustain long-term positive change in their schools and to hold schools accountable for quality public education.
• What Kids Can Do: Non-profit organization that documents the value of young people working with teachers and other adults on projects that combine powerful learning with public purpose. Integral to its mission is connecting the field of school reform, youth development, community development, service learning, and school-to-work.
• Accelerated Schools: Comprehensive school reform project designed to improve schooling for students in “at risk” situations. Accelerated school communities accelerate learning by providing all students with challenging activities that traditionally have been reserved only for students identified as gifted and talented.
• SmallSchools Workshop: A group of educators, organizers and researchers collaborating with teachers, principals and parents, in the creation and support of small, innovative public schools.
• (The) ASPIRA Association: National nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower the Puerto Rican and Latino community through advocacy and the education and leadership development of its youth.
• (The) Center for Education Reform: A national, independent, non-profit advocacy organization that provides support and guidance to those working to bring fundamental reforms to their schools.
• Center for Law and Education: Strives to make the right of all students to quality education a reality and to help enable communities to address their own public education problems effectively, with an emphasis on assistance to low-income students and communities.
• National Access Network: A non-profit education advocacy organization that works to strengthen the links between school finance litigation, education policy, and advocacy efforts, so as to promote meaningful educational opportunities for all children, especially those low-income and minority children currently being denied this opportunity.
• National Dropout Prevention Center – Website to provide resources that enable a new or enhanced appreciation for the importance of a quality education and a high school diploma.

Please contact us if you have other resources to share.