Author Archives: Jesse

Private firm gets failing grade

By Jesse | Published: March 10, 2009
By Jesse Hagopian and Vicky Jambor Special to The Seattle Times ——————– POP quiz: (We hope you’ve been paying attention because this is a high-stakes test; wrong answers may lead to the dismantling of our schools.) What is ailing public education in America? Chronic underfunding of public education; Diversion of public monies away from the [...]
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On the Eve of School Superintendent Evaluation, ESP Vision opposes Pay Raise for Superintendent During Fiscal Crisis

By Jesse | Published: March 10, 2009
Parent and teacher group also asks Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson to return last year’s 10 percent pay increase in a show of solidarity with district children and teachers whose schools are being closed or jobs lost through SPS budget measures ——————— SEATTLE – On Weds. March 11, the Seattle School Board will meet in an executive session [...]
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The Dog Eats Its Tail: Oversized Classes, Overpopulated Prisons

By Jesse | Published: March 7, 2009
Common Dreams (3/7/09) – by Jesse D. Hagopian http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/03/07-2 ———————— One in thirty-one. As a public school teacher I am quite familiar with this figure—it’s a typical teacher to student ratio in the classroom. But now that proportion has taken on new significance: A report released on March 2nd by the Pew Center on the [...]
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Don’t hang a closed sign on Seattle Public Schools

By Jesse | Published: February 27, 2009
Special to The Seattle Times – by Jesse D. Hagopian and Andre Helmstetter http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008722355_opinb09hagopian.html Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson and five School Board members have enrolled the city’s schools in a course titled “Closing Schools for Excellence.” We have been instructed that the closures of five schools and disruption or discontinuation of eight additional [...]
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ESP Vision in the News

By Jesse | Published: February 26, 2009
Seattle Times (6/4/09): “Seattle school layoffs denounced at rally” http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2009298324_schoolrally04… Eat The State (1/22/09): “Madness to their Method?” http://eatthestate.org/13-10/Madnesstotheir.htm Seattle PI (2/26/09): “Seattle parents, NAACP cry racism over school closures” http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/401643_naacp27.html King 5 (2/26/09): “March, rally against Seattle school closures” http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_022609WAB-school-closure-rally…
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