[6] November 30, 2012
www.federalwaymirror.com
Federal Way schools join finalists for Race to the Top grant By GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@federalwaymirror.com
The Road Map Project, a regional consortium of school districts from Federal Way, Auburn, Highline, Kent, Renton, Seattle and Tukwila, is one of 61 finalists for the federal Race to the Top competition. The grant competition will pick 15 to 25 applications to award federal money to, with the grants ranging from $5 mil-
lion to $40 million. The winners be be announced by Dec. 31. “The Road Map District Consortium,” as the group called itself on its application for the federal dollars, is asking for up to $40 million to help “drive educational improvement in South Seattle and South King County.” If the group’s application is one of the winners, the Puget Sound Educational District will be the lead agency on project manage-
School board named ‘board of distinction’ The Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) has named the Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS) Board of Directors a “board of distinction” at the WSSDA Conference in Spokane earlier this month. FWPS Superintendent Rob Neu said the award is a recognition of the bold choices the school board has made in recent years. “Our board of directors is highly deserving of this honor,” Neu said. “They have made courageous decisions on behalf of all children we serve, and stood by those decisions through a difficult implementation. They have high expectations of all children — and high expectations of our staff. They walk their talk. All means all.” Some of the board’s recent decisions include the Accelerated Academics policy, and the implementation of Standards Based Education and its grading component, Standards Based Grading. In both instances, the board and FWPS administrators faced tough criticism from members of the community, but, after some time with each program, things have settled down as the students, teachers and families have adjusted to the new policies. “These boards have excelled as school governance teams,” said Dr. Jonelle Adams, the WSSDA’s executive director. “They provided extensive documentation and our evaluation was rigorous. They are exceptional school boards.” According to the district, boards apply to be considered for the title of Board of
Distinction. There are five criteria that must be met: • Providing responsible school district governance • Setting and communicating high expectations for student learning, with clear goals and plans for meeting those expectations • Creating conditions district-wide for student and staff success • Holding the school district accountable for meeting student learning expectations • Engaging the local community and representing the values and expectations they hold for their schools The board consists of president Tony Moore, vice president Angela Griffin, Danny Peterson, Claire Wilson and Ed Barney.
Learn more To learn more about the school district or school board, visit www.fwps.org.
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incentive for local educators to continue working hard. “We are fortunate to have seven school districts in the South Sound who are committed to working together on behalf of all our children. The Road Map Project districts have been working on these initiatives for the last two years, and the Race Grant serves as the impetus to further this work and ensure its success,” he said.
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was designed to support local efforts to close the achievement gap and transform the learning environment in a diverse set of districts, but no matter who wins, children across the country will benefit from the clear vision and track records of success demonstrated by these finalists.” Federal Way Public Schools Superintendent Rob Neu said in a written statement that the consortium’s selection is further
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ment and fiscal matters. The 61 finalists are the cream of the crop from more than 372 applications and 200 districts. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said their selection is an acknowledgement of inspired thinking about education reform. “These finalists are setting the curve for the rest of the country with innovative plans to drive education reform in the classroom,” Duncan said. “This competition
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