Local News

In Sunday’s paper, Education Lab reporter Claudia Rowe examines how one Eastern Washington high school has found success in rethinking its approach to STEM education.

But Toppenish isn’t the only Washington school that’s earned recognition for STEM. Join us at noon this Tuesday, June 17, for a discussion about what educators around the region are doing to make science, technology, engineering and math more relevant and engaging to today’s students.

Toppenish High School senior Armando Bravo displays the robot he and his robotic club team took to California earlier this year for an international competition. Photo by Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times.

Our live chat will be facilitated by Rowe and include the following panelists:

• Armando Bravo, a recent graduate of Toppenish High School. Bravo, whose parents work at a nearby beef-processing plant, has participated in the school’s robotics club and will start at Central Washington University this fall as a construction management major.
• Catherine Brown, academic dean at Cleveland High School in Seattle. At Cleveland, a new focus on science and technology projects has coincided with a 22-point increase in reading scores, a 15-point increase in the graduation rate and a 100-student surge in enrollment.
• Danette Driscoll, principal at Riverpoint Academy in Spokane. At Riverpoint, students gather in an enormous hangar-like room each morning, before peeling off to work on team engineering projects all day.
• Caroline King, Washington STEM’s Chief Policy Officer. King leads the organization’s advocacy efforts to build a robust and diverse movement in support of improving STEM education.
• Shawn Myers, a former biology teacher who now teaches engineering design and biomedical intervention at Toppenish.

Watch a replay of our April 17 Education Lab Google+ Hangout about college readiness and guidance counseling. Our panelists were:  Jameil Butler, an adviser with the National College Advising Corps in Oakland Angela Tang, a regular school counselor at DeAnza High, in Richmond, Calif., where the Advising Corps has been at work for three years Zoey Salsbury, a student…

Watch the video above for our first-ever Google Hangout, which focused on the topic of how schools can better serve advanced students.

The discussion featured the following panelists:

• Walter Parker: Walter is a professor of education at the University of Washington and one of the lead researchers behind the project-based approach featured in Sunday’s story about A.P.
• Amber Graeber: Amber is Advanced Placement coordinator for the Des Moines (Iowa) Public Schools, where she has implemented a similar project-based model for advanced instruction.
• Katie Piper: Katie teaches A.P. courses at Bellevue’s Sammamish High School, one of the schools trying out the new teaching approach.
• Linda Shaw: Linda has covered public education at The Seattle Times for more than two decades and spent several months reporting and writing the Sunday story about Advanced Placement. She will be facilitating the Google Hangout.

Fifth grade students from the greater Bellingham area are greeted by Victor-E-Viking as they arrive on campus to participate in Western Washington University’s Compass 2 Campus program. Photo by Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times.

Our latest Education Lab story examines a mentor program at Western Washington University called Compass 2 Campus. As its name suggests, Compass 2 Campus operates under the premise that linking current college students with younger students can help kids navigate a path to higher education.

Several other local programs — including the University of Washington’s Dream Project — have also exposed thousands of young people to college life by connecting them with mentors and tutors.

At noon on Tuesday, Feb. 11, reporter Katherine Long, Compass 2 Campus founder Cyndie Shepard and Dream Project director Jenee Myers Twitchell answered reader questions during an hourlong live chat.

Did you miss our live chat on family engagement and the Logan Square parent mentor program? Scroll through below to see a recap. Our participants: Joanna Brown, lead education organizer for the Logan Square Neighborhood Association Monica Espinoza, former parent mentor and current mentor coordinator at Burbank Elementary in Chicago Pachomius Schmidt, Federal Way teacher Linda Shaw, Seattle Times…

Got a question for our Dec. 10 live chat with Chicago parent mentor organizer Monica Espinoza, Joanna Brown of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Federal Way teacher Pachomius Schmidt, and reporter Linda Shaw? Submit them via the form below, or send an email to educationlab@seattletimes.com.

Missing just a few days of class in sixth grade can predict whether you’ll graduate from high school. That research is behind a national anti-dropout effort, and its impact at two Seattle middle schools was the subject of a Thursday story from Education Lab reporter Claudia Rowe.

Got a question for our Nov. 22 live chat with researcher Robert Balfanz, Denny Middle School Principal Jeff Clark, City Year mentor Becka Gross and reporter Claudia Rowe? Submit them via the form below, or send an email to educationlab@seattletimes.com.

Anne Reece, principal of White Center Heights Elementary in the Highline School District, has overseen a striking and rapid increase in test scores at the high-poverty school. Her approach to group-based learning was the subject of an Oct. 27 feature story by reporter Claudia Rowe. Reece and Rowe participated in a live chat with readers on Oct….

Got a question for our Oct. 30 live chat with White Center Heights Principal Anne Reece and reporter Claudia Rowe? Submit them via the form below, or send an email to educationlab@seattletimes.com.