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Update 3:25 p.m.: The state Supreme Court turned the Temple of Justice into the proverbial woodshed Wednesday afternoon, demanding that state lawmakers explain why they shouldn’t be held in contempt for failing in the last session to come up with a complete plan to fully fund public education by 2018.

“It’s been said that insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” Justice Charles Wiggins said to the attorney representing the state. “Why should we think that you’re going to do something different?”

The unusual hearing was the latest clash between the Legislature and the high court arising out of the court’s landmark 2012 McCleary decision declaring Washington’s school funding system unconstitutional.

The plaintiffs’ attorney, Thomas Ahearne, has argued that the Supreme Court risks becoming an irrelevant branch of government if it fails to hold the Legislature accountable for failing to carry out the court’s order to submit the funding plan by April — or at least the end of 2014.

Education Lab hosted a live chat on special education in Seattle on Thursday, Sept. 11.

The discussion was based off our earlier story about Seattle Public Schools’ long-troubled special-education program and a related report on how San Diego school officials fixed the communication problems in their own special-ed department. Reporter John Higgins facilitated the discussion.

Joining him was Stacy Gillett, a former special-education teacher who directs the governor’s education ombudsman’s office; Phyllis Campano, vice-president of the Seattle Education Association; and Mary Griffin, the mother of a child with disabilities and the immediate past president of the Seattle Special Ed PTSA.

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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.

[do action=”custom_iframe” url=”//www.youtube.com/embed/LrBgJ_yIzeE” width=”630″ height=”500″ scrolling=””/] 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…

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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. [do action=”scribblelive” chatid=”316374″ width=”630″ height=”500″/] 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…

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. [do action=”custom_iframe” url=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-EKpDyFTdKa10VkyPvssr04Jq-hqbM_81-LZ-EZ0Tv4/viewform?embedded=true” width=”630″ height=”500″ scrolling=””/]

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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. [do action=”custom_iframe” url=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EGDF4VLTB6W2ebAw682oc4lSFitxyeBWIl37SQSus_A/viewform?embedded=true” width=”630″ height=”500″ scrolling=””/]