Editorials / Opinion

As a teacher of 44 years in public and private schools, I would like to respond to The Seattle Times editorial on tweaking school boards [“Tweaking Seattle School Board governance could improve performance,” Opinion, Feb. 12]. Good companies such as Boeing and Nordstrom would not be better run if their boards were composed of…

I have some ideas about how to lift some of the underprivileged kids from poverty [“We have a fixation on income inequality,” Opinion, Feb. 4]. We had two young men in our family at different times who were saved by a wonderful program in Highline Public Schools. They both struggled mightily to reach…

Why does education always have to serve some material end? [“We have a fixation on income inequality,” Opinion, Feb. 4]. This kind of materialism breeds a sick culture. The more that we attempt to tie education to the economy, the sicker our culture becomes. The love of learning should be valued as much as…

Columnist Richard S. Davis argues that improved education and training opportunities, not minimum-wage increases, would result in greater economic mobility [“We have a fixation on income inequality,” Opinion, Feb. 4]. In actuality, if we are to educate and train more Washingtonians, we must increase the minimum wage. The person being educated or trained needs…

Seattle area public schools are much maligned these days as they try to do more things for a more varied student body with less funding than they need. It was a treat to read Sarah Stuteville’s column about the Vietnamese language immersion program [“Vietnamese taught at school with community in mind,” Local News, Jan….

It is wonderful that some candidates for president have recently “discovered” the issue of income inequality [“Guess who’s discovered income inequality,” Danny Westneat, Jan. 23]. Since the Republican party is the current majority in Congress, it gives citizens a chance to see if they are serious about doing something about it. Extending the Child…

Bravo, for The Seattle Times’ endorsement of Washington state providing education for convicted inmates [“Educating inmates is a wise investment for Wash.,” Opinion, Jan. 23]. To use the tired phrase, this would seem to be a no-brainer. You would wish that when an inmate is released that he or she would be able to…

As part of The Seattle Times’ ongoing series on school discipline, Education Lab recently asked readers to share their experiences with student discipline. A selection of these responses are below. Go the the original post in Education Lab for more responses.

Want to add your own two cents? Go here to share your thoughts. The blog may publish another round of responses at a later date.

How have you seen discipline handled well?

Discipline has worked when I’ve seen adults willing to be a mediator for helping students listen to each other. Establishing agreements (not rules) beforehand and continuing to revisit them is also helpful. When children know they can trust, they will be heard, they are more willing to listen and learn and be guided.

–Marcia Christen, Poulsbo

I see more schools using positive behavioral supports. We have to teach kids how to behave and the right social skills to get their needs met. Suspending them only makes it worse.

–Lori Lynass (teacher), Shoreline

More

Thanks to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray [“Fix Outdated Federal Education Law,” Opinion, Jan. 13] for her common-sense ideas about the education today. I can remember sitting at a faculty meeting in 2002 when No Child Left Behind was first introduced to us. We, the teachers, looked at each other in bewilderment, knowing NCLB wouldn’t work. All…

The recent Seattle Times editorial “Early education’s promise needs funding” [Opinion, Jan. 12] extolled the undisputed benefits of investing in early learning. In recent years this call for investments has grown and enjoyed widespread support. Advocating for policies that fund early learning has always been relevant to promoting school success, closing the achievement gap,…