Tom Stritikus, dean of the UW College of Education, addressed in a recent Seattle Times op-ed the growing interest in charter schools. He references the new documentary “Waiting for Superman,” in which director Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvient Truth”) tells the tale of an American education system that caters to adults and not children. Stritikus sees the movie’s buzz as an opportunity to talk teacher training and quality.
A former Teach for America corps member, Stritikus says, “I know firsthand that many of today’s youth aren’t getting a quality education. But can charter schools alone fix this problem?” Washington voters rejected a charter school initiative in 2004, but Stritikus believes it is time to re-approach that decision. He says teachers must represent and respect the diverse landscape in which they’ll work. Charter schools are just one of the options needed to face the challenge, he concludes.
Read the op-ed by Stritikus, and make room for this week’s Dawg Treats:
- Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, surprised a class at New York University taught by UW alum Victor Pickard. This video is good for a quick laugh.
- UW makes the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine’s list of top entrepreneurial schools.
- KING 5-TV offers a look at Freshmen Orientation in the face of higher tuition.
- Laura Ramon is one of Western Washington’s “Recycling Superstars” and helped recycling get started on the UW campus. The UW alum has volunteered in her community to teach recycling as a King County Master Recycler Composter volunteer.
- UW President Mark Emmert’s last day was Thursday, Sept. 30. Seattlepi.com looks at what’s next for UW leadership, while The Seattle Times says the Emmert era gets mostly high marks.
- Here’s another piece from The Seattle Times on Interim President Phyllis Wise.
- The Daily quotes a public opinion poll that reveals 26% of Washington voters don’t know the UW’s benefits. Mentioned in the story is UW Impact, the UW Alumni Association’s new civic advocacy initiative.
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