Happy New Year!

Now that we're all back from our extended holiday break, here's a few education stories that you might have missed. We hope your new year will be one where you, your students and your family will be engaged with improving student learning. As always, we're here to help. Be sure to contact us at by e-mail cisl@k12.wa.us, by phone at (360) 725-6165 or via our Web site, www.yourlearningcenter.org.

Below are several interesting reads to start off 2008:

From The Herald in Everett:
Arlington dumping summer math help
Disappointing results are causing the Arlington School District to dump its summer school program aimed at getting high school students over the WASL math hump. Just three of 40 students enrolled in Arlington's math summer school program were able to pass the August retake of the math WASL.

From the News-Tribune in Tacoma:
Girl talks about life with teacher parents
Sixth-grader Sophia Sonovich writes about spending two years in her parents' respective fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms at Pioneer Valley Elementary in Spanaway. She says some ground rules helped the three of them preserve teacher-student boundaries.

From the Seattle P-I:
Anti-bullying program aims to teach students empathy
A program called the Roots of Empathy at Dearborn Park Elementary revolves around the idea that if children can learn to identify and understand how other people feel, and better communicate their own feelings, they'll be less aggressive and less likely to bully other students.

From the Tri-City Herald:
Exchange students teach as well as learn
Sandra El Daccache isn't Muslim. Plenty of people assume she is when they hear she's from Lebanon. The 16-year-old doesn't mind setting her new friends straight. That's part of why she's in Pasco this year. She and three other students from Muslim and Arab countries are studying in the Mid-Columbia as part of the Youth Exchange and Study Program.

Science training emphasizes question-driven approach

Math and science are the top priorities for the state and its schools. CISL is all about family, school and community partnerships, and the following story from The Bellingham Herald is a great example of how meaningful partnering with private organizations can greatly improve student learning. This story is especially important considering it covers science.

Read this story quick as the Bellingham Herald's stories go to archives in just a week. Click here to read the story.

Snohomish Tech School Teaches to the WASL to Draw Students

Here's an interesting story posted today from The Herald in Everett about how Sno-Isle Tech Skills Center, like many of the state's skills centers, is seeing its enrollment and applications decrease. The cause? Some think it might be the WASL and students taking classes focused on meeting standards, specifically in math. If that's the case, Sno-Isle is doing something about that by teaching to the WASL. This is a trend worth watching.

Click here to read The Herald's story.

CISL Debuts New Blog

The staff at the Center for the Improvement of Student Learning is here, there and everywhere. Visit our blog to see where we've been, who we've talked to and what we learned. The "To the Point" blog will also link you to relevant educational information. Also, if you have a comment about the Website, please let us know.