Today the issues facing students, educators and schools in Seattle have never been greater. Despite these challenges, the foundational strengths of the Seattle Public Schools system are significant and Seattle is a city that believes in the promise and power of public education.
By: Lisa Chick
Seattle is a city that believes in public education, and that cares deeply about its students. Since our founding 30 years ago, the Alliance for Education has catalyzed that commitment to bring the incredible resources of our hometown into our incredible public schools—raising funds, designing and implementing innovative solutions, and cultivating partnerships to support Seattle students and educators.
The challenges of the U.S. public education sector are well-known – funding gaps, teacher shortages, inequitable student outcomes. Seattle’s education system has not been immune from these trends, as I know well after more than 25 years leading in the field and 8+ years leading at the Alliance.
Today the issues facing students, educators and schools in Seattle have never been greater. Students are still catching up from the pandemic’s impacts on mental health and learning. Housing costs drive students and educators out of the city. There are gaps in state funding for special education, transportation and more. Another superintendent transition is underway. And federal resources from the Department of Education are under siege.
Despite these challenges, the foundational strengths of the Seattle Public Schools system are significant. SPS has strong graduation rates, excellent teaching staff, positive student outcomes and constantly improving facilities. Should you walk into schools in other urban districts across the country and compare – as I have, you would be proud of the state of Seattle schools.
While our community’s list of priorities is long, education rarely ranks near the top—an everlastingly important topic we all care about, but seemingly never an urgent one. And because we care, our community is highly critical about our public education system. We rail about our individual priorities and ignore broader concerns. We highlight predictable challenges and rarely emphasize the array of strengths. We judge the promising solutions before they have time to take root. We talk from the sidelines without taking action to make change.
A student ignored and constantly critiqued by their teacher will not thrive, and neither will our district with our current approach. A thriving school district sits at the heart of an excellent city. Its existence – or absence – will define the future of our community.
As I prepare to step down from my role as President of the Alliance, my greatest hope is that our community will bring new energy to rallying around the success and well-being of Seattle Public Schools. I hope together we can:
Prioritize changes that support students furthest from educational justice.
If we make changes to our system to support students least served by currently, we improve the system for all. Some Seattle students truly thrive in our schools; others are not receiving the support and engagement they deserve. As we make hard choices in a resource-constrained environment, let’s focus first on students who our system has failed most.
Be persistent and determined.
Transforming public education and advancing racial equity requires urgency and persistence. Change in the education sector never happens overnight—and if we constantly change course when change isn’t immediate, progress will be impossible. With discernment, persistence, and attention, change will happen.
Stick together.
Progress requires collaboration. The most effective solutions are born out of trust, shared vision and working together – and that kind of collaboration requires time, listening to one another, and compromise. Let’s continue to break bread, build bridges, and roll up our sleeves—together. Our students’ futures can’t continue to be the collateral for adults not getting along.
Dig deep and do more.
The challenges we face are real—but so is our capacity to meet them. There is no city better positioned to resolve the concerns of our public education system than Seattle. Give more, listen more, partner more, learn more, speak up more, and most importantly, imagine more. If any city can create the schools all our students deserve, and produce graduates prepared to take on the world, it’s Seattle.