| PREAMBLE
A. We, the Seattle Education Association (SEA) and the
Seattle Public Schools (SPS) commit to placing the student in the center
of the circle. We will address the need for equity in results, fan hope
with real actions, demand the best of students and ourselves, exhibit
the humility necessary to seek and welcome the engagement of parents/guardians
and community in the education of all the children and the young men and
women in our care. Together we believe in our students, our community
and ourselves.
B. We commit to ensuring that all students are provided the support they
require to reach the standards that the parents and guardians, staff,
School Board and community establish as reflecting what every student
should know and be able to do upon graduating from the Seattle Public
Schools.
C. We believe there is a correlation between the education of our students
and the empowerment of the staff entrusted with the responsibility for
their learning. Therefore, this Agreement commits both parties to building
a collaborative partnership based on mutual respect and trust that is
deeper than the leadership and which will continue beyond the tenure of
those currently in leadership positions in our respective organizations.
D. We are committed to changing the odds for student success and creating
a culture of success. We are focused on closing the achievement gap and
creating learning communities that provide academic enrichment programs
for all students. We believe that we can do this by creating and supporting
a system that has:
1. High expectations of and by students and adults
2. High support from SEA and SPS
3. High success for students and staff
4. High trust in parents/guardians, students and staff
5. High engagement of community and families
6. High degree of openness
7. High personalization to meet the unique needs of both students and
staff
E. To accomplish this we need to take the good works and collective wisdom
of all those who independently care and act for education. We wish to
harness the strengths of each to create an outcome that we cannot create
alone.
F. The following beliefs by all the stakeholders are fundamental to developing
a vision for success, and to realizing that vision:
1. We believe the capacity to create and support the vision that will
unite stakeholders and provide successful educational opportunities is
in our school system today. Creating a vision of what a student needs
to know and be able to do upon graduation from the Seattle Public Schools
must be developed with parents or guardians, students, staff, and community.
2. We believe that to create positive change that endures over time,
efforts must rely on and
be replicable and sustainable under realistic funding projections. Use
of grants or other short-term realignment of resources may be used to
speed up change while fundamental realignment of resource use is being
identified and implemented.
3. We believe that realigning resources is necessary to achieve our vision.
We commit to, over time, collaboratively reviewing the ability to sustain
small schools while remaining committed to sustaining small learning communities.
4. We believe that our success demands that a strong parent/guardian
and community engagement process be built into this effort. We must provide
the training, time and support for school staff to engage with parents/guardians
and communities, to develop the shared responsibility for supporting student
learning.
5. We will overcome challenges to innovation rather than using bureaucracy
to impede efforts. We will also advocate on behalf of schools with OSPI
and the federal government.
6. We will provide a safe and healthy environment where
discrimination, intimidation and harassment are not tolerated by or toward
students, families, community, or school employees.
7. We will provide professional development to infuse cultural literacy
into training, curriculum, instruction and assessment, and community and
parent/guardian engagement.
8. We recognize that simply raising achievement of all students will
not in and of itself eliminate the achievement gap. We share the goal
and expectation that students will meet SPS standards. For students who
have a longer climb we will provide the necessary additional support to
help meet the goals.
9. We will work together to secure adequate funding for Seattle Public
Schools that will provide the environment, the class size/caseloads, and
the compensation that will attract and retain quality staff.
G. These commitments and beliefs, supported by action, will bring about
the culture of success that SPS and SEA envision.
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