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State scores and the value-added method

Last year was a period of adjustment for local students, considering the results of the new state standards exams, which were released Tuesday. The new exams — the Measurements of Student Progress for 3rd-8th graders, the High School Proficiency Exam for 10th graders — were given to students for the first time last year (the [...]

An update on the skills center

This weekend a community member asked me if I knew what had happened to the planned skills center for Walla Walla Public Schools. As I told her what I remembered off-hand on its development, I thought it would be worth a blog mention. Under former superintendent Richard Carter, Walla Walla Public Schools started the process [...]

Support local students!

There’s a couple of ways to help students this week. On Sunday, some eighth-grade students from Pioneer Middle School will be hosting a car wash at the Elks Lodge, 351 E. Rose St., from 1-5 p.m. The washing is free, but students are hoping to secure donations to pay for a learning trip to Washington [...]

School bus tickets are no joke

Earlier this week I wrote a story reminding drivers and families to be careful traveling through town as children head back to school. Today, the Washington State Patrol released an advisory reminding drivers to always follow school-bus rules. Not doing so can yield a whopping $394 ticket that drivers would apparently have a tough time [...]

School’s just around the corner

Good-bye, summer — hello, school! The 2010-11 academic school year kicks off this week for most area schools. Get ready to see school buses, kids with backpacks, and lots more activity around school zones starting this Tuesday. I’m putting together a report on Monday on safety tips for driving, walking and riding by schools and [...]

Some school news

It may be summer, but there are still some exciting things happening in education locally. By the end of this week, Walla Walla Public Schools will have selected a new principal for Walla Walla High School. This week, a team of district and community people will be helping with interviews of candidates. The selection of [...]

Interesting look at cyberbullying

The NY Times this morning has an interesting article on the phenomeon of children being harrassed through cell phone text messages and other online or electronic means. The basic argument of the article is whether parents should be able to ask schools discipline children who are caught harassing other children through online sites or “texting.” [...]

Wa-Hi principal hire timeline

With the departure of Walla Walla High School Principal Darcy Weisner to become superintendent of the Clarkston School District, the Walla Walla School District is working to find a replacement. The district hopes to have a new principal hired by mid-July, and ready to report for work in early August. The district, under the guidance [...]

Weisner heading to Clarkston

For those following our education news, several days ago we reported that Walla Walla High School principal Darcy Weisner was among the top three candidates for the superintendent position at Clarkston School District. This evening, the Clarkston Tribune is reporting that Weisner has emerged as the top choice. This is a developing story, most notably [...]

A word from Walla Walla schools

A couple of messages this morning from Walla Walla Public Schools in regards to the School Board meeting from Tuesday night. In one note, Superintendent Rich Carter addresses the community about the district’s recommendation to use $1.6 million left over from the Edison Elementary reconstruction for other district needs. The other message is from Edison [...]

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