Today is the first day of the new academic school year for 47,000-plus Seattle students and 2,753 teachers in 94 schools.

Seattle Public School celebrates this new year with a districtwide focus on raising expectations – through strong teachers and principals, a central office committed to serving schools, improved long-range planning and a pledge to ensure that students graduate ready for college, careers and life.

The District also is beginning the new year celebrating academic achievement:

Results released last week by the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction showed SPS students outperforming the state average on spring 2011 tests. In fact, Seattle students met or exceeded standards on the state exams at a higher rate than the statewide average in every tested subject in grades 3-8, and also demonstrated strong year-to-year growth, showing improvement in nearly all tested subjects.

“It’s a pleasure to start school with the knowledge that our students are seeing academic success,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield in a statement. “It gives us a strong foundation to build on throughout the year and inspires us to work even harder to close the achievement gap between those students who are succeeding and those who struggle in school.”

To remind teachers and staff of their shared mission, Seattle Public Schools has adopted a motto for this year, called AGREE: Attacking Gaps/Raising Expectations Everywhere.

“It is time for us to be bold and attack our gaps, while at the same time improving the quality of instruction for all students – and we must engage our families and community partners in this effort,” Dr. Enfield said.
“To that end, I have outlined our Four Pillars of Success for the coming school year.

They are:

1) Great principals highly skilled as instructional leaders.

2) Great teachers highly skilled in meeting the needs of all students.

3) Families and community partners connected to our schools.

4) Central office staff who serve and support schools and families.”

While official enrollment figures won’t be released until early October, the District is anticipating increased enrollment again this year and is opening two elementary schools to accommodate the growing number of students: Rainier View and Viewlands.

The continued enrollment growth also reinforces the importance of improving the District’s long-term planning efforts, Dr. Enfield said. “We are committed to responding and planning for enrollment growth, program needs and regional demographics accurately and with community input,” she said. This fall, Seattle Public Schools is forming a new Capacity Management Advisory Committee to provide feedback on long-term planning, including subcommittees to work on regional and program issues, Dr. Enfield added.

More details on 2011-12 District initiatives:

Closing the Achievement Gap (AGREE: Attacking Gaps/Raising Expectations Everywhere): SPS has designed a school-specific effort to eliminate gaps in education and opportunity by personalizing each school’s focus to improve teaching and learning.

“We need the full strength of our community to help our students,” Dr. Enfield said, “from families reading at home, to business leaders offering tutoring, to volunteer mentors – all partnering to improve education in the classroom.”

Those interested in volunteering should contact their neighborhood school.

Ensuring every student graduates from SPS ready for college, career and life: The District is placing an emphasis on working with the Mayor’s Office to increase attendance, and is also committed to reducing the drop-out rate by focusing on positive student discipline and alternatives to suspension.

Continued emphasis on two-way communications: When she was appointed interim superintendent last March, Dr. Enfield established open office hours to meet with students, families and staff every Thursday from 3-5:30 p.m. Those meetings were so successful that Seattle Public Schools will open its doors to other department leaders every Thursday starting Oct. 6. Rotating open office hours will be hosted by Dr. Enfield and Dr. Cathy Thompson, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning; Pegi McEvoy, Assistant Superintendent for Operations; and Bob Boesche, Interim Assistant Superintendent for Business & Finance. For information on scheduling an appointment, see the Leadership Open Office Hours page on the SPS website.