Teacher shortages continue to be a challenge for state policymakers, and while national media coverage paints a picture of widespread shortages, a closer examination reveals that shortages tend to be concentrated in specific subjects and schools. The primary policy response to shortages is often to recruit more teachers, but research demonstrates…

The sudden closure of educational facilities due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about many trials and struggles. For families and students, it means the loss of structure, connection, and valuable instructional time. For administrators, educators, and support staff, it means a sudden shift in the way teaching and learning…

Many students rely on school meals to meet their nutritional needs. Additionally, the economic impact of COVID-19 has resulted in more families needing assistance. The intent and purpose of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Nutrition Programs is to ensure access to meals for students in need. Meal service is expected to continue whether…

This publication is intended as a companion resource to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction's (OSPI's) "Reopening Washington Schools 2020: District Planning Guide," (ED606044) issued June 2020. This document provides guidance and strategies for reopening schools and providing continuous learning to migrant students. Key…

This special education reopening guidance has been developed as a companion resource to "Reopening Washington Schools 2020: District Planning Guide" (ED606044) to provide information and resources for supporting students with disabilities throughout the school reopening process. The intent of this document is to offer guidance for all…

To slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Washington state, Governor Jay Inslee announced on March 13 that all public and private K-12 school facilities in the state were to close through April 24. On April 6, he extended the directive through the remainder of the school year. Although school facilities are closed to traditional…

The Department of Early Learning (DEL), in partnership with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and Thrive Washington, has published the Early Learning and Development Guidelines (guidelines) for children from birth through third grade. The guidelines replace the Early Learning and Development Benchmarks, which were first…

The booklet explains the selection and use of a system to build career development programs and presents a sample career development program produced by the system. The system provides a framework to build a program and is based on the theory of three levels of learning--perceptual, conceptual, and generalization. The model, or sample system, is…

This document contains guidelines for science curriculum in Washington State schools. Statements of philosophy and program goals are presented and explained. Four major program goals (which address societal demands) operationally describe science education toward the learning of: (1) factual and theoretical knowledge; (2) applied science skills;…

This guide was developed in order to assist school districts to provide equal education opportunities for students of limited or non-English speaking ability. It is hoped that this guide will be of assistance to educators who are attempting to deal with the special problems of children who speak a language other than English in the home. State and…

Developed to assist employers in implementing a company-sponsored, on-site workplace literacy program for their employees, this guide is the result of experiences gained by the Seattle-King County, Washington, Private Industry Council, its partner agencies, and participating local employers. The guide contains sections on the following stages in…

The materials in this manual are designed to help workshop leaders prepare for and present a workshop for school board members or candidates in school board elections on the role and function of school board members and on the programs, services, and staff of the state school board association. Access to information and resources useful to board…

This handbook includes suggestions, guidelines, and techniques for helping a school or school district in planning and managing a system for involving the local community in career education activities for students in grades K-12. Guidelines cover initial planning and organization through implementation and evaluation. A coordinated, systematic…

This handbook includes information, ideas, and methods to help the teacher effectively use community resources in career education and focuses on relationships between curriculum subject areas and careers. Two major sections are included. The first section is a discussion of the role of community resources in career education, covering goals of…

The goal of Career and Technical Education (CTE) is to prepare all students for successful roles as workers, family members, citizens, and lifelong learners. To achieve this goal, this document identifies basic elements that are expected within all CTE programs. These elements are the basis for any instructional program to be approved for state…