The enigma of quality inside Seattle schools

Seattle's school district is beset with the challenges found in any urban system, chief among them overwhelmed teachers and troubling pockets of poverty.

No surprise there. But the real value of a $750,000 study ordered by Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson lies in understanding the root of these problems and how to overcome them. In that vein, a comprehensive report on Seattle Public Schools by the international consulting firm McKinsey & Company is welcomed.Insight is critical. Seattle's schools are a confusing enigma to many puzzled by their inconsistent quality despite proximity to a relatively wealthy community.

The city's public elementary schools outperform the statewide average. The middle and high schools lag behind the state. Goodloe-Johnson's penchant for collecting facts and data is frustrating to some who have called for fewer studies and more concrete steps. But the school system's leader has wisely chosen to use her first six months getting the lay of the land.

The superintendent has ordered seven outside reviews of the district, including an audit of special-education, bilingual-education and advanced-learning programs. The reports should serve as a solid foundation from which Goodloe-Johnson can produce the strategic plan promised by spring.

The district plans a separate survey of teachers, but consultants found in exit interviews with more than 400 former Seattle teachers that stress was a bigger factor in their leaving than salary.

A lack of accountability was found to be another problem. Low-performing teachers can be placed on probation and eventually fired, but this is a process the district rarely uses.

The McKinsey report underscores some things most public-school families already suspected, such as the correlation between poverty and low academic achievement. It also offers a needed opportunity to gauge what other urban districts are doing to meet the same challenges Seattle has.

As much as the report will be used to help Seattle craft new and improved strategies for teaching and learning, it is worth the cost.