Gates Foundation gives a little, expects a lot

NEWS that Seattle Public Schools will receive nearly $10 million in grant money, nearly all of it from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is an important sign of confidence in the direction of the city's public schools.

This is a mere toe in the water compared with the last Gates grant — a $26 million award in 2000. That money was part of a $350 million attempt to improve the nation's schools. But when Seattle's grant expired, the Gates Foundation refused to renew it, saying the district hadn't shown enough improvement, leadership and planning.

Few could have argued otherwise. At the time, the district was mired in controversy and led by an inept School Board.

Things have dramatically improved and the current optimism is well-placed. Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, backed by a thoughtful and confident board, has moved decisively and convincingly. She has closed schools the district couldn't afford to keep open and ordered substantial changes in academic programs after spending months reviewing each program.

Like the rest of the city, the Gates Foundation has been watching the superintendent's actions and in their grant announcement cited her "courageous decisions" as a factor in their decision.

The district has tough budget challenges ahead, but the funding will appropriately go toward implementing Goodloe-Johnson's five-year strategic plan. It will pay for more advanced classes and training for teachers to teach college-level courses.

Also to be helped by the funding is a districtwide exam that tracks academic performance throughout the year. Hopes are on this test as a more accurate and timely measure of where students are struggling.

The grant money is more than a sign of confidence from Bill Gates. While $7.2 million comes from that foundation, the rest is smaller grants from reform-minded philanthropists and businesses, including The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Stuart Foundation and Boeing.

Confidence is returning inside and outside of the Seattle schools. All eyes turn to the future, where strong results will lend proof that the confidence was well placed.