Background:

Math and Science Instructional Coach Program.

The Science and Math Coach Program was initiated in the 2007-09 budget, and is designed to develop a building-based model of collaborative professional development. The funding supports a network of math and science instructional coaches that provide training and instructional coaching to math and science teachers throughout the state. During the 2007-2008 school year, 73 math coaches and Educational Service District (ESD) math coordinators were trained. During the 2008-2009 school year, an estimated 100 math and science coaches will receive training. There were 46 schools in 23 districts that received services through this program in 2007-08. The annual appropriation for this program is about $3.7 million.

Leadership Academy.

The Leadership Academy is designed to provide leadership training for principals, superintendents, and administrators. The program completed a planning year in 2008 and began its pilot year with the first cohort of administrators in the fall of 2008. The Washington Leadership Academy is an independent program with its own board. It is operated through a management contract with the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) and the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP). The 2007-09 appropriation level for this program was $1,300,000. The Gates Foundation also provides funding to this project, projected at $700,000 per year for the 2009-11 biennium.

School Safety Planning Programs.

The School Safety Planning Program provides grants to school districts for developing safety plans and drills. The funding currently supports two grant programs. One program supports efforts to develop and document the elements and costs associated with establishment of a comprehensive safe school plan. The other program provides grants to schools to enhance their ability to conduct safety drills based on the new requirement to conduct lockdown and shelter-in-place drills, in addition to evacuation drills. The maintenance-level appropriation for this program was $800,000 per year.

Director of Skills Centers at the OSPI.

The role of the Skill Centers Director includes the following: to provide statewide leadership, support, and service to develop and implement skills center programs; to oversee feasibility, funding and construction of new skills centers; and to oversee the feasibility and development of new satellite and branch campuses. The maintenance-level appropriation for this position was $196,000 per biennium.

Center for the Improvement of Student Learning.

The purpose of the Center for the Improvement of Student Learning (CISL) is to collect and disperse research, educational tools, and policy recommendations to promote best practices that help educators, parents, and community leaders become involved in supporting their schools. Its services include: providing best practices research; providing information on the role and authority of school boards; providing training and consultation services; and identifying strategies to improve success rates of students in certain ethnic and racial groups. Much of the research and information offered by CISL is provided through its website. The maintenance level appropriation for CISL was $333,000 per year.

Incarcerated Family Contacts.

The incarcerated family contacts program is designed to support the needs of children of incarcerated parents. According to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), research suggests that regular contact between an incarcerated parent and his or her child can decrease the chances of the parent re-offending, and decrease the chances of the child going to prison later in life. As part of this initiative, the OSPI has reviewed policies and programs, worked to improve data systems, surveyed educators, provided training, and created a toolkit for school districts. The OSPI has participated in an interagency advisory committee on this topic, for which a report was created. The maintenance-level appropriation for this program for 2009-11 was $31,000 per year.

Civics Education.

This program provides competitive grants to school districts, used primarily to give teachers time to plan, implement, and score civics classroom-based assessments. Additionally, OSPI has used the remaining funds to provide regional trainings on the civics classroom-based assessments to those teachers charged with implementing these assessments. The OSPI has also used some of the funding to provide two "Training of Trainers" workshops in Spokane and Highline. The maintenance level appropriation for this program was $72,000 per year.

Extended Learning Opportunities.

Created in 2008, the Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) program targets 11th and 12th grade students who are not on track to meet graduation requirements, as well as 8th grade students who are not on track to meet the state standard on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Assistance for eligible students includes a variety of instructional services, including small group instruction, instruction in English language or mathematics, inclusion in remediation programs, and services of reading specialists at the Educational Service Districts. The English Language Learner pilot projects are related to the ELO program, for which $1,368,000 was included at maintenance-level in the 2009-11 budget.

Employee Award Program.

Annually, the Superintendent of Public Instruction recognizes teachers, principals, administrators, classified staff, superintendents, and school boards from around the state for their leadership, contributions, and commitment to education. Each year, 15 individuals statewide are recognized. The maintenance-level appropriation for this program for 2009-11 was $84,000.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) program position was created to provide statewide coordination for math, science, and technology and to help disseminate an interactive project-based high school and middle school technology curriculum with a criteria to support professional development for teachers and counselors. The STEM education covers a wide range of career fields that are in high demand in today’s marketplace. The maintenance-level appropriation for this program for 2009-11 was $278,000.