John Higgins
The Seattle Times
Seattle, WA, United States
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Past articles by John:
Seattle-area Somali community unites to embrace state’s new child-care standards
When the state introduced higher standards for child care, many feared that home-based centers, including those run by women from Somalia, would close. But a group of them joined together to make sure that didn’t happen. → Read More
Between the ears: Study tests the value of baby talk
A new study creates a mathematical model of teaching to show how the exaggerated sounds of “parentese” helps babies learn language. → Read More
National report praises Washington’s preschool program as one of the best
A new national report explains how Washington and three other states have built high-quality early-education systems. → Read More
Doing mom’s nails pays better than caring for her kids
Brain research says teaching toddlers is as complex as teaching school-age kids, but the pay and training haven’t kept pace with the science. → Read More
New UW program hopes to bridge gaps between Native-American students and non-Native teachers
The University of Washington's new two-year Native Education Certificate blends online learning with hands-on projects to build relationships in Native American communities. → Read More
We expel preschool kids three times as often as K-12 students. Here’s how to change that.
Preschoolers get expelled at three times the rate of students in elementary, middle and high schools. But when teachers get regular help from mental-health coaches, they expel at half the rate of those who don’t. → Read More
Q & A with Walter Parker, the UW professor who reinvented AP government
University of Washington researcher Walter Parker worked with area teachers to make the AP Government and Politics course more relevant with role-playing instead of lectures. → Read More
Immigrant parents complain that schools don’t speak their language
A new parents group representing immigrant families wants local school boards to make language services and bilingual education a priority so that they can be fully involved in their kids’ education. → Read More
WEA preps lawsuit against new charter-schools law
The Washington State Education Association announced Thursday that it is planning the legal challenge, along with several other plaintiffs. → Read More
Charter-school bill likely to become law
The bill that lawmakers passed to save charter schools looks like it will become law, with reports that Gov. Jay Inslee is saying he won’t veto it. → Read More
More money for homeless, mental health in state budget
After weeks of negotiations and nearly three weeks of overtime, lawmakers Tuesday approved a state supplemental budget that adds millions of dollars to homelessness and mental health programs, but largely sidesteps major issues on education funding. → Read More
House approves bill to keep charter schools open, clearing way for passage
In an effort to satisfy the state Supreme Court’s objections to charter schools, a revision of the 2012 voter-approved charter-school law adds oversight, taps lottery funds and says the privately run schools won’t be eligible to receive local school levy dollars. → Read More
Seattle school’s positive black role-model event has scholarship ‘ripple effect’
A Detroit nonprofit was so impressed with the recent turnout of black men who welcomed children to Seattle’s South Shore PreK-8 school that it’s providing $100,000 in college scholarships to high school seniors who attended there. → Read More
Will more money for schools really help kids? New study may have long-term answer
While research is mixed on whether increases in school spending lead to better results for students, a study suggests that influxes of dollars from court decisions lead to higher graduation rates and earnings, especially for low-income students. → Read More
Lawmakers to propose way to keep charter schools in state
Spokane lawmakers propose “district charter schools,” which would have more flexibility than typical schools, but answer to elected school boards. → Read More
Charter school advocates raise PAC money
Despite the state Supreme Court ruling that charters are unconstitutional, supporters are fighting to keep them alive here. → Read More
Between the ears: In the brain, Chinese and English are more similar than they look on paper
A new brain-scan study of college-age speakers of English, Spanish, Hebrew and Chinese shows that the same speech regions of the brain are activated when they read, regardless of the language. → Read More
Vote to expand light rail would benefit education, too
The next phase of light-rail expansion in Puget Sound could come with a half-billion dollars for education in the region thanks to last-minute wrangling on the new state transportation budget. → Read More
In Class, Out of Court: How One School District Triumphed Over Truancy
Sending kids who habitually miss school to court under the state’s 20-year truancy law hasn’t helped them stay in school. But a school-court-community effort in Spokane County is having impressive success. → Read More
In class, out of court: How one school district triumphed over truancy
Sending kids who habitually miss school to court under the state’s 20-year truancy law hasn’t helped them stay in school. But a school-court-community effort in Spokane County is having impressive success. → Read More