Washington district abandons small schools

Opts for spying on and firing teachers instead

I usually hate all these insufferable news reviews of the past year. But for obvious reasons, I found these irresistible. They're from the Montlake, Washington Enterprise:

Mountlake Terrace High School decided to abandon its controversial small schools model for fall 2008 and return to being a traditional high school, due to declining enrollment. Terrace broke itself into five small schools in fall 2003 with a grant from the Gates Foundation...

...Kay Powers, a journalism teacher fired for helping students publish an underground newspaper, returned to the classroom under an agreement reached April 11 with the Everett School District. Powers was to receive full back pay for her time away and take an assignment at Jackson High School. Powers in June 2007 was placed on administrative leave from Cascade High School. The English and journalism teacher was accused of helping students produce an underground paper, The Free Stehekin, during school hours and on school computers despite being warned not to do so. She was fired in November...

...The Everett Herald newspaper reported that Everett School District officials used a secret surveillance device to monitor the classroom of teacher Kay Powers, a Cascade High School teacher who was fired for helping students publish an underground newspaper with school resources during school hours.