Praise and a pep talk for Seattle's schools

Seattle Public Schools officials have much to be proud of, but they must address some of the district's persistent weaknesses -- from slow hiring to poor customer service -- if they want to strengthen the school system, district consultants said Wednesday.

The consultants, from New York-based McKinsey & Co., have spent months studying the district.

Their findings and recommendations will help shape Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson's "strategic plan" to boost achievement among the district's schools.

Goodloe-Johnson has said that plan, due this spring, also will aim to make the district's central office more efficient, provide accountability for district employees and managers, and strengthen relationships between the district and the community.

The district already has various plans, reports and recommendations it has tried to implement in the past few years, as well as an ambitious five-year plan. But it has followed them inconsistently, the consultants said.

There are so many goals and initiatives that it "has resulted in a bit of organizational paralysis in trying to address all of them," said Ty Schultz, one of the three consultants who presented their findings to the School Board.

To prepare their report, the consultants analyzed a wealth of district data, interviewed more than 100 people, including principals, teachers, union leaders and education experts, and reviewed the practices of similar urban districts across the nation.

They highlighted instances where they believe the Seattle district is doing well, such as directing extra money and resources toward "high need" schools, and implementing a standardized math curriculum.

The consultants also detailed areas where they think the district could improve. Among them:

It often takes too long to respond to requests from the public.

Community members want more openness in how decisions are made.

Seattle's hiring system for teachers is more complicated than those of neighboring districts.

Nearly two-thirds of new teachers have no official mentoring to help them navigate their first years on the job.

Training for teachers and principals isn't aligned with district goals.

The consultants plan to complete more interviews and analysis before presenting their final report to the School Board later this month. The district also will hold focus groups and community meetings to gather public opinion. If adopted, the report will be implemented this fall.