Puget Sound Educational Service District: Empowering Education in Washington

The Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) plays a vital role in bolstering the educational landscape of Washington State. As one of nine regional educational agencies, PSESD delivers a wide array of services and support to 35 school districts in King and Pierce counties, including Bainbridge Island, as well as over 200 private schools. Created by the legislature, Educational Service Districts are an essential regional delivery system for early learning and K-postsecondary services in the state. PSESD is committed to supporting all stakeholders (students, teachers, school districts, education leaders, internal staff) in reaching personal and organizational success.

Mission and Goals

PSESD strives to improve the quality, equity, and efficiency of educational programs through strategic partnerships with K-12 education, early learning, higher education, and various public and private organizations. The agency's central mission revolves around:

Saving schools money through regional efficiencies, centralized services, and pooled resources.
Improving the effectiveness of educational programs.
Delivering specialized services otherwise unavailable to districts.
Providing leadership for innovative and effective educational practices.
Building networks and partnerships among districts and other agencies.
Linking schools with regional, state, and national educational resources.

The Puget Sound Educational Service District is committed to becoming an Anti-Racist Multicultural Organization in order to eliminate the Opportunity Gap. The agency is an innovative and responsive partner providing essential local services to leverage resources and strengths to make sure students are ready to enter school, achieve at high levels in the K-12 system, and succeed in post-secondary endeavors.

Key Programs and Initiatives

PSESD coordinates over 100 programs in King and Pierce counties, including Bainbridge Island, through various departments. Some of the key programs and initiatives managed by PSESD include:

Learning, Teaching, and Family Support

This department focuses on delivering opportunity gap-closing services, professional development, and resources to preK-postsecondary students and school systems. It aims to ensure that all students have equitable access to high-quality education and support.

Read also: Join the PSESD Team

Equity in Education

Recognizing the importance of racial equity, this department works collaboratively to enhance and support racially equitable and culturally responsive approaches among staff, students, parents, and communities. It builds capacity to lead with racial equity, fostering inclusive and welcoming learning environments.

BlendEd

PSESD manages the implementation and funding of BlendEd, a partnership between Pacific Lutheran University and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This initiative focuses on integrating blended learning in six schools from three different districts--Bethel, Franklin Pierce and Highline. These districts are designing models that give students a degree of control over time, place, path and pace of their learning. As they develop their models, districts will also create systems-level practices and policies as they document the best practices in their districts.

Superintendents Advocating for and Valuing Education (SAVE)

PSESD convenes Superintendents Advocating for and Valuing Education (SAVE), an active group of regional superintendents focused on improving student outcomes. This collaborative platform allows superintendents to share best practices, address common challenges, and advocate for policies that support student success.

Puget Sound Coalition for College and Career Readiness

Another PSESD group, the Puget Sound Coalition for College and Career Readiness, has been working since 2010 to create a more seamless transition for students moving from high school to college. To do this, it will work to utilize Smarter Balanced assessments to support better prepared students, work to build a college-going culture, implement the Early Warning Indicator project and share best practices.

Technology Review

PSESD supports districts with a technology review to evaluate anything from infrastructure to curriculum integration. PSESD uses surveys, interviews, and onsite visits to provide objective evaluation and research-based recommendations.

Read also: Applying to Puget Sound

Collective Purchasing

PSESD connects its districts’ collective purchasing opportunities with the Washington Learning Source (WLS). This initiative leverages the collective buying power of multiple districts to secure better prices on essential resources and services.

Ellison Education Grants

The Ellison Education Grants were created to empower and support Washington State’s most effective, innovative and inspirational K-12 public school teachers by providing support to educators who design academic enrichment curriculum for students and/or professional learning experiences for their current practice. The Ellison Foundation acknowledges a classroom teacher’s expertise in understanding their own professional learning needs and the needs of their students.

Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education

PSESD offers workshops and series designed specifically for educators. Participants gain valuable insights into the results produced by generative AI, learn to create impactful prompts using prompt engineering frameworks and assess outputs through established diagnostic evaluation frameworks. Also explores how AI fosters inclusive, personalized learning for all students, supporting UDL. Discover how Colleague AI can revolutionize lesson planning, enhance student engagement, and streamline workflow.

Washington State Statistics Poster Competition

Calling all K-12 teachers! The annual Washington State Statistics Poster Competition is right around the corner. It helps K-12 students learn about and develop enthusiasm about data analysis and statistics. In the spring, Faculty from the Washington State University Department of Mathematics and Statistics serve as judges the posters and prizes are awarded. All students in grades K through 12 residing in Washington are eligible to participate. There is no entry fee!

Native American Education Program

The Puget Sound Educational Service District also provides the Native American Education Program.

Funding and Partnerships

PSESD secures funding from various sources to support its programs and initiatives. Notable funding includes:

\$40 million from the federal Race to the Top grant in 2012, managed by PSESD and awarded to a consortium of regional districts (Auburn, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Renton, Seattle, and Tukwila school districts). PSESD works with the seven districts to coordinate efforts and support them to implement related programs.
\$247,465 from the Gates Foundation to support implementation of Common Core State Standards.

These funds enable PSESD to provide critical resources and support to its partner districts, fostering innovation and improvement in educational practices.

Additional Services

In addition to the programs mentioned above, PSESD also provides a range of other services, including:

Special education programs for gifted and talented students.
Professional development courses for teachers and administrators.
A prevention center.
Organization of annual events for high school students.

School Board Recognition

As ordinary people who come from all walks of life, School Board members work on a volunteer basis to both support students and represent their communities when it comes to public education. Each school board brings together a group of members working together with the common goal of helping students to learn, grow, and overcome the challenges as well as the triumphs of their educational journeys. January is School Board Recognition Month, which gives us the opportunity to thank and recognize their efforts.

Leadership Transition

The Puget Sound Educational Service District Board of Directors has launched their search for the district’s next superintendent. Because hiring the right next leader for our ESD is a critical decision, the Board is prioritizing community engagement to inform the search.

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