Skip to main content

Ann Dornfeld

Reporter

About

Ann is a reporter on KUOW's Investigations team. Previously, she covered education stories for KUOW for a decade, with a focus on investigations into racial and socioeconomic inequities.

Her ongoing series exposing Seattle Public Schools’ lenient discipline of staff who abused students has won investigative reporting awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and the Education Writers Association. She was also lauded for her years of work covering disparities in the amount of recess and P.E. time students received in low-income schools.

Previously, Ann worked at Alaska Public Radio Network in Anchorage, and KLCC in Eugene, Oregon. Her freelance work, focusing on science and environmental issues, has appeared on national outlets including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Marketplace and The World.

Ann’s marine and underwater photography has appeared in the American Museum of Natural History and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

She lives with her husband and two children in South Seattle.

Location: Seattle

Languages Spoken: English

Pronouns: she/her

Professional Affiliations: Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors

Stories

  • Untitled

    Orca K-8 Teachers Join MAP Test Boycott

    Teachers at Orca K-8 school in Seattle say they will boycott the same standardized test that Garfield High School teachers came out against last week.Orca teacher Matt Carter says 11 teachers at the alternative school are refusing to give their students the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test. "Almost everybody signed a letter of support for the Garfield staff, and most of the kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers also have pledged to refuse to give the MAP test," Carter said. Most of the sixth- through eighth-grade teachers wanted to boycott, too, Carter said, but teachers in those grades need MAP test results to qualify for a city math teaching grant.Many teachers call the MAP test a waste of instructional time. The district requires most students to take the test up to three times a year in reading and math. District officials say the test is aligned with state and district curricula, but protesting teachers disagree.Union representatives from public schools across Seattle voted almost unanimously Monday night to urge the district not to discipline any teachers who refuse to give the MAP test. The representatives also called for the district to stop giving the test.In a letter to district employees Monday, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Jose Banda said the MAP test is useful for measuring students' academic growth over time. But he said beginning next month, he'll invite teachers to take part in a formal review of the test's effectiveness. Banda said that will be the appropriate venue for teachers to share concerns, and to have an in-depth discussion about the test.
  • Untitled

    Seattle Superintendent And Testing Company Defend Standardized Test

    Seattle Public Schools officials and the company that produces the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test are defending the school district's use of the standardized test after Garfield High School teachers refused to give it to their students this quarter.Seattle Public Schools requires that students take the MAP test in reading and math two or three times a year, from kindergarten through ninth grade or beyond. But teachers at Garfield say they consider the test useless and a waste of vital instructional time. They announced last week that they have voted overwhelmingly to boycott the MAP test.Seattle Schools Superintendent Jose Banda says he hears teachers' frustrations. “They chose this way to express themselves and the message is heard loud and clear,” Banda said. “But I’m going to hold firm to the fact that they have obligations and responsibilities. And the expectation is these two assessments will be given."In a letter to teachers today, Banda said the MAP test is useful for measuring students' academic growth over time. "I recognize there are concerns about MAP testing, but many educators in our district use MAP results, along with other data, in order to make informed instructional decisions during the year," Banda said. But he announced that beginning next month, he will invite teachers and principals to participate in a formal process to review the effectiveness of the MAP test, which he called the appropriate venue to share concerns and to have an in-depth discussion about the test.Students’ MAP test scores are used in the teacher evaluation process. But Garfield teachers point to information from the test maker that warns that MAP scores should be used with caution in teacher evaluations. Teachers say they can’t prepare kids for the MAP test or interpret students’ scores because teachers aren’t allowed to see the test.John Cronin, who directs research at the MAP test maker, Northwest Evaluation Association, says the test is designed to be useful to teachers. “We offer a lot of information that’s available to teachers that would give them very concrete information about the skills that are tested on the test," Cronin said.Cronin says Seattle is thoughtful in how it uses student MAP test scores as just one of many factors in teacher evaluations. He says it's a mystery to him why an entire school of teachers would vote to boycott the test. Laughing, Cronin said, "You know, it’s not even something I can speculate on. It’s interesting to us, but not being Seattleites ourselves, I really can’t say that I know what’s motivating them.”It’s not just Seattleites who are sympathizing with the Garfield teachers. The story has gone viral among teachers, parents and others around the country, who say far too much emphasis is now placed on standardized testing. The move has gotten international attention for what may be the first en masse vote against standardize testing by a public school.Meanwhile, the Seattle Education Association teachers union, the Garfield PTSA, and a group of 25 teachers at Ballard High School in Seattle have all announced their support for the Garfield teachers' refusal to administer the MAP test. 
  • Untitled

    Teachers At Seattle School Refuse To Give Standardized Test

    Teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle say they have voted overwhelmingly to refuse to administer a district-wide standardized test. A statement from Garfield teachers called the test a waste of time and money.Students in Seattle Public Schools take the standardized Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test up to three times a year, from kindergarten through ninth grade or beyond. Along with many standardized tests required by the state, the school district requires the MAP test as a measure of students’ progress in reading and math.But Garfield history teacher Jesse Hagopian says the MAP test doesn’t work. He said when freshmen take the MAP test in the fall, they usually put some effort into it. "But then the next couple times, the kids don’t really take the test seriously because there’s no graduation requirements tied to it," Hagopian said. "So kids often blow off the next couple tests." That’s a problem, Hagopian said, because the test doesn’t help teachers understand how well kids are learning. And the district uses kids’ MAP scores to evaluate how well teachers are doing their jobs.Hagopian said teachers at Garfield are now supposed to begin the winter quarter MAP testing. But he said they’ve now voted unanimously to boycott the MAP test, minus four abstentions.Academic Dean Kris McBride is in charge of administering the test. She says there are a lot of things wrong with the MAP, including that it doesn’t seem to align with district or state curricula. For instance, when Algebra 1 students at Garfield take the math test, "it’s filled with geometry, it's filled with probability and statistics, and other things that aren’t part of the curriculum at all," McBride said.English teacher Kit McCormick says she was supposed to take her students for MAP testing Wednesday, but she refused. McCormick says she’s not allowed to see what's on the test, and the margin of error is so wide that the scores are meaningless. But I’d be happy to have my students evaluated in a way that would be meaningful for both them and me."Hagopian said this is not an effort by Garfield teachers to avoid accountability. "It's not just that we’re against the MAP test," Hagopian said. "We want to replace it with a far better measure of academic learning, which we think is portfolios and performance-based assessment."Hagopian said even though the MAP tests are only given for reading and math, teachers and students in all subjects are affected because the computerized test ties up Garfield's computer labs for weeks every year. He said teachers at the school calculated that the MAP test consumes 800 hours of instructional time.Sixteen-year-old Garfield junior Alicia Butler says she and her peers understand the importance of some standardized tests, like those required to graduate or apply to college. But the MAP is an exception. "I feel like it’s kind of a waste of time to take it. It takes up class time. Some things are on there that we don’t learn," Butler said. "Since [students] are aware that we don’t need it to graduate, they’ll just start clicking on things." New York University Research Professor of Education Diane Ravitch is a vocal critic of high-stakes standardized testing such as the MAP. Ravitch says teachers around the country have had enough of high-stakes tests, but that this move by Garfield teachers is unusually gutsy. "This is the first time, to my knowledge, that the entire staff of a school has said ‘no, we will not do this. It’s not good for the students, and it’s a waste of time and money,’" Ravitch said.University of Washington Assistant Professor of Education Wayne Au, who supports the boycott, says that while individual teachers or parents have boycotted standardized tests in the past, it's unusual to see an entire school of teachers vote to boycott a test. "Relative to the kind of resistance we’re seeing to high-stakes standardized testing around the country, it really looks like what’s happening at Garfield is actually a unique situation," Au said.Butler said that makes her proud of her teachers. "It helps make Garfield different from other schools, because we aren't afraid to fight for what's right," Butler said.Meanwhile, district officials released a statement saying that the administration expects teachers to give all required tests, but added that the district is reviewing the effectiveness of the MAP test and plans a report to the school board by this spring.
  • Untitled

    Seattle To Hold First Gun Buyback In 20 Years

    Seattle and King County officials today announced the city’s first gun buyback program in 20 years. The goal is to reduce gun violence, both intentional and accidental.The first gun buyback will take place Saturday, Jan. 26, in downtown Seattle, in the parking lot beneath Interstate 5 between Cherry and James Streets. People can anonymously turn in handguns, shotguns and rifles, no questions asked, for $100 gift cards, or assault weapons for $200 gift cards.A 1992 gun buyback in Seattle netted 1,172 guns. But a study two years later found the buyback had not led to a significant decrease in gun violence. Still, at a news conference at Mount Zion Baptist Church today, King County Executive Dow Constantine dismissed criticism of the effectiveness of gun buybacks. "We’re talking about a $100,000 program that, if it prevents one shooting, will easily pay for itself," Constantine said. "So I reject the cynicism saying this is not a universal solution, that this doesn’t get to the fundamental problem of the unlimited supply of guns. It gets to the problem [that] a particular gun can accidentally or intentionally be used to kill someone. And that’s good."Seattle Police Deputy Chief Nick Metz said even if people who turn in their guns had been unlikely to use them, a buyback can still save lives. "I want you to imagine you have a gun in your home, and you haven’t secured it properly, and you come home and your house has been burglarized and your gun is missing," Metz said. "And then you find out a week later that that gun that you should have secured has been used in a homicide. Ask yourself how you’re going to feel — that that’s something that you could have prevented."Metz said police will screen gun serial numbers for stolen weapons, which will be returned to their owners. Ballistics tests will only be performed on stolen weapons, he said, in order to determine whether they've been used in a crime.Funding for the buyback is coming from private sources like Amazon.com, Inc., which donated gift cards. Organizers have raised $108,000 so far.Only one buyback date has been announced, but organizers plan to keep them going as long as funding allows.Mayor Mike McGinn says Nucor Steel in Seattle has volunteered to melt the guns down to keep them off the streets for good.
  • Untitled

    Kids Find Path To College With Rainier Scholars

    Every summer, five dozen mostly low-income students of color from Seattle Public Schools begin an intensive academic program designed to get them ready for college. In Rainier Scholars, middle-schoolers commit to eight-hour school days in the summer and then after-school and weekend classes during the school year. Most of these students would be the first in their families to graduate from college.On one of the first days of summer, teacher Drego Little leads a small class of incoming seventh-graders. They’re sitting in a U-shape, facing each other, seminar-style."What is love? How do you know? You guys are kinda young, but you have some idea, right?" Little asks. One boy hazards a guess. "Like, when you see somebody – I think this is how it goes – like, in the movies, when you see somebody, and they have the hearts around, and they’re like 'ohhhhh!'"Little starts the lesson on "Romeo and Juliet" by asking students to write on index cards who they’ve been told never to marry. He tries to reassure them that he won’t take their answers personally. “I don’t think you believe this! This is the impression you have been given, OK? And I know and I’ll say it right now, I know before I have you write this answer, many of you have been told not to marry black people. Right? And that doesn’t bother me, because I know better than anybody that black people are awesome!”The kids hand the cards in with nervous giggles.Little reads the cards back to the class. "'Don’t marry blacks.' Black people," says Little. "When you say 'blacks' I think of little things, like, running around, OK?"Next card? "'My whole family gave an impression that I should never marry a black person.'""'Don’t marry Chinese or Mexican people.' It’s weird those two go together!""'I got the impression to not marry a white person.'""So Romeo and Juliet is not about 'back then.'" says Little. "You know, back when people told you who to marry! Mm, isn’t that kind of today? Right?"Shakespeare isn’t usually taught until high school, but the goal of Rainier Scholars is to help these middle-schoolers qualify for scholarships to local private schools, or gifted classes in public school. And later, to help them get into college.Eleven-year-old Melat Ermyas is working on her private school applications. She’s hoping to get into University Prep. "Regular school, it’s not really that much of a challenge. And they say that private school is just like Rainier Scholars. And right now I’m doing pretty well, I guess, in Rainier Scholars, so I guess I can handle private school," Ermyas says.Over her first year in Rainier Scholars, Ermyas and her 59 peers will get 300 hours of homework in addition to their regular middle school homework.Rainier Scholars selects its students based on their reading level, parental involvement and a series of interviews. Numerous studies have found that when the brightest, most motivated students are drawn away from their neighborhood public schools, it can come at a cost for the kids who stay.Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Senior Economist Mary Burke co-authored a study that found that average-achieving public school students tended to do better if they had high-achieving peers in the classroom. "And so those middling students are going to pay a price, presumably, by losing those high-quality peers," Burke says.But when those high-achievers leave, Burke says, something else happens: The lowest-achieving kids in the class do better. So do the high-achieving kids who end up in programs like Rainier Scholars. Students like Alan Lin. After taking gifted classes at Mercer Middle School and AP classes at Garfield High School, he’s now in his second year at the University of Washington."I come from a first-generation family, so my parents don’t really speak English and they aren’t really used to, I guess, American culture and stuff," Lin says. "So having this kind of support group behind me, whenever we need help with anything, we can just go to them and ask." Lin says the staff at Rainier Scholars even helped him file an insurance claim after a car accident. They’ll follow him all the way through college, making sure nothing stands in the way of graduation — from family crises to financial problems.In its first decade, Rainier Scholars has held on to about three-quarters of its students through high school graduation. Executive Director Sarah Smith says the kids that stick with the program are all but guaranteed college educations. And she says Rainier Scholars is not magic. "It is day-in, day-out hard work and perseverance on the part of everybody involved," Smith says. "It is the idea we espouse to our students that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard."Rainier Scholars will celebrate a milestone next spring. That’s when its first ever group of students will graduate from colleges across the country. 
  • Untitled

    Seattle Schools Settles $750,000 Employment Discrimination Case

    Seattle Public Schools is paying $750,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a teacher who was fired for refusing to work in a building she says made her sick. Former teacher Denise Frisino says when she worked at Nathan Hale High School seven years ago, the mold was so bad that she had a hard time breathing and a terrible cough. "It was to the point where I could not be inside the building for long. It was not a minor thing. It was a severe reaction," she says. Frisino says the district discriminated against her disability by refusing to transfer her to another school. District spokeswoman Teresa Wippel disagrees. "We spent a significant amount of money over three years in an attempt to make building modifications that were designed to accommodate Ms. Frisino’s sensitivities. And this included a large remediation project at Nathan Hale High School, where she was working," Wippel says.But Frisino says the district’s cleaning efforts didn’t fix the problem, and that she still got sick when she went to work.Wippel says the district decided to settle with Frisino after an appeals court judge said the case could go to trial.  Frisino welcomed that news. "I’m glad it’s over with. I would not want to see this happen to anyone else," she says. "I’m hoping that they continue to improve the schools. Two of the schools I was in, Nathan Hale and Hamilton, have been remodeled, and I’m really thankful for that."Frisino says since she was fired in 2005, she’s lobbied the state Legislature and Board of Health to improve air and water quality in school buildings.Seattle Public Schools will cover a third of the $750,000 settlement out-of-pocket. The rest will be covered by insurance.

  • Seven Seattle-Area School Districts Win $40M Race To The Top Grant

    Seven Seattle-area school districts have been awarded a $40 million federal Race to the Top grant. The money is aimed at improving academic achievement in high-poverty schools in the Seattle, Kent, Federal Way, Highline, Renton, Auburn and Tukwila districts.