Rainy Day Recess

11/19/2025

For The Grade, Christie Robertson looking back on her two years of parent-run education podcasting, and the sustainability and limits of hyperlocal coverage.

With two years, two podcasts, and over 100 episodes under her belt, a Seattle parent describes sustainability issues that have challenged her efforts from the start.

11/12/2025

New Episode: A Forensic Analysis of SPS, Part 1 – The Ghost of John Stanford

In 1995, Seattle hired a retired Army general to run its schools.
In just three years, John Stanford reshaped Seattle Public Schools—introducing market-based reforms, open choice, and site-based management.
Researcher Vivian Van Gelder joins Rainy Day Recess to trace how those reforms still echo through the district today.

Listen and read the full transcript:
https://www.rainydayrecess.org/2230213/episodes/18168203-a-forensic-analysis-of-sps-with-vivian-van-gelder-part-1

📄 Read Vivian’s report Left to Chance on SESEC: sesecwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Left-to-Chance-Report-FINAL.pdf

In this first installment of our three-part series unpacking Left to Chance: Student Outcomes in Seattle Public Schools (2024), hosts Christie Robertson and Jasmine Pulido sit down with report author Vivian Van Gelder to trace thirty years of refo...

09/10/2025

Summer/Fall Update with RDR news -

Co-hosts Christie, Cherylynne, and Jasmine give updates on some SPS developments over the summer, school board election results, and a big change coming soon to Rainy Day Recess.Summer School Board MeetingsJuly 2 School Board MeetingJuly 30 Specia...

07/18/2025

District 5 (roughly east Seattle) School Board Candidate interviews are out! Check out all 6 candidates - Allycea Weil, Janis White, Julissa Sanchez, Landon Labosky, Vivian Song, and Vivian Van Gelder on rainydayrecess.org.

07/16/2025

District 4 (roughly central Seattle) School Board Candidate interviews are out! Check out Laura Marie Rivera, Bill Campbell, and Joe Mizrahi on rainydayrecess.org.

07/14/2025

You can find interviews with all District 2 (NW Seattle) Seattle school board candidates now on rainydayrecess.org.