From our news partners at The Seattle Times: The remarkable turnaround at Asa Mercer Middle has School Board members paying close attention. By Brian M. Rosenthal.
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For years, Beacon Hill's Asa Mercer Middle School languished as one of the worst in the city.
In 2005, just 13.8 percent of its eighth-graders passed the state science test — 20 points below the district average. Scores in math (33.1 percent passing) and reading (55.9 percent passing) weren't much better.
With enrollment shrinking, many regarded Mercer as another example of a grim pattern seen in schools nationwide: high diversity, high poverty, low achievement.
Six years later, Mercer has shattered that pattern. It's still diverse and poor, but test scores are skyrocketing. Mercer kids now outperform the city average on almost every measure, especially among African Americans, English Language Learners and students receiving free and reduced-price lunches.
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