Sami West
Education Reporter
About
Sami West is a reporter covering schools in Seattle and across the Puget Sound region. She’s been on the education beat for over five years and has reported extensively on the countless ways COVID has impacted schools, students, and families. Her coverage has also focused on school finances, special education issues, the importance of early childhood education, and the growing youth mental health crisis.
Before joining KUOW in 2023, she wrote about education for Chalkbeat in Memphis, Tennessee, and two newspapers in Wisconsin. A Midwesterner at heart, Sami originally hails from Minnesota and holds degrees in journalism and English from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
When she’s not attending school board meetings or chasing other education news, Sami enjoys exploring the beautiful trails and abundant breweries of the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dog.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Education Writers Association
Stories
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Education
No off-campus lunch, more police: Seattle Schools considers safety changes amid gun violence concerns
Seattle school leaders are planning safety and security improvements for next school year, in the wake of a shooting at Garfield High School that left a student dead and the community reeling.
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Education
Dozens gather for unity walk honoring Garfield High School shooting victim
Dozens of people gathered to mourn a Garfield High School student killed last week and called for community-wide change during a unity walk through Seattle's Central District on Thursday.
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Education
Locking up students' cellphones? This Seattle school is about to try it
A Seattle middle school is launching a new program to crack down on students using cellphones in class.
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Education
Why are so many Seattle kids leaving public school for private?
In the wake of the pandemic, enrollment in private and home schools has soared in Washington state and across the country. How much are those shifts contributing to Seattle Public Schools' declining enrollment — and the budget crisis that comes with it?
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Education
Tensions flare at Seattle school closure meeting
Seattle Public Schools’ community meetings on proposed school closures got off to a bumpy start.
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Education
Will closing schools really balance the budget for Seattle Public Schools? Parents have their doubts
Seattle Public Schools parents will get more details next week on the district's proposal to close up to 20 elementary schools by the fall of 2025.
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Education
UW student employees win big pay boost, improved benefits in tentative deal
After a one-day strike, 6,000 University of Washington teaching and research assistants have reached a tentative new labor agreement with school officials.
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Education
University of Washington academic student employees strike for better pay
Thousands of University of Washington student employees walked off the job this morning. The strike comes just a few weeks before final exams — and it could have big impacts on students.
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Education
20 Seattle elementary schools could be closed due to budget crisis
District officials have not said which schools will be on the chopping block — a list is expected to be released in June — but they say K-5 students would be better accommodated if the district downsized to 50 elementary schools, down from more than 70 schools.
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Education
AI should be used in class, not feared. That’s the message of these Seattle area teachers
Earlier this year, Washington became the fifth state in the country to issue guidance on using AI in school. Some teachers had already started using artificial intelligence to improve their assignments, engage students, and save time.