A Forensic Analysis of SPS with Vivian Van Gelder, Part 1

A Forensic Analysis of SPS with Vivian Van Gelder, Part 1

From Rainy Day Recess by Various

November 12, 2025 · 50 min · Season 1 · Episode 62

About this episode

The episode features a discussion with Vivian Van Gelder about the history and challenges of Seattle Public Schools over the past thirty years.

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 reform and turmoil inside Seattle Public Schools. The story begins in 1990 with the Cresap Audit, a state-commissioned report that deemed the district “nearly ungovernable,” and follows the arrival of Major General John Stanford, the charismatic outsider...

People in this episode

Hosts: Christie Robertson, Jasmine Pulido

Guest: Vivian Van Gelder

Topics covered

  • education reform
  • Seattle Public Schools
  • student outcomes
  • forensic analysis
  • historical overview

Keywords

  • Seattle Public Schools
  • education reform
  • Cresap Audit
  • Vivian Van Gelder
  • student outcomes
  • John Stanford
  • historical analysis

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Seattle Public Schools, Cresap Audit

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