On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas received notice from President Lincoln that slavery had been abolished — two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The official holiday of Juneteenth marks this date, and it has since become a larger celebration.

With a wide array of fun events including food, fun, live music, games, speakers, education, voting registration opportunities, and more, don’t miss the chance to join in one of these exciting 2025 Juneteenth celebrations across Puget Sound!

The Puyallup School District continues its tradition of honoring students who make a difference through service. Now in its ninth year, the Varsity Letter in Volunteer Service program recognizes students who have dedicated significant time to supporting their communities.

Today, we honor the legacy of D-Day, and the legacy of the brave men and women who took part.

Maryan Abdow, who is the Quality Engagement Specialist for Secondary Education at Foster High School in the Tukwila School District, has been selected as the PSESD Regional Classified School Employee of the Year!

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, which commemorates the events of June 1969, when supporters of the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City, rose up to protest police persecution and harassment against LGBTQ people. The uprising marked the beginning of a movement to outlaw laws and practices that discriminated against LGBTQ Americans.

Andy Vanderpool teaches social studies at Franklin Pierce High School in the Franklin Pierce School District. After twelve years of teaching, he has been National Board Certified for one year.

In a fifth-grade classroom at Bow Lake Elementary, students are writing more, reading more and making stronger academic gains — thanks to a co-teaching model.

At Bow Lake, two teachers share the front of the classroom during the language arts: a general education teacher and a special education teacher. They plan lessons together, teach together and support students side by side. This is called co-teaching. They’re finding it is helping more students stay on track with grade-level reading and writing.

PSESD is excited to announce that Stephen Pickard is the 2025 Regional Teacher of the Year! 

Stephen is the Band Director and Music Teacher at Governor John R. Rogers High School and Dessie Evans Elementary School in Puyallup, as well as the Director of Bands for Puyallup School District.

White women in leadership hold unique influence and responsibility in advancing racial equity. In "Leading for Racial Equity: The Role of White Women in Leadership," this interactive workshop explores the intersection of privilege, power, and bias, guiding participants to lead with awareness, accountability, and compassion. 

Memorial Day honors those who died while in service of the U.S. military and is a popular reason for many family visits to U.S. monuments -- as well as the unofficial start to summer for many Americans.

At Peninsula School District, their Transition to Kindergarten, or Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program was inspired by Norwegian education and is designed for children who lack access to high-quality early learning experiences before kindergarten. The curriculum in their Outdoor Transitional Kindergarten, meanwhile, includes at least one hour of outdoor exploration and learning each school day (if weather permits). It’s an opportunity for students to spend time outside learning new concepts and skills that incorporate with the curriculum from the rest of their school day.

This June, the Bellevue School District will host its annual Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI).

The institute consists of four days of professional development focused on improving student success in AP courses and providing teachers with a toolbox of instructional strategies, student learning activities, fine-tuned lesson plans, and assessments. APSI is a great opportunity for both middle and high school teachers to receive extra training and to learn about upper-level course standards in their subject areas even if they are not current AP teachers.

pdEnroller is a robust statewide course and event registration system used by all nine of Washington State’s Educational Service Districts (ESDs) and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Here's a closer look at its advantages and features for educators.

CPSD is embarking on a dynamic transformation of its math curriculum to prepare all students with the skills and knowledge they need for future success. This initiative focuses on two key areas: a shift to a more engaging and relevant math experience in middle school, and a transition to a new, more effective curriculum in elementary classrooms.

Puget Sound ESD is proud to announce the 15 winners of the Regional High School Art Show. These entries received the highest scores and will advance to the Annual State High School Art Show through OSPI in Olympia, Washington.

Washington State districts must now provide all four days (28 hours) of Fundamental Course Study (FCS) training to their paraeducators every school year.

As the U.S.’s longest-running national literacy initiative, Children’s Book Week takes place this year from May 5–11 and is an annual celebration of books for the young and young at heart.

The Puget Sound Educational Service District Board of Directors met in an executive session on May 5 and 6 with Human Capital Enterprises consultants to interview semi-finalist candidates recommended by the PSESD Superintendent Review Committee. Upon conclusion of those interviews and Board deliberation, the Board reconvened in an open session and advanced three candidates as finalists.