- In case you missed it, State Auditor Dave Yost yesterday released the results of unannounced visits his staff made to 30 charter schools across the state back in October, looking to compare reported student enrollment numbers with actual on-site counts. Nearly a quarter of schools showed “unusually high” discrepancies between the two numbers. The coverage was predictably screechy and lacking in nuance. Here are three pieces that at least include a response from Fordham’s own Chad Aldis: Gongwer Ohio; WKSU-FM, Kent (along with some other affiliated public radio outlets). The piece from WCBE-FM in Columbus incorporates part of the KSU audio but has a few more reaction quotes.
- Here is some print coverage of the Auditor’s report, without Chad’s comment, and with varying levels of nuance…and some screeching. These pieces in the Columbus Dispatch , the Dayton Daily News , and the Cleveland Plain Dealer are typical.
- Less typical was the Beacon Journal, whose headline alone should win some prize (hopefully that isn’t really a thing) for packing in fact, insinuation, and bias while remaining journalistically correct, if a little clunky. (Akron Beacon Journal)
- However, some nuances did get through in at least two pieces covering the Auditor’s report. First up, the Blade noted – probably sadly – that the Toledo charter schools visited by the auditor “fared well” upon review. What does that mean? In fact 3 of the 4 area charter schools visited by the Auditor’s staff had more students in attendance than they were reported. Wonder if anyone will be pushing to apply the “compensate them for the kids they have” mantra to them? (Toledo Blade)
- But the Gadfly Bites prize (now that should be a thing) for the most-nuanced take on the Auditor’s report goes to journalist Laura Bischoff of the Middletown Journal-News, who likely remembers that Auditor Yost was pleased when he finally succeeded in abolishing
Pizza Day/Pajama Day/Movie DayCount Week for district schools. Her work begs the question as to what kind of count such an unannounced visit might uncover in any given district school in Youngstown or Dayton or Columbus on a random day. (Middletown Journal News)
- One other bit of news today, still on the topic of charter schools. We noted earlier this week that unionization efforts for teachers at two Cleveland charters have left the courtroom (for the moment) and reconvened around the negotiation table. Who knows how long that will take. But it seems that a quieter unionization effort at one charter school in Columbus is much closer to the finish line. What are the teachers looking to gain from unionization? “Comprehensive school safety, adequate educational resources for students, and professional respect.” Right on. (Gongwer Ohio)
RESEARCH BITES 1/23/15: Education landscape beyond the “Big Eight” – pt. 2
In this series of research bites, we are taking a glance at public education in Ohio’s mid-sized cities. On Wednesday, Newark was the focus (about as “average” as a city can be), and today we consider Middletown, Ohio. Appropriately named—it is rests roughly halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati—Middletown has a population of 48,694 and is the birthplace of the great Ohio State basketball player, Jerry Lucas. But enough trivia; let’s talk education. The city’s school district had an enrollment of roughly 6,200 students in 2013, down from its enrollment of 7,700 in 2000. The choice environment in 2013-14 included 865 students who attend a public charter, 197 EdChoice voucher students, and 313 students who attended another district via open enrollment. Most of Middletown’s charter students attend either Marshall High School (dropout-recovery school) or Middletown Fitness and Preparatory School. The table below displays the academic results from the district and charter schools in Middletown. Many of the schools do well on the value-added measure (either an A/B on growth), but not one of them receives an achievement grade higher than a C. Middletown’s charters are an interesting mix—two of them are D-R schools and two of them (Summit) are mainly for special-needs students (over 70 percent of enrollment). All in all Middletown’s schools kind of reflect the town name—stuck somewhere in the middle.
Middletown Public Schools – District and Charter, 2013-14
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* Table does not include charter students attending statewide e-schools (e.g., ECOT, Ohio Virtual Academy, etc.). Dropout-recovery charter schools (Marshall and Life Skills) do not receive conventional school ratings. Charter schools displayed on the table are shaded in orange.
