- Editors in Akron opine on the district funding proposals in the governor’s budget. They seem cautiously optimistic. (Akron Beacon Journal)
- Patrick O’Donnell dives deep into proposed charter school reforms in both the governor’s budget and in HB 2. He and those he interviews seem to have concerns about what they see as a “sponsor-centric” approach to reform. It is a complex topic, as is clear by the length of the piece and the sheer number of voices included, and some details are missed. But overall, it’s a superior discussion at what will be an important issue in the early months of the 131st Ohio General Assembly. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
- Another hot topic in the realm of school choice is the EdChoice Scholarship Program. The application window is now open and tens of thousands of students across Ohio are eligible to leave their persistently-low-performing public schools to go to a private school of their choice with a voucher. Once they find the right fit, they can stay in their private school all the way through graduation, no matter if the performance of their assigned district school improves. It is likely this latter issue that has some folks in Dayton City Schools determined to limit the number of students leaving the district with an EdChoice Scholarship. You can read their arguments against vouchers in this extensive DDN piece and make up your own mind as to their validity. Personally, I think the best way to keep families from leaving on a voucher (short of actually having a school district they don’t want to/need to leave) is to keep the kids’ eligibility on the DL. As in, not blabbing about it in the paper. Oops. (Dayton Daily News)
- So that four-district consolidated brick-and-mortar high school we’ve been talking about is still on the drawing board in Geauga County. And there are still a number of hurdles before it becomes a reality…or doesn’t. However, the new iSTEM Academy will be up and running in Concord Township next school year, thanks to a winning Straight-A Fund application and familiar academic model that, for some reason, has me thinking of my kids. Best of luck to the team behind the new school and congratulations to all the students who will find the school to be a great fit and a great boost for their futures. (Willoughby News-Herald)
RESEARCH BITES 2/9/15: Science proficiency and low-income students
Presently, great emphasis is placed on test results in math and reading. Given this emphasis, the incentives are such that schools may neglect science and social studies (and other subjects). Further, it is plausible that schools educating mainly low-income students—schools historically more likely to be subject to sanctions based primarily on math and reading results—have the strongest incentive to neglect science and social studies. These dynamics make me wonder about student achievement trends in science and social studies, especially for low-income students living in urban areas.
Today, I look at 8th grade science results from 2006-07 to 2013-14, comparing the proficiency rates of economically disadvantaged (ED) students attending Ohio’s three largest urban districts to statewide benchmarks. The chart below has a couple interesting features: First, proficiency in science is shockingly low for ED students in urban districts. Within the past decade, student proficiency in science has ranged from 20 to 40 percent in these districts—compared to 60 to 70 percent for students statewide. Second, science the proficiency-rate gap for low-income urban students appears to be slightly widening. Consider Columbus ED students: In 2007, they trailed low-income students statewide by 14 percentage points; in 2014, they trailed by 20 points. Similarly the gap slightly widened when compared against students statewide (from a 35 point disadvantage to 37 points). Science proficiency for low-income students in urban areas is bleak—and, if 8th grade proficiency is any indicator—it has failed to catch up with statewide benchmarks.
Chart: 8th grade science proficiency rates, 2006-07 to 2013-14
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