Your chance to stand up for school choice
Ohio Education GadflyAre you a school choice supporter or just interested in learning more about this issue that is gaining national prominence? Ohio parents, students, schools, and advocates will be holding a rally on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, at 11 a.m. on the steps of the Ohio Statehouse. And you’re invited to attend.
Charters come to the Bluegrass State
On this week's podcast, Kentucky State Senator Mike Wilson joins Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss charter schools in the Bluegrass State, which recently passed its first charter law. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines efforts to improve content knowledge and comprehension for English language learners.
Leveraging ESSA to Support Quality-School Growth
Nelson Smith, Brandon L. WrightUnder the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal School Improvement Grants program is gone, but the goal of school improvement remains. States must now use seven percent of their Title I allocation for these efforts, but are no longer constrained by a prescribed menu of intervention options.
Amplifying educators' voices
On this week's podcast, special guest Eric Eagon, a senior director at the PIE Network, joins Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss why policymakers ought to pay more attention to teachers and administrators. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the peer effects of computer-assisted learning.
Cracking down on e-schools: What’s with the double standard?
Jamie Davies O'LearyE-schools, a.k.a. virtual charter schools, have been so thoroughly mired in controversy that they’ve become radioactive in most education discussions. Or in most discussions, period. The current dispute in Ohio is largely technical and centers on the extent to which e-schools provide learning opportunities to students rather than merely offering them.
The diminishing significance of racism and poverty in education reform
Ian RoweIf you want a good cry mixed in with some inspiration, watch noted human rights lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson give a searing account of bias against the poor and young men of color in a TED Talk about an Injustice.
Casting the net too wide: Ohio’s ESSA plans could place most districts in support status
Jamie Davies O'LearyOhio’s draft plan for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) came out earlier this month, and we at Fordham continue to
Ohio’s ESSA plan: The Prepared for Success component
Jessica PoinerIn early February, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released the first draft of its state plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Trump and Congress will repeal Obama's ESSA rules: Why that matters and what should follow
Brandon L. WrightBy Brandon L. Wright
Foreword: Pathway to Success – Citizens Leadership Academy
Jamie Davies O'LearyCitizens Leadership Academy (CLA) is preparing Cleveland middle schoolers for success in high school, college, and life—and not just academically. CLA, whose population is 79 percent economically disadvantaged and made up almost entirely of students of color, is second among all public schools in the city on student growth.
Fordham Institute media response to newly released Ohio charter facilities survey
Ohio Education GadflyA report released today outlines the facilities challenges facing Ohio’s public charter schools.
Turnarounds rarely work; close dysfunctional schools instead
Aaron Churchill“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” There's a lot of truth in that cliché, but it doesn't seem to apply to education. When it comes to chronically low-performing schools, in many cases, the better – and more courageous – course is to “quit” and close a school that is simply beyond repair.
Ohio’s ESSA plan: Identifying low-performing schools
Jessica PoinerOne of the hallmarks of school accountability is the identification of and intervention in persistently low-preforming schools.
Good charters are good choices: Farah’s story (Columbus Collegiate Academy)
Jamie Davies O'LearyParents make choices about their child’s schooling based on a variety of factors: location, safety, convenience, academics, extracurriculars, support services, and more. Many families choose their school by moving to the neighborhood of their preference, thus exercising “choice” when making homeownership decisions.
(No) Money in the Bank: Which Retirement Systems Penalize New Teachers?
A new teacher’s pension is supposed to be a perk. The truth is that for the majority of the nation’s new teachers, what they can anticipate in retirement benefits will be worth less than what they contributed to the system while they were in the classroom, even if they stay for decades.
2017 National School Choice Poll
Jessica PoinerThe American Federation for Children (AFC) recently released its third annual poll on school choice. The national poll surveyed just over 1,000 likely November 2018 voters early this January via phone calls.
A new year brings a new chance for district-charter collaboration
Jessica PoinerPeter Cunningham recently called district-charter collaboration the “great unfilled promise” of school choice.
Fordham Institute statement on 2017 Quality Counts ratings
Ohio Education GadflyToday Education Week released its annual Quality Counts report card for states. Ohio earned a C with an overall score of 74.2, aligning the Buckeye State for the second year in a row with national U.S. average (also 74.2).