Three ways to improve Ohio’s ESSA plan
Aaron ChurchillIn early June, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released an updated draft of its ESSA plan for public comment. The department had initially intended to submit its plan earlier this spring, but after heavy pressure, state officials decided to delay submission until September.
Whether school choice increases parental demand for information about school quality
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.An average of forty-four million unique visitors use GreatSchools every year to check out schools in their area and elsewhere.
School choice that works for rural communities
Aaron ChurchillIn a provocative headline, a recent Wall Street Journal article proclaimed that “Rural America Is the New ‘Inner City.’” The piece profiles Kenton, Ohio, along with several other towns across the nation that have recently suffered population losses, sluggish economies, and surging substance abuse.
What Teens Want From Their Schools: A National Survey of High School Student Engagement
John Geraci, Maureen Palmerini, Pat Cirillo, Victoria McDougaldAmong high school students who consider dropping out, half cite lack of engagement with the school as a primary reason, and 42 percent report that they don’t see value in the schoolwork they are asked to do.
District requests for ECOT dollars highlight wide misperceptions about charter funding
Jamie Davies O'LearyRecently, several school districts asked to be repaid a chunk of the money that the state of Ohio is attempting to recover from the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT); House Bill 87, currently pending in the General Assembly, would grant them their wish.
Guest Commentary: Charter opponent rhetoric should lead to support for equitable funding
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
Ohio shouldn’t worry about Delaware’s ESSA plan woes—yet
Jessica PoinerEarly last week, the Trump administration gave three states feedback on their submitted plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Interdistrict Open Enrollment in Ohio: A recap of Fordham’s latest event
Ohio Education GadflyIn the wake of Donald Trump’s election and his selection of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary, a lot of attention has been focused on school choice.
Dad gets some new insights into the importance of school choice
Jeff MurrayThe best advice my wife and I received on how to manage daily life with newly born twin daughters was from our pediatrician: get them on a schedule. Any schedule that works for you is fine, but it should be the same schedule for both children, and stick to it. It was a great insight from a pro and it has served us well.
Research roundup: Interdistrict Open Enrollment in Ohio
Ohio Education GadflyIn case you missed it, Fordham released a new report last week: a first-of-its-kind analysis of the districts and the students utilizing open enrollment across district boundaries in the Buckeye State, focusing on which districts did and did not open their borders and on
Keep investing in charter schools that sustain results
NOTES: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
Foreword: Interdistrict Open Enrollment in Ohio
Aaron Churchill , Chad L. AldisIn April, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos toured the Van Wert school district in rural northwestern Ohio along with American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. In such sparsely populated communities, private and charter schools are usually scarce.
How should Ohio seek to improve its lowest achieving public schools?
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
Three ways to have a more honest debate about school choice
Jamie Davies O'LearyPosted just six hours after the close of Mother’s Day, this eerily titled article, “Some school districts tail parents to check where family actually lives,” discussed the lengths to which some parents go to enroll their child in a “desirable school
Charter School Funding: Inequity in the City
Jamie Davies O'LearyInequity in the City—the work of veteran authors of charter-school funding studies, including Inequity’s Next Frontier, Inequity Persists, and <
Join us for an important panel discussion: New research on interdistrict open enrollment
Ohio Education GadflyThe Thomas B. Fordham Institute is releasing a first-of-its-kind statewide analysis of interdistrict open enrollment. Using anonymous student-level data, Ohio State University professor Stéphane Lavertu and Deven Carlson of the University of Oklahoma examined the background characteristics of open enrollees along with their academic outcomes as gauged by state exams and graduation rates.
High-quality high schools: The next frontier for Ohio’s charter sector
Jessica PoinerEach year, school choice advocates celebrate National Charter Schools Week. This year, they had an extra reason to break open the champagne: U.S.
Private school vouchers help level the playing field
Aaron ChurchillNOTE: This piece originally appeared in The Cincinnati Enquirer in a slightly different form.
Early ESSA plans don't do enough to signal that all students are important
Brandon L. WrightBy Brandon L. Wright
LeBron James to start a new school in Akron, but it’s not a charter
Jamie Davies O'LearyWhen news broke the other day that LeBron James was starting a school in his home town of Akron, some commentators assumed it was going to be a charter.
Three Signs That a Proposed Charter School Is at Risk of Failing
Anna Nicotera, David A. StuitIt’s well established that some charter schools do far better than others at educating their students. This variability has profound implications for the children who attend those schools. Yet painful experience shows that rebooting or closing a low-performing school is a drawn-out and excruciating process.
DeVos's ESSA peer review guidance is a victory for high achievers
Brandon L. WrightBy Brandon L. Wright
Will anyone even qualify for the much-debated federal charter school program grant?
Jamie Davies O'LearyLast week, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) announced that the long-awaited Charter School Program (CSP) grant funds will soon be available. The federal program will provide $32 million in FY 2018 for high-quality charter startups and replications.
States mostly squander ESSA's school improvement flexibility
Brandon L. WrightBy Brandon L. Wright
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.
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.
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.