1. Fordham’s Aaron Churchill is one among several of the advocates quoted in this piece applauding the school choice-friendly aspects of the Senate’s budget bill. Naturally. (Center Square, 6/15/21)
    
2. Two great belated graduation stories here. It sounds like the pandemic pivot to fully-remote education was actually a godsend for Savannah Gehler, who just graduated from Kings High School outside Cincinnati after a long struggle due to family commitments and personal issues. She is justifiably proud of what she’s accomplished so far—and for her future in the Army National Guard—but from where I sit, it seems like full-time virtual school could have eased her burden and benefitted her journey long before now. (Journal-News, 6/11/21) This year’s graduates of Buckeye Community School, a dropout recovery charter in Marion, list their own sets of challenges to reaching their goal of a high school diploma. There are several notes of how the school’s self-paced model, hands-on counselors, and student-centric adaptations helped students complete their schooling. College and careers beckon. (Marion Star, 6/12/21)
   
   

3. The executive editor of redefinED compares Ohio to Arizona very unfavorably on the topic of economic segregation in education access, referencing Fordham’s studies on interdistrict open enrollment along with other Buckeye state data. While he ends by saying that things aren’t entirely hunky dory in Arizona, it’s hard to argue that we don’t come out looking pretty bad. (RedefinED, 6/14/21)
    
4. Speaking of school choice in Ohio, here’s news of another new charter school opening its doors in Toledo this fall. This one is focused on athletics and education, which sounds like a nice and welcome twist. While the brief news coverage seems to want to make a negative out of the school’s initial 225-student enrollment limit, that really would only be a problem if for some reason you think more kids than that are in need of an alternative. And you don’t think that, do you, news mavens? (WTOL-TV, Toledo, 6/14/21) And how about the OG of existing Toledo charters? Toledo School for the Arts is holding free drumline camps at parks across the city this summer—no experience required—thanks to funding support from city leaders. Nice! (WTOL-TV, Toledo, 6/14/21)

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Earlier this year, Governor DeWine requested that all public schools create and publish plans to address student learning loss caused by the pandemic. A quick look at the plans reveals a wide variety of intervention efforts. Ohio’s two largest districts—Columbus and Cleveland—have taken a similar approach. Both plan to offer summer school to all students on a much broader scale than in years past, and their programming will offer academic and enrichment activities.

Summer school is a wise choice for obvious reasons. The easiest way to make up for lost time is to reclaim time that isn’t typically dedicated to school—weeknights, weekends, and breaks like summer. Weaving enrichment activities into summer school is also smart, because it’s the nonacademic offerings—the “fun” stuff—that will get kids excited about enrolling in and consistently attending school during the summer. Officials in the Cleveland Municipal School District even said as much when discussing their “kinder, gentler” summer school plans.

But enrichment opportunities aren’t just “fun” stuff. Many of the lessons kids learn in classrooms can be reinforced on athletic fields, in studios, and on the stage. Research shows that field trips help students improve critical thinking and increase factual knowledge. And enrichment activities offer an ideal opportunity to focus on social-emotional learning, which is not only beneficial for students’ mental health but can also impact academic performance.

Now more than ever, enrichment should be a priority. Covid lockdowns that kept us all in our homes for months revealed just how vital these activities are to development. Yet for millions of children, the sudden dearth of opportunities brought about by the pandemic wasn’t much different from their normal circumstances. America might be called the land of opportunity, but access to enrichment activities often depends on family income—which means students from low-income families lose out.

The best way to eliminate this opportunity gap is to address it head on. One way is by providing schools and other after-school and youth service providers with funds to conduct programs and expand access to free opportunities. Another way is to get dollars directly into parents’ hands and allow them to tailor enrichment activities to their child’s needs and interests.

The latter approach is exactly what the Ohio Senate did in its recently passed version of the budget, which created the Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) educational savings account. This program would provide families whose income is at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty line with $500 that can be used to pay for a variety of enrichment activities for children between the ages of six and eighteen. Families are prohibited from using the funds to purchase electronic devices, but they can spend them on any of the following approved activities: 

• Before or after-school educational programs

• Day camps, including camps for academics, music, and arts

• Tuition for learning extension centers

• Tuition for learning pods

• The purchase of curriculum and material for homeschool families

• Educational, learning, or study skills services

• Field trips to historical landmarks, museums, science centers, and theaters

• Language classes

• Instrument lessons

• Tutoring 

In order to administer the program, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) would be required to contract with a vendor, with preference given to one that can provide customer-service contact information and a free smart phone application through which parents can apply for the funds. The vendor would also be responsible for monitoring accounts, recovering money that was spent in unauthorized ways, and providing ODE with a comprehensive list of purchases that were made via ACE accounts.

It’s worth noting that eligibility is relatively broad. Families must meet the income requirement, but ACE accounts can be opened for any student who attends a public or nonpublic school, as well as for those who are homeschooled. The downside to such extensive availability, however, is that demand could rapidly outpace supply. The bill uses federal coronavirus school relief appropriations to fund the program, and although it allocates $50 million for FY 2022 and $75 million for FY 2023, that’s not enough to cover all eligible students. Because ACE accounts will be established on a first-come, first-served basis, it’s possible that interested families could miss out if they don’t apply soon enough.

The program has also been limited to two school years. That makes sense, because it’s more or less a pilot program and because federal relief dollars have an expiration date. But the deadline does raise questions about what happens after 2023. Opportunity gaps preexist the pandemic, and two years of enrichment savings accounts is unlikely to eliminate it. When federal relief dollars run out, there will still be families who need financial assistance to access the same enrichment opportunities that are readily available to their more affluent peers. If this innovative program proves successful, Ohio legislators should consider finding ways to continue funding it beyond 2023.

All things considered, though, the Senate deserves plenty of praise for tackling the opportunity gap. Conference committee debates over the budget are looming, and it’s impossible to predict whether the Senate’s ACE accounts will become a reality. But given the need that enrichment savings accounts address—and the potential positive outcomes—here’s hoping this program not only makes into the enacted budget but becomes a permanent part of Ohio’s education landscape, as well.

1. A blog by Fordham’s Jessica Poiner is quoted in this piece, looking at the state budget bill’s provisions to expand computer science education. Jessica is only quoted in a moment of pessimism regarding the availability of skilled teachers, which is a true statement, but her blog is full of the usual high quality analysis on both sides of the coin. The full blog is here if for some unfathomable reason you haven’t seen it yet. (Dayton Daily News, 6/14/21)
    
2. As with everything education-related during silly budget season it seems, the computer science provisions have a House version and a Senate version which must be reconciled before the bill can be completed. Same, of course, with a school funding revamp. Over the weekend, in advance of the first conference committee activity, editors at the Akron Beacon Journal seem to opine in favor of the House version of a funding revamp. I say “seem to” because I actually am not entirely clear whether they are or are not fully in love with it. (Akron Beacon Journal, 6/13/21) No such confusion from the other relevant op-ed published over the weekend. The chair of the Senate Finance Committee opined fully in favor of the funding revamp plan put forward in his chamber. (Cleveland.com, 6/13/21)

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School choice provisions in the Senate budget bill

Here’s a look at a number of hugely important choice-related provisions included in the Senate version of the HB 110, Ohio’s biennial budget bill. Among those provisions: full funding for the quality charter school program, removal of the geographic restrictions on startup charters, increases in voucher amounts, and a boost in facility support for charters and independent STEM schools.

Budget bill status

An amended version of HB 110 passed the Senate on Thursday of this week, followed quickly by the House refusing to concur in the changes made. As expected. This sets the stage for a conference committee process to reconcile differences between the two versions of the bill, with education provisions (including those discussed in the item above) likely to take center stage in the committee’s work.

The new…

A new STEM-focused charter school, Explorers Academy of Science and Technology, will open its doors this fall in Toledo. We get a quick look at what students and families can look forward to courtesy of WTOL-TV in the Glass City. Go Rockets!

…and the old

While student transportation planning for next school year seems to be full steam ahead in Dayton City Schools, charter leaders in the Gem City appear to be waiting, hopefully, for news from the new third-party transportation provider who will be assuming responsibility for transporting their students this fall.

Fond remembrance

Youngstown education leader Sister Jerome Corcoran is remembered fondly in this piece, following her death last week at the age of 105. Her education ministry included (among many accomplishments) decades of teaching at numerous Catholic schools in the region; lecturing at Youngstown State University, the University of Dayton, and other higher ed institutions; and helping to found the charter school Youngstown Community School in 1998.

The view from Detroit

Grand Valley State University, sponsor of 78 charter schools in Michigan, announced this week that all 24 eighth grade graduates of Detroit Achievement Academy have been guaranteed GVSU admission and free tuition upon their completion of high school in Wayne County. Importantly, GVSU will provide support for the students throughout their high school careers including college-preparedness workshops designed to remove barriers to high education. 

*****

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1. The state budget bill remains the story of the week. In case you missed it, the Senate passed their version of the bill and the House refused to concur in the changes thereunto. Thus setting up a conference committee. (Gongwer Ohio, 6/10/21) According to the Dayton Daily News (and literally everyone else with a platform to comment), education provisions—funding, school choice, computer science, online learning, and other stuff too—will feature prominently in the committee’s negotiations. (Dayton Daily News, 6/11/21)
    
2. But don’t forget that there are other bills that are not the state budget which might be of interest. Case in point is HB 316, which would allow students to “redo” a Covid-disrupted school year if they want. In my humble opinion, proponent testimony before the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee this week was pretty compelling. Opponent testimony was…off point. YMMV. (Gongwer Ohio, 6/9/21)
   
   

3. Speaking of which, the elected board of Licking Heights City Schools voted this week to spend a portion of their state funding to join the putative anti-voucher lawsuit brewing out there, despite the fact that it will barely benefit them at all. According to this piece, it seems like they did so mainly to help Columbus City Schools, which doesn’t make a ton of sense to me. And also: tee hee on “thorough and adequate”. (Newark Advocate, 6/10/21)

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Exam schools are under increased scrutiny for their admission policies and how those affect diversity in the schools. Thus, this recent study, conducted by scholars from Harvard and Boston University, is particularly timely, as it examines how both the pipeline and the admissions process for Boston’s three exam schools affect racial diversity in the schools and racial gaps in enrollment.

Boston Public Schools (BPS) has three exam schools serving students grades 7–12. Together, these enroll 25 percent of BPS students in the eligible grades. Nearly 75 percent of BPS students are Black or Hispanic; in the exam schools, it’s less than 40 percent, and just 20 percent at Boston Latin School, which is the oldest school in America and considered the most selective and prestigious of the three. During the study period, analysts tracked students through the admissions pipeline to determine which aspects of the process may contribute the most to the racial gaps in enrollment. Specifically, they examine test taking, test scores, GPA, exam school preferences by students, exam school invitations, and enrollment.

At the time, BPS required that potential exam school enrollees in the fall of sixth grade take the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE)—a third-party exam popular in independent private schools—and also rank the three schools in order of their preference. The authors examine the BPS fifth-grade classes of 2006–07 through 2012–13, including demographic data. Because over 95 percent of BPS students are listed as recipients of free or reduced-price lunches, the researchers utilize a zip-code-based measure of poverty instead, indicating whether a student lives in a zip code with an average income in the bottom 50 percent of the sample. They run multiple models but find that the most stable and preferred of these includes scores from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) as a primary control.

Descriptively, they find that although Black and Hispanic students comprise nearly 80 percent of BPS fifth graders, they are less than half as likely as their White counterparts to take the qualifying test and less than a quarter as likely to be invited to enroll at one of the exam schools in seventh grade. However, across all subgroups, acceptance rates among invited students are similar (exceeding 80 percent), and once enrolled in an exam school, Black/Hispanic students are as likely to remain there through twelfth grade.

The large racial gaps in enrollment are driven in part by large gaps in baseline academic achievement. Black and Hispanic BPS fifth graders score, on average, at the 43rd–45th percentile of the BPS distribution on the MCAS, while White and Asian students score 20–30 percentiles higher. But the enrollment gaps are also due to differences in test-taking rates, as even among those kids with similar top-quartile MCAS scores, Black and Hispanic students are roughly 20 percentage points less likely than white students to take the ISEE at all. And when they do test, they score 10 percentiles lower than their White peers. The score gap significantly narrows—as do differences in GPAs—when looking at high achievers from the same primary/elementary schools, but it doesn’t disappear entirely. The analysts also find that Black and Hispanic test takers are less likely to rank Boston Latin as their first choice. The cumulative effect of these differences throughout the pipeline is that Black and Hispanic students are less likely to be invited to an exam school, especially Boston Latin. If no invitation is offered, neither acceptance nor enrollment can follow.

What can be done to solve the problem? The researchers simulate a number of different scenarios in which racial diversity in enrollment might be increased and find that the most effective would be to use an MCAS-based admission by school rather than the GPA/ISEE combination. Specifically, invite the top 17 percent of fifth graders at each BPS primary school to attend exam schools in seventh grade, with the top 7 percent receiving invitations to Boston Latin. This method increases Black and Hispanic representation among invited students overall from 38 to 49 percent and among those invited to Boston Latin from 21 to 38 percent.

It would be a cost and time saver, as no additional outside exam would need to be purchased or administered, and it would mean that every student would be required to take the “entrance exam” (i.e., MCAS) rather than needing to opt in to start the process. But it would also mean that less-qualified students from certain schools would replace more-qualified students, because there’s a scarcity of exam schools (unlike using local norms such as “top 10 percent” for gifted and talented programs that can simply be expanded to serve more children). That may (or may not) be a trade-off worth making.

Either way, some steps toward a new framework have already been made, with BPS easing access to the optional ISEE administration in 2019 and temporarily removing the exam portion of the entrance requirement in response to Covid testing restrictions in 2020. The latter move has thus far stood up to legal scrutiny, but the parents group that brought the suit has promised to appeal. As the pandemic eases and in-person testing can soon resume, the lawsuit will likely be moot, but the problem of underrepresentation of minority students will not, nor will the problem that school systems need to do much more to address the huge achievement gap that arises for Black and Hispanic students by the time they emerge from the elementary grades.

This report offers a road map to a possible fix that would identify more capable students and help move them through the pipeline to enrollment. But it is far from perfect.

SOURCE: Melanie Rucinski and Joshua Goodman, “Racial Diversity and Measuring Merit: Evidence from Boston’s Exam School Admissions,” Education Finance and Policy (February 2021).

• A defense of the Educating for American Democracy proposal —National Review
• New data reveal a 432-hour in-person learning gap produced by “the politics of pandemic schooling.” —The 74 Million
• “Chances grow that Supreme Court will take up Maine’s ban on religious school funding.” —Bangor Daily News
• One of the nation’s leading school districts, Fairfax, Virginia, has been under fire from parents this year who resent the board’s resistance to reopening and some of its members’ woke positions. —Christian Science Monitor
• History textbooks omit the Tulsa Race massacre and countless instances of organized violence against Black Americans. It’s time to teach those stories. —Tom Hanks
• Despite Illinois’s efforts to create quality summer school programs and incentives to participate, districts are struggling to recruit teachers and students for them. —Chicago Tribune
• This Brookings survey shows key reasons why some parents want to keep kids virtual in the fall, with thoughts on how schools can engage with them. —Brookings

Cheers

• Leading mayoral candidates in New York City strongly support charter schools, a welcome shift from DeBlasio’s position. —Politico
• “You shouldn't need a college degree to have a decent life.” —LA Times
• Louisiana’s board of education is considering giving more weight to growth in school ratings to reward improvement. —AP
• Yes, Boston parents and community members should follow teacher union contract negotiations, especially to have a say with how federal relief funds are used. —Boston Globe
• Success Academy founder Eva Moskowitz’s son just graduated from one of her schools. —New York Post
• Here are principles for teaching about respectful discourse in classrooms as an antidote to the culture of censorship. —Greg Lukianoff

Jeers

• California’s education department is contemplating removing math tracking, which may slow down talented students. —Washington Post
• Without proper supports for disadvantaged students, California’s proposed math changes are little more than “toothless guidance.” —Washington Post
• “Pandemic relief money is flowing to class-size reduction but research evidence for it isn’t strong.” —Hechinger Report

Across the nation, state lawmakers have been heeding the call for parents to have more control over their children’s education. Recognizing that there is no “one-size-fits-all” model that meets every kid’s need, legislators have been actively strengthening school-choice policies and expanding options for families. Florida, for instance, recently expanded its nation-leading private school scholarship programs. Iowa just significantly improved its charter school law. West Virginia and Kentucky created brand-new educational savings account (ESA) programs that offer parents flexibility in how they meet (and pay for) their kids’ educational needs.

So far this year, Ohio’s education debates have paid scant attention to choice. Lawmakers have focused on technical issues with the school funding formula and overall spending levels. But that changed last week with the unveiling of the Senate’s education plan for the state budget for the fiscal years 2022–23 (HB 110). If enacted, its proposals would be a huge step forward in putting families’ needs and wants at the center of education policy. Here are highlights of the Senate approach:

1. Removes caps on the number of EdChoice scholarships available. EdChoice, the largest of Ohio’s scholarship programs, allows children from low- and middle-income households to attend private schools of their choice. The program has grown significantly over the past decade, but legislators have limited the number of available scholarships, which in the past has left some children in the lurch. The Senate plan would ensure that any eligible student applying for an EdChoice scholarship receives one.

2. Increases the EdChoice and Cleveland scholarship amounts. The EdChoice and Cleveland scholarship amounts have fallen well behind public school spending. Today, they’re worth just $4,650 in grades K–8 and $6,000 in grades 9–12, even as Ohio’s public schools spend on average $14,000 per pupil. The Senate plan narrows that gap somewhat by lifting these scholarship amounts to $5,500 and $7,500 in grades K–8 and 9–12, respectively. Importantly, it also ensures that in future budgets, scholarship amounts will automatically rise in proportion to any increase in public schools’ base funding. This provision would create more predictability and fairness for families that rely on these programs.

3. Provides full funding for Ohio’s quality charter school program. Back in 2019, Governor DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Husted shepherded through a new initiative that drives extra dollars to high-performing public charter schools. For such schools, the program narrows longstanding charter funding gaps and helps to build the schools’ capacity to serve more students. To his credit, Governor DeWine remained committed to this fund in his second budget, ramping up the appropriation to $54 million per year, which should more adequately cover the $1,750 per economically disadvantaged pupil that qualifying schools are supposed to receive. In an unfortunate move, the House cut funding for this valuable program, but Senate lawmakers restored it to the governor’s level.

4. Boosts facility support for charter and independent STEM schools. A recent study by the national education group ExcelinEd found that Ohio funds just 18 percent of charter facility costs, thereby forcing schools to dip into operating dollars to cover rent or mortgage payments. To assist charters with their facility expenses, the Senate plan increases the state’s allowance from $250 to $750 per pupil. Ohio’s seven independent public STEM schools, which are funded much like charters, would also receive these dollars. Moreover, the Senate plan strengthens the right of first refusal law by requiring districts to offer to charters an “unused facility” for lease or purchase when less than 60 percent of the facility is used for direct academic instruction (under current rules, districts could make token use of a facility to prevent it from going to a charter school). Last, the Senate lays out a framework for a credit-enhancement program that could significantly reduce charters’ borrowing costs for school construction or renovation; however, before the program launches, it wisely calls for a study to ensure that all the details are covered.

5. Removes geographic restrictions on startup charter schools. Ever since Ohio passed its original charter law in 1997, the state has largely restricted charter schools to urban communities—where many brick-and-mortar charters have excelled at educating students. But charters in other states with less restrictive policies have also greatly benefitted middle- and upper-income families. In a long overdue change, the Senate would scrap these arbitrary geographic restrictions, creating the potential for new charter school formation throughout Ohio.

6. Opens the door to faith-based public charter schools. The Senate eliminates a requirement that charter schools be “nonsectarian,” thus allowing for religious charter schools (in terms of both their programs and who runs them). This idea recently gained steam when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down decisions that protect religious freedoms under the First Amendment. If the Senate approach becomes law, this could be a huge step forward for choice—and accountability. In the short term, the provision may be used to convert existing religious schools to charter status (which unlocks additional state dollars). Over the longer haul, it also has the potential to draw more faith-based organizations into the education marketplace and thus open new options to Ohio parents. Moreover, the proposal would heighten accountability. Charter schools, unlike private schools, receive state report cards, are overseen by state-approved authorizers that have the authority to close schools, and are subject to federal and state interventions due to underperformance.

7. Offers modest tax relief for families choosing other kinds of schools or homeschooling. Although most of the attention in the school-choice movement focuses on public charter schools and private school scholarships, thousands of Ohio families choose to homeschool their children or enroll them in nonchartered, non-tax-supported schools (private schools that decline all taxpayer support, including scholarships). Recognizing the financial burden of these options, the Senate plan provides a tax credit to parents choosing them. Homeschooling families would receive a small $250 nonrefundable tax credit, akin to the teacher tax deduction for educational expenses. Low-income families enrolling their kids in nonchartered, non-tax-supported schools would become eligible for a $2,500 nonrefundable tax credit to offset the cost of tuition.

8. Creates an ESA program to support afterschool learning. It has been well documented that low-income students tend to have fewer enrichment opportunities. Unfortunately, at the state level, there have been few focused efforts to support out-of-school learning. In an innovative model, the Senate plan creates an ESA program that provides $500 per year to low-income parents that would help them pay for afterschool programs, day camps, or tutoring. Students in public school, private school, or homeschool would be eligible to participate in the ESA, and their parents must apply for the funds. The Senate funds the program through federal Covid-relief monies ($125 million over the biennium), so the ESA would be temporary at least for now. However, if it proves successful, lawmakers should certainly consider making this a permanent program in future years.

The Senate plan sets forth a bold new vision for K–12 education that puts more power and control into the hands of Ohio families. It supports parents’ inherent right to educate their children in the manner they see fit, and it promotes educational quality. The proposals would also make Ohio one of the nation’s most choice-friendly states, rivalling places like Arizona, Florida, and Indiana. As the governor and lawmakers from both chambers hammer out the final budget legislation, they should enthusiastically follow the Senate’s lead on education choice.