- In contrast to Vindy.com editors, the ink-stained bosses in Marietta are quite a bit more tepid on third grade reading tests and mandatory retention for students who do not demonstrate proficiency. (Marietta Times, 10/18/22)
- A private school serving students with disabilities has consolidated from three smaller buildings into a single large one in downtown Lima. (You’ll recognize which building when you read it.) Their recent open house and the fact that they accept students using vouchers are both noted here. Nice! (Lima News, 10/18/22) Meanwhile, a new charter school has been proposed for the Columbus suburb of Hilliard, the operators capitalizing on the fact that Ohio recently lifted geographic limits on charter location. But if you come to the ‘burbs, you face the city planning gauntlet in a place where one negative voice can ultimately derail you. We have seen bureaucracy weaponized against charters before, but the suburbs are the next level of zoning hell. (ThisWeek News, 10/18/22)
- A good news/bad news story here for me. The real good news? Leaders at Akron City Schools have brought in an intensive training program for elementary school teachers to help them understand and teach the science of reading to their students. It is required for all K-1 teachers, intervention specialists, and ESL teachers (voluntary for others); it is thorough; and it is actually starting a year ahead of a state requirement for districts to focus on SOR rather than Whole Language or whatever other debunked nonsense is out there. The less good news: It’s actually a two-year training program, the second year of which will NOT be required. The bad news? The level of pushback from some teachers and their union reps which nominally focuses on the time requirement, but also indicates (by my reading) some antipathy toward the new approach to reading bubbling under. (Akron Beacon Journal, 10/18/22)
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