- In our topsy turvy tour of education news clips today, we start with Fairview Park City Schools, which appears to be heavily recruiting students to attend its swanky, newly-upgraded high school next year. That includes homeschooled kids in the district (natch), private schoolers (ditto), and its own current eighth graders who might be “shopping around for high schools” (?!). District officials play it cool, as they must, and avoid being quoted using that dreaded “r” word. Instead, they tout their new facilities, numerous athletic opportunities, and top-notch academic offerings: “Our attitude used to be ‘we’re the free school’, but now it’s ‘they’re crazy to spend that kind of money when they can come here and get as good enough if not a better education’.” Simple. But when officials also say things like “We just want those kids back,” and “We want kids from all around to feel like we’re as good as a school as anybody else and should check us out too,” I personally start to suspect that this effort is perhaps less magnanimous than it sounds, especially since Fairview Park has been closed to interdistrict open enrollment forever. If you really want your fancy schools to have more kids in them, might I suggest opening your sealed borders and see how fast your building tours fill up? (Cleveland.com, 10/20/21)
- Fittingly, the word “crazy” comes up in this story too: A private school principal is one of four candidates vying for four open seats, all but guaranteeing her a place on the elected board of Akron City Schools. As you can imagine, this opens a huge discussion of school choice in most of its forms. (As an aside, it is also entirely fitting that this upside down edition of Bites includes a byline from Doug Livingston.) Carla Jackson does not see her candidacy as a contradiction, saying that private school should only be used by families looking for religious education and that religion is the only reason she is working in private vs. public education. (Yes, her school accepts students using vouchers. I told you things were topsy-turvy today.) She also lauds traditional district schools generally and Akron City Schools specifically as having anything any kid could need except for religion. She notes that parents must undertake a huge effort to opt out of the district default. “Why are they making that choice?” she asks rhetorically, “If you say it’s education, if you say it’s academics, then we have to rethink what we’re offering our parents. We have to see our parents as customers.” In fact, she believes the disconnect is simple: Students and parents simply don’t know all the great things available to them. “It’s not that the district doesn’t offer it,” she tells Doug, “But where is the exposure to all students to know this opportunity is available for you?” Fascinating, right? But very confusing to your humble clips compiler. At least everyone still seems to hate charter schools; that, at least, makes sense here. (Akron Beacon Journal, 10/20/21)
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