- The annual leadership conference for charter school authorizers is taking place this week. EdWeek’s Arianna Prothero is there and learned a lot about closing down poor performers from Fordham’s Chad Aldis and Kathryn Mullen Upton, among others. (EdWeek blog)
- "If I am elected it will be an indictment of Common Core and a call for local control." Why yes, there are races for State Board of Education seats coming up in two weeks. Why do you ask? (Cincinnati Enquirer)
- The good folks at StateImpact also have a full voters guide for the state board races. This link is to the intro piece. Links to all candidate statements received in the various races are available there. (StateImpact Ohio)
- The Beacon Journal is really only interested in one of those state board races – District 4. In what is probably a rare move, editors have made an endorsement in the race. (Akron Beacon Journal)
- Thanks Common Core. Due to the roll out of new Common Core-aligned tests in Ohio this year, Lorain City Schools’ new academic recovery plan must lack in specifics as far as growth targets go. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal)
- Raise your hand if you love modular classrooms. Anyone? Didn’t think so. The folks in several burgeoning Licking County school districts don’t like them either. (Newark Advocate)
- For those of you still struggling to digest the recent Rolling Stone profile on Lima, Ohio, here’s a little look at a small town near Lima in Allen County. Teachers in Allen East Local Schools foreswore raises in their last contract due to financial hardships in the district. Well, that contract is up, raises are not likely to be foresworn this time, a 10-day strike notice has been approved by the union (although not yet issued), and what negotiations have been undertaken have been tense. So was last night’s board meeting. Interesting discussion about veterans vs. newbies here as well. (Lima News)
