- In case you missed it last week, Betsy DeVos was chosen as the next U.S. Education Secretary. Public media in Cleveland got hold of our own Mike Petrilli to discuss the choice and what it might mean for Ohio. (IdeaStream Public Media, Cleveland, 11/24/16)
- Also in the ICYMI category, the ongoing kerfuffle between the state’s largest online school and the state department of education last week took a courtroom-related turn in favor of the state just before Thanksgiving. (Columbus Dispatch, 11/23/16)
- The Vindy today issued a reminder that Lorain City Schools will soon be heading down the path of the new-style Academic Distress Commission, same as Youngstown City Schools. Everyone interviewed seems far more optimistic than I might have expected, especially the president of Lorain’s school board. Youngstown CEO Krish Mohip may actually be too rosy in describing what’s happening in his neck of the woods, but who am I to judge? (Youngstown Vindicator, 11/28/16)
- He’s still not back on the education beat, remember, but let’s not quibble about semantics in this time of giving thanks. Doug Livingston today tells us about a recent report from the State Auditor (!) showing (among other things) that Coventry Local Schools would save a million dollars if they kicked out a bunch of open enrolled kids from other districts. How many? 666 of them. (Akron Beacon Journal, 11/28/16)
- A journalist in Springfield is trying to answer the question, “Why are some schools shedding winter sports programs?” I don’t understand most of the answer because it’s talking about sports, but I do notice we’re only talking about a couple of private religious schools here. Seems like a relevant fact to this particular ignoramus. Just sayin’. (Springfield News-Sun, 11/26/16)
- Today’s Dispatch piece discussing the possibility of establishing a “recovery high school” in Columbus (that is, a school designed specifically for students who are recovering from drug addiction, pushed by the Ohio State University and the Association of Recovery Schools) is 715 words long. I think the folks at The D like the idea quite a bit. How do I know? It’s not until words 474 and 475 that “charter” and “school” turn up. (Columbus Dispatch, 11/28/16)