- Can you stand a couple more media hits on Fordham’s Back to the Basics report? Me too! First up was a really good write up I missed upon release of the report last Thursday. It hails from the Xenia Daily Gazette and gives a summary of the report followed by reaction from a number of officials from local school districts. Seems that everyone read and seriously considered the report, even if they disagreed in part or in whole. Nice. (Xenia Daily Gazette, 12/7/17) Gongwer’s coverage from Friday was a little more perfunctory, but we appreciate it just the same. (Gongwer Ohio, 12/8/17)
- The PD’s Patrick O’Donnell has been pretty quiet in recent weeks, but he was back with a vengeance this weekend. What’s he been up to? Crunching the number on both out-of-school and in-school suspensions at schools and districts across Northeast Ohio and around the state. He seems none-too-pleased with the patterns upon which he is reporting. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/10/17) I don’t know if it was to cheer himself up or simply to show the other side of the coin, but Patrick also reported on 108 schools across the state who were last week awarded medals for “leading the way” in adopting Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a proactive and positive school culture and disciplinary system. He should be given Bites Bucks for that…a reward which I just invented. Kudos also to the principal of Harvey High School in Painesville for the reference to Johnny Rotten. Punk is, indeed, dead. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/10/17)
- Meanwhile, editors in Cleveland were busy as well—opining strongly against proposed changes to the state’s voucher programs. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/10/17)
- Some budget changes are in the cards for the Dayton Preschool Promise program next year. Not cuts, but reprioritization. More money will go to support increasing the number of providers rated at 3 or more stars than will go to support tuition assistance for the students who utilize those providers. So, more money for adults than for kids. But the group’s goals remain the same. (Dayton Daily News, 12/10/17)
- We finish up today with a look at the SWAG (Students With a Goal) afterschool program in Akron. It is independent of the school district and is funded by local churches and philanthropic organizations, who also provide volunteer staffers. SWAG has been going strong for five years and has expanded beyond just a place to do homework and get a snack. Its volunteers are now working with program graduates as they navigate college. Nice. (Akron Beacon Journal, 12/10/17)
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