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- State board of education member Christina Collins announced her intention to resign her seat at the end of the year. And for the best of reasons: She had a baby in November and realized that “I truly need to be a little more protective of my time.” Kudos to her for her service, for the awesomeness of mom-hood, and for that truth bomb. (Ideastream, 12/14/23)
- Here’s a great story from St. Martin de Porres Catholic High School in Cleveland, where the new Food Justice Initiative just wrapped up its inaugural year. It is a wide-ranging effort to help alleviate food insecurity among students, families, and the broader community around the school. It included cooking classes, meal planning, wellness workshops, and healthy food distribution. Kudos to the school and its staff and students for a fantastic effort. “This program gives a glimpse of all these students who are very engaged and on their own time,” said a long-time resident of the neighborhood. “To me, that lets me know that this program is a very good program because they are liking it. And so when you are reaching the young people, then you have made progress in life.” So great! (The Land, Cleveland, 12/13/23)
- Dayton City Schools is touting a boost in their third grade reading scores at the start of this school year. Data show that 23 percent of third graders tested “proficient” or above during state testing in October, compared to 16 percent in October 2022. In other words, nearly a quarter of third grade students were already reading at grade level before almost any teaching had been undertaken this year. How did this positive outcome arise? Honestly, the district officials quoted here seem as surprised as anyone by it and posit a number of possible answers, including work the kids may have done at home over the summer or after school this fall; a hazily-defined “culture shift”; strong communications efforts; as well as the fact that the director of accountability “got teachers set up with Ohio State Test banks of questions, which teachers could use to get their kids used to taking a test before the actual test day.” Not exactly groundbreaking, but district families will have to be happy with these baby steps, I guess. (Dayton Daily News, 12/15/23)
