Gadfly Bites 12/20/23—Crushing education

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‘Tis the season, I guess. Akron City Schools is the latest Ohio district to approve a new strategic plan. The elected school board voted unanimously this week to approve the new Blueprint for Excellence. You can read all about it in this piece or on the district’s website. Just in case you don’t have access to ABJ paywalled content, I am particularly interested in the superintendent’s recommendation/admonition/request (your choice of term; I know what I prefer) to the news media, quoted in the piece, regarding what he sees as their role in achieving the goals in the Blueprint. While he calls those goals “lofty” (I have another term that I prefer), he also does not seem to want to be judged on them. “I believe we can keep the public informed. We believe that that includes good stories, stories of the progress we’re making, and the goals we’re reaching, growth, progress,” he said. “These things matter to our community. It’s about more than test scores, and data. I would also like to ask that our reporters not use this blueprint as a weapon against the school district. This is a tool to show our progress. But it is also to show where we fall short.” Personally, I would imagine reporters don’t care for being told how to report on a story before it happens. But seriously, what do I know about reporting? (Akron Beacon Journal, 12/19/23)
Of course no district’s strategizing would be complete without confronting the dastardly specter of ~~parents choosing a different option for their children~~ school choice, and Akron City Schools does not disappoint in the piece above. Bossman says his plan contains a high dollar communications and marketing effort “to retain, recruit, and reclaim” families to his district. While you decide how that last word in particular feels as it hits your heart, let’s take a moment to see what’s going on in the world of school choice. First up: A fantastic look at Toledo Maritime Academy and the unique charter school’s dedicated principal. A former Marine and veteran teacher with a focus on special education, Aaron Lusk runs a tight and kid-focused operation that allows the diverse students who choose TMA to thrive in myriad ways. Students, staff, and Lusk himself share several stories that also show how a small charter school can be extremely nimble in accommodating individual needs when they arise. Dastardly, right? (Toledo Blade, 12/17/23) Second: Governor DeWine visited Cleveland’s Urban Community School earlier this week, to draw attention to the importance of small, community-centered private schools as the six-month anniversary of expanded voucher availability in Ohio dawned. UCS is also rather unique in its model—founded by a traditional faith-based entity but run now as an independent school yet still keeping to its founding mission of serving primarily low-income students and the neighborhoods around them. What’s the opposite of “dastardly”? Because that’s what these stories are. (Ideastream Public Media, 12/18/23)
The upcoming total solar eclipse, Middletown City Schools officials assure us, offers a “valuable learning opportunity” for students. That totally explains why they are closing every school building in the district for the entire eclipse day. They say they are planning to send kids home with safe viewing glasses—presumably so they can eke out some of that educational value by themselves from home—but I really don’t know how they’ll be able to learn anything from down in their bunkers. (Cincinnati Enquirer, 12/19/23) Meanwhile: “This truly is a once-in-a lifetime event for residents of northern Ohio,” says a more creative and visionary leader. For that reason, his organization is throwing open their doors for a day-long, community-wide watch party for the eclipse that will include protective glasses, interactive exhibits, and STEM-related activities for kids and adults. That visionary is Tom Kramig, co-owner of Frontier League baseball team the Lake Erie Crushers, who will be hosting the event at their stadium on April 8, 2024. It’ll cost you—$15 to $20 per ticket—and since there’s no discussion of the dire and fearful possibilities (bumper-to-bumper traffic, Wi-Fi outages, spotty cell service, etc.) that have led so many schools to close, you’re clearly taking your life into your hands to attend. But even so, I feel like the score right now has to be entrepreneurship 1, education 0. (Cleveland.com, 12/18/23)
Here’s a bittersweet story from East Cleveland City Schools to end today’s clips. Caledonia Elementary School will soon have Ohio’s first Community Schoolyard. The Trust for Public Land, which helped shepherd the project along with numerous school and community partners, defines it as a “vibrant green space that’s accessible to the community after school hours.” But that’s not all. There’s a lot of detail in this piece—it runs to nearly 1,500 words—partly because it was a long and highly involved endeavor but also because it takes every effort to paint the result as a Very Important Step in solving all manner of Societal Ills. Not least of the schoolyard’s intended impacts is boosting educational opportunities for students in East Cleveland. “Going far beyond the traditional swing set and teeter-totter,” we are told, “the plans for Caledonia include an outdoor classroom and stage for learning and performances, an outdoor musical instrument area, a school garden, artificial turf play areas, and an open lawn area that can be used for baseball, softball and soccer.” I don’t want to be That Guy, but one look at Caledonia Elementary’s most recent report card shows me pretty clearly that an outdoor classroom is not going to cure the longstanding ills of education in East Cleveland. No matter how nice it is (and it is very nice) nor how many words are used to extol/justify it. (The Land Cleveland, 12/15/23)