- Another notice for last week’s Quality in Adversity report. The good folks at Gongwer have taken a pretty thorough look at our latest report. Thanks guys; appreciate you zeroing in the important issues. (Gongwer Ohio, 1/29/16)
- Our own Aaron Churchill is colorfully quoted in this teaser piece on the topic of charter school funding. The stunt of districts “billing” the state for funding “lost” for students who leave for charters is getting attention from media now, so you know it’s a real thing. The real story is behind the pay wall at DDN (including a reference to the Quality in Adversity report findings); you get zilch in the way of details from the teaser. (Dayton Daily News, 1/31/16)
- Parsing of the limited school report card data continues in the Ohio media. Aaron is quoted in this piece looking at Central Ohio charters vs. districts. Aaron’s comments are good, but seem to mean bubkis to the argument being made. (Columbus Dispatch, 2/1/16)
- A new study from Case Western Reserve University indicates that “attending preschool helps make children in Cleveland about 20 percent more ready for kindergarten,” and that “Cleveland kids have a 29 percent greater chance of passing Ohio's third grade reading requirements if they attend a preschool run by the Cleveland school district or through Cuyahoga County's Universal Pre-K program”. Case closed. Nothing more to see here. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 2/1/16) Or is there? Researchers at CWRU would like the suburban districts to share their pre-K data to help improve the study going forward. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 2/1/16)
- Speaking of the Cleveland suburbs (although probably not the one you were expecting), here’s a great look at Gearity Professional Development School’s “Maker Lab”, a cool STEM space in a Cleveland Heights-University Heights which was funding in part by a Straight A Innovation Fund grant. This is so cool! Why would anyone want to nix funding these types of projects? (Heights Observer, 1/31/16)
- United Way, AmeriCorps, local businesses, neighborhood churches, doctors, city officials. All of these people and entities are working together to create a “promise neighborhood” around Taft Elementary in Youngstown, starting this year. What could be wrong with that, I ask you? Vision screenings, vaccinations, safe new sidewalks, tutoring, physical activity, school/parent/community/teacher connections. All are part of the promise concept and all are underway in one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in Youngstown. So what’s wrong with that? Nothing. Nada. “Goose eggs,” as my colorful colleague Aaron would say. So why wasn’t Taft the first school in Youngstown to get this program? I’ll let the president of the local United Way tell you: “The instability of the city school board and its members’ relationship with the superintendent at the time swayed the organization away from the city schools.” And why did a charter school get to be first in line? “Youngstown Community School serves all city children, and it’s governed by a strong board,” explained the prez. Wonder what other awesome things that “instability” is affecting these days? I’m sure it’s nothing important... (Youngstown Vindicator, 2/1/16)
