- We’ll start today with a bit of grim humor. (Seriously, what else did you expect from me?) How can we be sure that the current situation is an emergency? Because the Chronicle published a good story about a charter school – virtual spirit week being held for the students at Summit Academy in Lorain – which actually notes that Summit is a charter school. Unprecedented times indeed. (Elyria Chronicle, 3/23/20)
- But despite that tiny bit of levity, the story of the day in our clips is of seeking—lots of people seeking things these days. First, from late last week, we have a state rep who will be seeking safe harbor for all schools from the results of any state testing that might be conducted this year. (Gongwer Ohio, 3/20/20) Of course, Governor DeWine has since told us he is seeking a waiver for Ohio from federal testing requirements. (Gongwer Ohio, 3/22/20) As such, it seems that the final version of any safe harbor bill will seek to focus only on diagnostic-type testing that may be conducted across the state. (Columbus Dispatch, 3/22/20) It came a little sooner than even my cynical self expected—and from a source I had not expected—but the call seeking diplomas for almost all members of the
coronavirus classClass of 2020 no matter their graduation status now has come. (WKYC-TV, Cleveland, 3/22/20) Never ones to miss an opportunity, Lorain’s elected school board is using the existence of “unprecedented times” to seek a no-strings-attached immediate end to Academic Distress Commissions in the state. They even have two completely different reasons! One is that they are sure that ADCs will be ended either via legislation or via court ruling and doing it now will just speed up the inevitable and allow them to get started fixing things up at their earliest opportunity; the other is that the inevitable cancellation of testing and/or safe harbor for results this year will rob the district of a year of growth (!) toward ending ADC control naturally. Clever (The Morning Journal, 3/22/20) Meanwhile, parents are just seeking education for their kids. Several O.G. homeschool parents and some education profs have advice. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 3/23/20) Here are some virtual education resources available in the Toledo area. I read this seeking out what the school district was doing in this regard. Didn’t find it. (Toledo Blade, 3/21/20)
- Meanwhile, at least one member of staff at Columbus City Schools says that her district was already ready for this pandemic. Or any pandemic. Not ready for teaching or learning, mind you. But ready. Especially if that testing waiver comes through, which seems to have been Job One of their preparedness plan. (ThisWeek News, 3/21/20) What I think we’re seeing already is that some schools and districts were actually ready and some were not. And I think the divide generally falls along the have/have not lines so far. (Akron Beacon-Journal, 3/21/20) Honestly, what it all comes down to for me is why any given school or district was or was not ready to continue education during a sustained emergency. This piece from Canton says that parents “should not be afraid” of online learning. Even the apparently much-reviled YouTube is said to be “insanely helpful” for home education. But if parents are or have been afraid of online learning in the past, though, I am moved to ask why? Where did it come from? Link (Canton Repository, 3/23/20) However, despite all this talk of readiness, one University of Akron prof says categorically that K-12 education in Ohio was not ready for this. He sort of blames the rapid nature of the school closures but also indicates that weeks of notice would not have been enough for most schools and districts to be ready. And most of them still aren’t yet. (Akron Beacon-Journal, 3/2/20)
- We end today with a commentary piece from a high school senior in Rocky River seeking…her senior year. (Cleveland.com, 3/23/20) Same goes in not Rocky River, but this piece seems a bit more downbeat than the other. (Akron Beacon-Journal, 3/22/20)
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