- At the risk of diluting the cool factor of my kids’ current favorite word, reporter Patrick O’Donnell appears to be “nettled” over the possible expansion of private school vouchers in Ohio. If building a case against such an expansion is indeed his goal, he’s got his work cut out for him since such an expansion has been mooted from both the state and the federal level. Thorough as O’Donnell always is, he makes sure to note the limitations in data and generalizability of our 2016 study on the EdChoice Scholarship program, quoting Chad thoroughly on their nature. Nevertheless, he appears to be launching a one-man campaign to bring that data to light, despite the limitations. First up, Cleveland Metropolitan School District in general vs. voucher schools in general in reading and math. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 3/26/17) Part two of the campaign is more specific: CMSD’s magnet schools vs. St. Ignatius and several other well-known private high schools. Wonder if it’s just a coincidence that O’Donnell took an in-depth look at those magnet schools in profiles published a few weeks ago? Guess we’ll find out, if this current series continues. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 3/26/17)
- So, it appears to be a big NO on school choice via vouchers from at least one Ohio journalist. How about school choice via inter-district open enrollment? Looks like Vindy reporters are torn, as are the Mahoning County school district leaders they interviewed. (Youngstown Vindicator, 3/25/17)
- OK then. How about literally buying one’s way in to one’s public school of choice via tuition? After reading this, I’m thinking the response from the Blade is one of either cautious optimism or benign amusement at the novelty. (Toledo Blade, 3/27/17)
- As noted last week, a difficult-to-define attitude seems to have settled around Lorain City Schools in the lull between one Academic Distress Commission and another. I’d say it’s something like “business as usual” crossed with putting one’s fingers in one’s ears and saying “I can’t hear you”. Case in point, the superintendent’s discussion of input from a student advisory meeting held last week. Everything the students had to say was interesting and important and could likely be put to good use in improving policies, procedures, and programming in the district for their benefit going forward. But is anyone taking bets whether it will be this supe who will be making those improvements? He sure seems to think so. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 3/25/17)
- Back to Toledo for a bit of celebration. Toledo City Schools now has “one nurse for every 440 elementary students, better than the ratio of one nurse for every 750 students recommended by the National Association of School Nurses. The estimated statewide ratio for private and public schools is one full-time registered nurse for every 1,268 students, according to the most-recent available data from the Ohio Department of Health.” This is all thanks to a unique partnership between the district and ProMedica health care network. All this success and celebration, I can’t help but note, conveniently ignores 5 of 8 elephants in the room. (Toledo Blade, 3/26/17)
- Finally today, we learn a little bit about Junior Leadership Akron, a program which exposes high schoolers to “the inner workings of Akron”. No, not that (although there are tunnels involved, it seems). The ins and outs of the way Akron operates as a community so that they “see what’s going on and develop visions of their own.” And vision, organizers and supporters of JLA say, is in short supply in the Rubber City. (Akron Beacon Journal, 3/27/17)
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