- A couple more items from around the Statehouse lead us off today. Senate Bill 1 was passed by the Senate on Wednesday on a vote of 26-7. This is the bill that would, among other things, make massive changes to K-12 governance in Ohio. (The grouchers quoted liberally in this piece have a somewhat different take on it. You know what I mean.) It heads to the House, where it will likely need to be squared up with their own companion legislation currently being heard in committee. (Cleveland.com, 3/1/23) That proposed overhaul of ed governance was also part of the discussion in a House subcommittee this week. The main topic was Governor DeWine’s student literacy proposals in the state budget (which seemed to be mostly about money naturally enough), but other things were obviously swirling under as well. (Gongwer Ohio, 3/2/23)
- Meanwhile, back here on Earth, Akron City Schools is piloting a cellphone ban in several of its high schools in an effort to combat disruptions in class as well as a wave of violence being experienced in buildings this year. Ahead of the implementation earlier this week, elected school board vice president Diana Autry met with some students at East Community Learning Center to hear their concerns. Most kids were against the ban—for very practical reasons—but at the end of the piece, we find some new and important information: 90-minute class periods appear to be too long for both teachers and students. “Many students said their teachers don't teach for the full 90 minutes,” the article states, “because it’s hard to keep students’ attention for that long, and there are lulls during the class during which they don’t have work to do and often spend that time on their phones.” Madam Vice President seemed inclined to think about shortening them, but perhaps she’ll have some new data on the situation after a few days of the cellphone ban. Sounds like a classic chicken and egg conundrum to me. (Akron Beacon Journal, 3/2/23)
- There is actually a ton that we could try to unpack in this brief coverage of Parma City Schools’ state of the district event. But I will content myself with this one: Will the public and the media really just nod along to any old thing a school district superintendent says as long as it sounds upbeat and positive? I mean, this is Parma, but take a look at those three goals the supe lays out and ask yourself if the “data” he provided sounds like it has any connection at all to them? Perhaps some information from the speech got lost in journalistic translation, but one would think that the blatant nonsense commentary around “transparency” would have made someone in the Fourth Estate say “hold up a sec”. (Cleveland.com, 3/1/23) A far better example comes to us from tiny Fostoria Jr./Sr. High School. Tons of specific goals, actions taken, and outcome numbers focused on student achievement in a number of areas. There’s even discussion about additional efforts being undertaken to continue what sounds like already very good work. The presenter was a principal and not a superintendent. You think that might make the difference? (Advertiser-Tribune, 3/1/23)
- Let’s end with some more good news. Seven charter schools across the state were this week awarded grants from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. They are for facility improvement or new construction projects intended to increase the supply of seats in these schools. Keep in mind that only high-performing charters are eligible for the grants, which means more options are coming soon for students in these areas. Awesome! The winners are: Dayton Early College Academy, Dayton Leadership Academies, Innovations Academy West, KIPP Columbus, Midnimo Cross Cultural Community School, Patriot Preparatory Academy, and Zanesville Community High School. (Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, 3/1/23) Local news also briefly covered the Dayton awardees. Yahoo! (WDTN-TV, Dayton, 3/2/23)
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