Gadfly Bites 4/15/20 – There is no “fail”

1. As noted here several times so far, the pandemic response which shut down schools in Ohio has not created new education problems; simply shined a bright and unavoidable light on them. The “digital divide” is just one of those things that was a real thing around here long before anyone could pronounce SARS-CoV-2. Here is one of the starker examples, contrasting the pre-pandemic work put in (and expenditures disbursed) toward true 1:1 technology by Toledo City Schools with that of its surrounding suburban districts. And it’s all coming home to roost now. (Toledo Blade, 4/15/20) But haven’t we heard about “free WiFi” offered by numerous digital providers in Ohio? Haven’t we heard about school buildings extending their WiFi into parking lots or rolling “hotspot” buses around to apartment complexes? Yeah, not so much, it seems. Here’s what it’s really like on the other side of that digital divide. Sounds a lot like just trying to get through in Columbus when you’re not benevolently blessed with some of the more vital basics—pandemic or no pandemic. (ABC6, Columbus, 4/13/20) Mount Healthy City Schools is one of the lowest performing districts in the state – been that way for a long time. How do you suppose things are going out there these days? Yep. You’re right. But the wisest comment in this story may come from a Cincinnati City Schools junior, Corinne, who says, “I think a lot of people quit school, basically.” She explains that many of her classmates have expressed that, with no schoolwork currently being graded, there's little incentive to complete assignments. Wonder how that was going before the emergency? (Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/14/20) State Supe Paolo DeMaria says that DeFederal CARES Act money Ohio’s going to benevolently receive will help to address these disparities. And while I do agree that it can buy more tech—and that more tech could be hugely beneficial to lots more kids if used right—it is that “used right” business that money likely cannot address. And that it was probably one those “old education problems” which existed long before anyone CARES-ed about viruses. (WKSU-FM, Kent, 4/13/20)
   
   

2. The other, completely free, way to address these now-brightly-lit disparities is to bury them so deep no one will ever see attempt to hide them again. That’s what’s happening in Elyria City Schools by my reckoning. And while that reckoning comes to me via this piece in the MJ, my typically-unique way of looking at things has led me to see it more clearly by reading the piece in a different order than it was written. To wit, the last sentence first: “These projects have a lot of thought behind what the students should be doing. We’re educators. We want the best for our students and their families.” Followed by: “We want the students to be engaged and on track with their education. The activities are fun and are designed to not be stressful for the parents.” Then: “Not everybody has the same access and it’s not fair to expect people to work the same when not everyone has the same access and tools.” That means paper packets for K-8.; online stuff for high schoolers. Remember: “projects” and “activities”, not “assignments” or even “schoolwork”. “Our guiding principle in these efforts: Students, not grades, come first.” Thus (the opening sentence of the piece): “Elyria Schools is moving its fourth quarter to a pass-or-incomplete method” of grading. We are also told early on that there will be “regular progress updates”, but it turns out that those updates are provided from the kids (or their parents) to the teachers. How is progress defined? And indeed, what constitutes a “passing” grade? We are told that near the end: “to complete at least 40% or more of the…calendar”. That’s right. To pass their classes, all Elyria students must self-report completing less than half of the “projects” and “activities” provided for them. (Except CCP kids, thank the Lord) Make-work which will not be looked at or checked for accuracy or corrected by anyone. Perhaps the new grading system should be called the Pass/Are-You-Sure-About-That-Self-Reported-Number-of-Completed-Packets? system. (Morning Journal, 4/13/20)
    
3. Finally today, in Surely This Would Have Been a Bigger Deal if Not for The Rona News: The State Supreme Court yesterday agreed to hear an appeal in a case involving the rotting corpse of ECOT. (Cleveland.com, 4/14/20)
   

Did you know you can have every edition of Gadfly Bites sent directly to your Inbox? Subscribe by clicking here.