Gadfly Bites 6/12/24—You ain’t seen nothing yet

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1. Fordham-sponsored charter school Columbus Collegiate Academy – Main is featured heavily in this national piece on the No Excuses model of school operation. There’s a lot here about the origins, concerns, and evolution of the movement, as well as asking if the idea is ripe for a comeback…in those schools whose adult leaders are able to thus adapt. (*Spoiler alert* - they mean charter schools.) At CCA, though, it seems like the “movement” is more about a dedicated and compassionate group of teachers and staff members doing what’s right for their students (“We outscored [the Columbus district schools] because we work hard and stuck with our mission of high expectations even though it is not super popular,” says a wise CCA network leader.), including loosening the rigid rules a little when that promises to help move kids forward more than strict adherence will. Nice. (Real Clear Investigations, 6/10/24)
   
   

2. In the piece above, I was struck by the words of a CCA middle schooler who talked about the difference between her new charter school’s culture and that of her previous middle school. She was bullied at the district school, she said, because she worked hard in class and wanted to be successful, and the teachers and staff there were not helpful in stopping the harassment aimed at her for this work ethic. Having a school where the adults are just as invested in her success as she is makes all the difference for her. I have heard these sentiments before and assumed them to be endemic in schools whose students are not performing well: The kids are fully capable of high achievement, but the culture put in place and reinforced by adults does not support them in pursuing their greatness. I am glad to see from this piece that this is not fully the case. Meet Docille Micomyiza, a graduate of Northland High School. His educational path was rough, arriving in the United States as a refugee from Rwanda without knowing the language and having difficulty fitting in. Fast forward to today where he is fluent in English, a high school graduate, a community college student, and a rental property owner earning some money and learning the ropes at the same time. Fantastic! It is a little unclear from this profile just how much his Columbus City Schools high school really helped him (although they are given a lot of credit), because the young man was extremely self-motivated, had some family support, and dedicates much of his success so far to his religious faith. But at least they don't appear to have hindered him much. He also took advantage of a lot of district-adjacent outside opportunities, including College Credit Plus (free early college courses), the Columbus Promise program (free tuition at Columbus State Community College for Columbus district students (and only district students—no charter, STEM, or private school grads need apply), and Nationwide Insurance’s internship program (a paid part-time gig in the financial services sector—working around his Columbus State schedule, which is only available to a small subset of district high schoolers). So, again: Kudos to a young man leveraging every opportunity he finds, but imagine how much farther this bright star—and how many others just like him could already be—if the entire education system was working in sync with him? There really is no excuse for it not to. (Columbus Dispatch, 6/11/24)
   
   

3. Let’s start this clip with a reminder: Ohio’s voucher grouchers are really really mad that the near-universal expansion of EdChoice has, in its first year, attracted mainly families whose children were already in private schools. (This makes sense to me, given the tricky logistics of moving kids from school to school which I know from experience, but it’s not like the grouchers wouldn’t have found a reason to be mad even if the situation played out differently, right?) To them, I will say: Just wait, gang. Things are only getting started. To wit: Granville Christian Academy is on the grow, buying up a building near their campus to house the new and larger group of K-2 students enrolling for this fall thanks to the expanded availability of vouchers. (Yeah, they actually said that! Out loud and on the record.) (Newark Advocate, 6/11/24)
   
   

4. Not to be outdone, Summit Academy charter schools are also on a buying spree in northeast Ohio. They recently purchased the former home of St. Mary’s of the Immaculate Conception Catholic School in southeast Canton, which closed last year after 123 years of service. There are no immediate plans for the space, but expansion is on their minds. Additionally, we learn that Wright Preparatory Academy (another charter school OMG!) grabbed up space in the former home of St. Paul Catholic School elsewhere in Canton. (Canton Repository, 6/12/24)
   
   

5. Despite this raft of good news, if we’ve learned anything from all these years of Gadfly Bites, we know it’s never too early for folks to start sowing concern about the next school year. Case in point, the desperation comes through loud and clear from all sides in this discussion of Cincinnati City Schools’ efforts to fill all its open teaching positions before the start of school in August. (Spectrum News 1, 6/12/24)

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