- In case you missed it late in the day on Friday, House Bill 82 passed out of the General Assembly. Among other things, the bill contains a serious revamp of school and district report cards. Our own Chad Aldis weighed in on the implications of the changes in electronic pages of Gongwer. “The new report card,” he said in part, “will allow Ohio to successfully reboot its school accountability system after pandemic-related pauses, drive academic improvements in schools for the benefit of students, and ensure that Ohio parents have honest, accurate information.” Sounds good to me! (Gongwer Ohio, 6/25/21) Fordham is namechecked in this report card piece, the first one I believe I've ever clipped from The Scioto Post, as one of the organizations who had worked together to come up with the new report card format. The bill is now on to Governor DeWine for a signature. Should be farewell A-F grades and hello five stars very soon! (Scioto Post, 6/27/21)
- The Blade takes a further look at the two new charter schools opening their doors in Toledo soon, about which we have already talked thanks to some previous local news coverage. While the major daily newspaper’s coverage is ultimately positive by my reckoning (YMMV), there’s no doubt that the discussion of sponsors and management companies and the dreaded “f word” (for-profit, that is), is intended to throw some typical Blade shade. (Toledo Blade, 6/26/21) Meanwhile, a proud representative of the private sector opined on Cleveland.com this weekend that, “We have shown you can turn around failing schools.” This statement, and his concrete data thereto, is in the context of his preferred version of a school funding revamp, I believe. But if so, I don’t think he is making quite the point that he thinks he is making. (Cleveland.com, 6/27/21)
- I’m a little late to this story, but it’s definitely worth a moment of your time if you haven’t yet seen it. Quadruplet brothers who graduated from Lakota East High School in southwest Ohio announced on The Today Show four years ago (covered here in the Bites, I feel sure) that they would be attending Yale together after choosing among nearly sixty college offers. Well, fast-forward to 2021 and the Wade brothers have now graduated from that institution. We get a little insight into how much they were able to separate from each other despite being at the same college, as well as the dizzying variety of majors they pursued. The Wades are heading off on separate paths now, but I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of any of them. Kudos to that amazing family! (The Today Show, 6/18/21)
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