- Our own Aaron Churchill was quoted in two stories about urban education this weekend. First up, the ABJ is talking about a new nationwide online rating system for schools which, they say, attempts to “correct” for the effects of poverty in existing ranking processes. Aaron points out that while an overall single grade for a school is helpful for parents looking for information, if the components of that grade don’t include value-added data (which the new site doesn’t), then it’s not a fully accurate measure. (Akron Beacon Journal, 7/12/15) Second is a look at the state of play in Fordham’s hometown of Dayton. The story is wide-ranging and Aaron is brought in to talk about how the so-called “Youngstown Plan” might take root in Dayton should it tip into academic distress status. But Aaron, as usual, digs a little deeper. “I think raising the academic standards in terms of Common Core, as well as the new science and social studies standards,” he says, “raises expectations for kids who have had low expectations for years.” Nice. (Dayton Daily News, 7/12/15)
- Speaking of Common Core (takes you back, doesn’t it?), editors in Toledo see the legislative prohibition on Ohio’s participation in PARCC as a slippery slope toward ditching Common Core. They opine against that putative ditching. (Toledo Blade, 7/12/15)
- Editors in Akron opine on U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s proposed charter school accountability bill, believing it to be a big enough stick to compel the Ohio General Assembly to pass their own accountability bill. What happens to the national bill after that is not discussed. (Akron Beacon Journal, 7/12/15)
- School nurses in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district earn what seems to be a ton of money. At least the PD seems to think so. Why so much? Longevity, mainly. But also this: “Nurses also are the first line of defense against epidemics and disease outbreaks. They monitor the health of the overall area population and respond to critical incidents on school property. Nurses identify threats --including allergies, dangerous dogs, traffic, broken equipment, bullies and lack of clean water -- in the school community.” Not quite the "dead kid prevention” argument, but almost. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 7/12/15)
- Here is an update on the first crop of candidates in the Bright New Leaders for Ohio Schools program. This is an effort to bring principals into schools via non-traditional pathways. “We believe leadership is leadership, and it’s time to begin trying some new and innovative school techniques to train school leaders,” said the President/CEO of the Ohio Roundtable, which has catalyzed the program. This story is Columbus-centric of course, but likely typical of the types of individuals who are among the 35 (out of the initial 850 applicants) to successfully complete the training and head out into the field this school year. (Columbus Dispatch, 7/13/15)
