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- Fordham’s Aaron Churchill is on the opinion pages of the Enquirer today, talking about how Ohio is doing on the big job of implementing the Science of Reading. Long story short: Things are moving quickly, which is great, but there is still lots of important work to be done. (Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/16/24)
- The heads of two state agencies deeply involved in the SoR implementation were singing a slightly different tune at a meeting earlier this week. Ohio Department of Education and Workforce chief Steve Dackin told the audience that there are “a handful” of school districts that have informed his agency they do not intend to comply with the new literacy instruction mandates. Charming. Without any enforcement power (yet), he says he plans to continue working with them and keep the lines of communication open until the required “mind shift” occurs. Meanwhile, the Ohio Department of Higher Education is moving full speed ahead on their “trust but verify” portion of the operation. Chancellor Mike Duffey told the audience that audits of the state’s teacher preparation programs—to confirm that they’ve not only fully embraced SoR instructional methods for future educators but also have eliminated all the bad old stuff now prohibited by law—will be able to start even earlier than anticipated. This thanks to an infusion of funding approved by the State Controlling Board on an accelerated timeline. (Gongwer Ohio, 8/14/24)
- Speaking of teachers, here’s a piece that purports to explain what makes a good teacher and why that matters. It’s a long one—over 1,200 words, with lots of quotes from teachers—but I am not sure that I discern an answer to either question. The emphasis for the first seems to be years of experience and mentorship which, fair enough, are probably part of the equation. But since the “why it matters” point boils down to “advocating for equity”, “building relationships”, and supporting students’ “basic needs”—literally anything other than “teaching kids stuff” and “getting kids reading, writing, and doing math on grade level”—I’m not really sure how many years of experience and supportive rah rah one really requires. (Dayton Daily News, 8/14/24)
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