- Fordham’s Chad Aldis appeared on WHIO Reports on Sunday, talking charter school accountability in Ohio with a pretty antagonistic bunch. Can’t cover much detail in 20 minutes, but he did pretty well. (WHIO-TV, Dayton)
- Speaking of Fordham’s hometown, the DDN took a look at the reports cards of Dayton-area school districts. Seems it was the best of times for some and the worst of times for others. report cards. (Dayton Daily News)
- The Beacon Journal has also taken a look at report cards of districts in their region. They work hard to explain the numbers and letters but pronounce the report cards “confusing” to parents, educators, and taxpayers. Sure glad the ABJ is there to help out. (Akron Beacon Journal)
- Apparently no such confusion exists when it comes to the report cards of charter schools in Summit County. The subtlety and detail of the above article is very much lacking in this piece. (Akron Beacon Journal)
- I held this story over from yesterday’s issue so it wouldn’t get lost in the Monday surge of pieces. Former Columbus Schools Superintendent Gene Harris is long gone, but her legacy lives on. Some years ago she volunteered her district to be a pilot for Ohio’s proposed “parent trigger” law. Fast-forward to 2014 and because of that law 20 school buildings in the district are eligible to be taken over, transformed, or converted into charters due to their poor performance on state report cards if a majority of their parents choose to do so. Fascinating to see what might happen next. (Columbus Dispatch)
- Why yes, there is a race for State Auditor going on. Why do you ask? Probably because the Democratic challenger has been on the stump saying the following: “Money is being taken out of local communities and given to failing schools. That is unacceptable and hurts everyone in the state.” He’s talking about charter schools, of course, and his information source for this claim is well-known around here (see item #1, above). The best part of this piece is the impending analysis of it being conducted by the PD’s “Truth in Numbers” squad. I will be sure to report back the results when they are published…or you could just read the comments below the piece on the PD website. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
- Speaking of one of those dastardly charter schools, 10 students from the Toledo Maritime Academy are taking to the high seas (well, Lake Erie) for a week as working crewmembers of a 19th-century tall ship. Sounds completely awesome to me, and is, I think, wholly unique to this school. Fantastic! (Toledo Blade)
