Gadfly Bites 9/3/25—Future ahoy!

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1. The main reason I’m clipping this piece is because Fordham is namechecked and data from our most recent report on the state of CTE education in Ohio is cited and linked. The other reason is that the expansion of Tolles Career and Technical Center in Madison County is awesome. Their student body has more than doubled in just five years and they want to be able to serve even more K-12 students and adults looking to get training and certification in welding, cybersecurity, pre-nursing, car repair, and more. The big new expansion should open its doors next fall. (Columbus Dispatch, 9/2/25) And our CTE report can be found here if you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet.
   
   

2. Also expanding: T-Squared Honors Academy, a homegrown charter school network in northeast Ohio whose latest campus opened in East Cleveland yesterday. The new school is housed in a former GE headquarters building (that looks like a gorgeous Gilded Age home) and welcomed ninth and tenth graders for its first year. This piece goes into great detail about charters—getting everything right; kudos—and about the leaders, history, and mission of T-Squared. It is named for W.E.B. Du Bois’ theory of the “Talented Tenth”, and the vision for the school follows suit: “every student has the potential to think critically, lead boldly, and care deeply about the issues affecting their communities and the wider world.” And the staff are dedicated to making that a reality for their students through every aspect of education. Take a look. You won’t be sorry. (The Land, 8/31/25)
   
   

3. When last we checked in on the Maritime Academy of Toledo, the news was a little grim. Their longtime school leader had debarked and, on his way down the gangplank, warned that continued poor academic performance could sink the unique and well-loved charter school and cause it to furl its sails for good. Today we learn that a new school year launched on August 27 and that a new superintendent—Misha Stredrick, who I think needs to update her Captain’s Log (aka her LinkedIn page) if I may be so bold, Ma’am—has recently come aboard. No word in this brief piece about the school’s potential course to the future, but I reckon that discussion is just over the horizon and will be coming alongside as soon as state report cards are released later this month. (WTOL-TV, Toledo, 9/2/25)

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