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Welcome, Director Dackin!
Governor DeWine yesterday announced the appointment of Steve Dackin as the inaugural Director of the new Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW). We are excited to welcome his bold leadership to this vital role at a crucial time. And we look forward to supporting the work of DEW getting to grips with the biggest challenges facing Ohio students—including low levels of literacy and numeracy, and too few students being prepared for life after high school whether that is going to college or directly into a high-wage, high-skill job.
A new opportunity for charters in Nevada
The culmination of two years of effort and bipartisan cooperation, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo and Treasurer Zach Conine recently announced that the Infrastructure Bank has approved its first $100 million revolving loan fund to expand access to high-quality charter schools in underserved communities. “Coupled with our unprecedented investment into the state’s K-12 system,” said Governor Lombardo, “these funds represent our unwavering commitment to providing an education that meets the unique needs of students across the state.”
New study on charter performance, efficiency
A new study was released last week from University of Arkansas researchers, looking at charter school performance in nine U.S. cities, comparing both outcomes and cost of service provision against the traditional district schools in those cities. Coverage in the Washington Times touted the topline findings: Charters generally outperform the district buildings in their cities, and generally do so for far less money.
Competitive effects
Fordham’s Mike Petrilli published a piece this week calling out recent high-profile arguments predicting the “death” of traditional public schools due to the expanding popularity of school choice options, including charter schools. He lays out the strong research base showing that such competition almost invariably leads to improvements in student outcomes in district schools too.
Harrowing story, with a happy ending and an important lesson
Some highly-trained and quick thinking staff members and a well-placed automated external defibrillator (AED) saved the life of a student at Horizon Science Academy in Columbus after he went into cardiac arrest on the school’s basketball court recently. “We do those trainings” on AEDs every year, said Athletic Director Robert Tate, “but we never thought in our wildest dreams that we would ever have to use it.” A happy ending for one young man, and after the scary incident, students at Horizon are working on becoming a Project ADAM heart safe school – which advocates for more AED placement in schools.
A 20-year veteran of online teaching looks back
Rachel Fiest started teaching at Ohio Connections Academy (OCA) way back in 2003. As she celebrates her 20th anniversary, she tells the Morrow County Sentinel of how things have changed (“When I first started… we had to call students and talk on the phone. Now we can communicate face to face in classes and individually.”), what she has loved (the close relationships she’s developed with students and their families), and what makes online learning so great for so many students (“One of the best things our school offers families is flexibility. It allows me to help meet my students’ individual needs.”) Congratulations Ms. Fiest!
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