Albert Einstein Academy: Making a difference for bullied students
The Albert Einstein Academy (AEA), an Ohio charter school, is being recognized for being a “life saver” to many LGBTQ students in the Cleveland area. AEA is one of the few schools in the country that focuses specifically on LGBTQ students, and it’s giving students who have been bullied a place to feel safe and belong. You can hear from AEA students and how the school has changed their lives here.
New e-school funding panel meeting
A newly established legislative committee created to examine how e-schools should be funded conducted its first meeting on Thursday. Committee members heard testimony from the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office, and the Legislative Service Commission. At the meeting, Auditor Yost’s policy advisor recommended that Ohio use a hybrid-model for funding online schools, where funding is provided for fixed costs and then given based on student competency on in-person exams.
New video resources on charter school authorizers
The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) has released two new videos to help people better understand how charter school authorizing works. In the videos, they explain who can authorize a charter school and how authorizers work, and why authorizing matters for charter school quality.
Charter schools and vacant properties
C.J. Szafir and Cori Petersen of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty recently published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal describing some of the facility challenges charter schools face, specifically related to traditional school districts preventing charter schools from purchasing vacant properties. According to Szafir and Petersen, “Public schools could show that they actually care about public education by selling their vacant buildings.” The challenges described will undoubtedly sound familiar to Ohio charter leaders.
Removing geographic restrictions on charters
The Fordham Institute recently released a policy proposal describing why Ohio should remove geographic restrictions on brick-and-mortar charter schools. Brick-and-mortar charters have been proven to work for Ohio’s most disadvantaged students. According to Fordham, removing the restrictions would allow new charter school formation in all regions of Ohio, including many areas with significant numbers of students in poverty.
Upcoming events
Here’s a look at some upcoming Ohio and national events: The OAHPERD 2018 State Convention (November 28-30), the School Performance Institute’s next workshop (November 29), the 2018 National Summit on Education Reform (December 5-7, Washington, D.C.), and the 2019 Ohio Educational Technology Conference (February 12-14, Columbus).
