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Charter enrollment speeding ahead
Fordham’s Aaron Churchill continued his commentary on the state of charter schools in Ohio this week, discussing a number of data points indicating that traditional school districts are losing their historical position as a monopoly education provider. Growing parental interest in other options—boosted by their experiences during pandemic disruptions—cannot and should not be ignored any longer.
What’s the message?
The implications of this story are not inspiring for charter supporters, but it’s an important situation to discuss. Dayton City Schools and the state of Ohio reached a settlement this week in the lawsuit over fines levied against the district for failing to adequately transport charter and private school students back in 2022. The district will get its money back and the legal matter will be dropped, but what does that mean for future efforts by the state to get other districts to properly transport choice students? The jury is still out on that question.
Important new tools for schools
InnovateOhio and Lt. Governor Jon Husted yesterday released a comprehensive AI Toolkit for the education sector. Artificial intelligence technology has evolved quickly in recent months and become part of many aspects of our lives. School leaders need to build strong policies around beneficial uses of the new technology, and this toolkit can help. It expertly pulls together a wealth of resources from leading organizations around the world and includes sections tailored specifically for policy makers, teachers, and parents. You can check out Guidance and Resources to Advance AI Readiness in Ohio Schools here.
The view from West Virginia
Virtual charter schools in West Virginia have been given the ability to test some of their students remotely for the first time. The testing waiver, approved by the state Board of Education last week, applies only to full-time virtual students in grades 3-8; relates only to the West Virginia General Summative Assessment; and requires lots of signed agreements from school staff, proctors, parents, and students. Virtual schools are still free to conduct in-person exams if they wish and are able to do so, but the new flexibility takes some pressure off the state’s new-ish virtual charters who may not have had the time or the resources to set up in-person testing thus far.
Great opportunity for history education
In case you didn’t realize it, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is around the corner. A new partnership aims to help boost Buckeye State students’ interest in and knowledge of American history and Ohio’s place in it by providing free passes for fourth graders to visit a long list of museums and historical sites all across the state. Sounds like a fantastic opportunity for students, families, and schools. The partnership, called America 250-Ohio, also has numerous grant opportunities available for non-profit, educational, and local governmental organizations to support their own celebratory projects. Check it out!
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