State testing to happen on schedule
The biggest news of the week was the guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education regarding spring testing. No waivers will be forthcoming for states, although maximum flexibility will be granted to make sure that testing happens as safely and securely as possible.
Busing woes to return?
Dayton City Schools will return thousands of students to its school buildings in a hybrid-learning model starting Monday. It is likely that school bus transportation, vexing in the best of times, will be a challenge for all, not least of which will be charter and private school students who have had exclusive use of the district’s yellow buses so far this school year.
New research pt 1
Researchers Sarah Cohodes and Katharine Parham recently released a new working paper explaining the findings of their meta-analysis of dozens of charter school effectiveness studies. Urban charter schools once again emerge as shining lights for Black, Hispanic, and low-income students and competitive effects on traditional district schools are generally neutral-to-positive. Worth a look.
New research pt 2
Patrick Wolf also released new research findings recently, specifically looking at the effect of charter schools on the funding levels of traditional district schools. His results echo a Fordham Institute study from earlier this month which also indicated a boost in overall funding—driven by local money—for districts as more charters open in their proximity.
More data
The National Alliance for Public Charter School last week released its annual rankings which look at how each state’s charter school law compares to NAPCS’s own model law. Indiana, Colorado, and Washington were the top three states in the nation. Ohio ranked in the middle of the pack at 24.
Good news for the future
The Enquirer featured a nice look at Cincinnati Classical Academy, a new charter school on track to open its doors in the Queen City in the fall of 2022.
