Lingering
Summer lingers for many students across the country, as does fear of extended learning loss after two Covid-disrupted school years. A charter school in Newark, New Jersey, is starting a tutoring program to help students across the city get caught up and eventually move ahead again, no matter what school they attend. Kudos to the Great Oaks Legacy Charter School community!
First day of the new school year
Many students have already started the 2021-22 school year, including André Nash III, who is featured in this Dispatch story. André started first grade at Cornerstone Academy in Westerville, attending fully in-person for the first time.
Return of high school sports
High school football is back as well. Here’s a great profile of James Lee, the new coach at KIPP: Columbus, and his team. The charter school’s fledgling program and its players seem to be in great hands.
More choice?
Sen. Andy Brenner, chair of the Primary and Secondary Education Committee, told public radio this week that he and his colleagues are hearing increased calls from their constituents for more school choice in suburban areas of the state.
Calling out a tired argument
The editorial board of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette this week blasted knee-jerk charter school critics in the state who accuse charters of “cherry-picking” their students. “Those of us who know better,” they write, know that “charter schools are public schools, thank you, and that most use a lottery system to pick students if there is a waiting list. And point to the number of charter schools operating in the most challenging ZIP codes. Fact is, the cherry-picking argument is weak.”
Opportunity to serve
Are you interested in making an impact on education at the national level, or know others who are? Starting in September, the National Assessment Governing Board—the organization which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), will be seeking nominations for Board positions to be filled in 2022. Nominations will be accepted from September 8 through November 1 for a representative eighth-grade teacher, fourth-grade teacher, secondary school principal, and a parent/member of the general public. You can find more information about the open positions, Board members’ responsibilities, and the submission requirements here.
*****
Did you know you can have every edition of the Ohio Charter News Weekly sent directly to your Inbox? Subscribe by clicking here.
