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Kudos to education leaders in Dayton
Lanicka Shepherd-Masey, principal of Gem City Career Prep High School, was named a Community Gem by the Dayton Daily News. She was nominated by colleague James Zimmerman, who told DDN Ms. Shepherd-Masey “works tirelessly to help students overcome a myriad of disadvantages that could get in the way of their graduation or career goals. She also displays the finest qualities – like compassion and honesty.” Awesome! Also receiving kudos in Dayton this week: Pathway School of Discovery teacher Harry Dittrich, who was one of just 100 teachers nationwide selected as advocates for the Society of Science, a nonprofit focused on science literacy and communication. Winners were educators “empowering students to explore, innovate and enter science competitions,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of the Society for Science. “Their commitment is a testament to the transformative power of education, and we are thrilled to see the continued growth and impact of these programs.” Mr. Dittrich will also receive a $3,000 award.
Two new Ohio charters open their doors
Northeast Ohio Classical Academy began its inaugural school year in Copley on Tuesday. Head of School David Baum told the Akron Beacon Journal that he and his team are ready to bring a different style of education to their students. He explained that the rigorous education at classical schools is aimed at creating an enduring respect for education and the ability to evaluate and analyze ideas, within the overriding goal of developing students’ good moral character. “We will be focused on the virtues,” he said, “on making (our) students good people.” Also on Tuesday, LINC Academy opened its doors in Columbus. LINC stands for “learn, imagine, navigate, and change” and these are guiding principles for the school. Founder and principal David Ross tells NBC 4 News that teachers and other staff members are also laser focused on student achievement. Classes are small for more one-on-one attention from teachers, and each classroom includes a tutor as well. “Adding smaller class sizes while also adding tutors,” says Ross, “we will see our students achieve at a high level.” Here’s to a great first year for all students, families, and staff.
Transportation tussle continues in Columbus
In the above clip, NEOCA leader David Baum acknowledges that student transportation has been a significant barrier to recruiting families to his school: “We aren’t getting the kind of cooperation from local school districts that we had hoped for. Not one district is offering transportation.” Of course, traditional districts are required to transport resident students to charter, private, and STEM schools—within certain enumerated limits. As we have been talking about for several weeks now, hundreds of families in Columbus have been reeling from the district’s decision to deem them “impractical to transport”, leaving them without yellow bus service since the school year began. This week, Attorney General Dave Yost threatened to sue Columbus City Schools if they did not cease and desist with their designations of “impracticality”. That same day, the elected school board in Columbus voted to designate hundreds more choice students “impractical”. They also responded to the AG’s letter claiming they were fully within their rights to do so. As promised, Yost sued the district late on Thursday, going straight to the Ohio Supreme Court and including a writ of mandamus to compel Columbus to begin transportation of those “impractical” students while the matter is adjudicated. More to come!
Food for thought for Ohio’s charter sector
Texas’ largest charter network—IDEA Public Schools, also active here in Ohio—recently filed a petition to intervene in a Lone Star State court proceeding which is currently enjoining report card data from being released for all schools. A group of traditional districts stopped the first release of A-F grades for schools in Texas via a temporary restraining order earlier this month. IDEA leaders claim the hold up is harming families across the state. Report card data “serve as a transparent measure of IDEA Public Schools’ performance, informing parents and the public about IDEA’s effectiveness,” their filing states. “Without these ratings, student recruitment and retention, as well as resources available for students, could suffer, as parents often rely on accountability metrics to make informed enrollment decisions.” Families deserve this information no matter what choices they ultimately make. Kudos to IDEA for standing up for transparency and accountability.
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