- There’s a certain tone in parts of this story that bothers me for some reason – the assumption that “poor kids can’t make it to college” – despite the fact that the story is actually about large numbers of kids who do make it to college with grit and determination and good strategies and helpful adults. And so I’ll focus on that last bit. I'm glad it's Friday. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
- This is something of a non-story, really, but I shall attempt to summarize: an elementary school principal was moved out and an interim put in place last week in a suburban Cincinnati district. No real reasons were confirmed although it’s something to do with academic performance in the building. The timing of the move (just before OAA testing) drew parental response (hello Third Grade Reading Guarantee reference), but to me it’s the delving into district/building report cards by the reporter that make this interesting enough to cite. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
- The Gordian Knot of bell schedules and transportation is being tackled in far suburban Cleveland at the moment. District officials say they will be able to extend the academic day and group learners of similar level – and they actually sound genuinely excited about the prospect for innovation and excellence – but they are under fire by some parents who think the new start time is too early for 4th graders. District response: blame the busing of “other kids” (e.g. private school and open enrollment students) for the need to start at 7:25 am. So much for innovation. Sounds to me like a call to blow up the outdated district-based busing scheme. (Clevleand Plain Dealer)
- Apologies in advance to any band directors or SLPs who are offended by this, but I think the headline of this piece is inaccurate. I would also apologize to people who might be offended by my own notion that Fairless Schools in the Canton area should fire at least one top-level bureaucrat first in order to help balance their budget, but there probably isn’t anyone who fits that description except the bureaucrats themselves. (Canton Repository)
- “We have a wide range of kids, some more prepared than others. The sooner we (intervene), the sooner we can get them caught up.” Sound words in relation to Ohio's upcoming new Kindergarten assessments. Love the lead photo too. (Columbus Dispatch)
- I’ve been avoiding this story for a while because much of it was unsubstantiated. But details are now emerging which pretty clearly show that an alternative education program in Mansfield has had some serious systemic problems with its operations for quite a while, all of which work out to adults cheating students out of an education. Ugh. (Mansfield News Journal)
