Commentary
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/27/17 - It's "long overdue to bring back these dollars.”
It was announced last week that Dayton City Schools will be initiating a new online school starting in the 2017-18 school year.
Commentary
Putting growth closer to the center of Ohio’s overall school grading formula
Under federal and state law, Ohio policy makers are responsible for gauging and reporting on the performance of its 3,000 public schools and 600 districts. To do this, Ohio has a report card system that assigns A-F grades based on a variety of performance indicators.
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/24/17 - Farewell, Lorain ADC. We hardly knew ye.
At its sunset, the Lorain City Schools’ Academic Distress Commission was lionized by the school board at a special meeting this week. Nope. I don’t get it either. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal, 2/22/17)
Commentary
Ability grouping and acceleration can help teachers and school leaders
By Saiying Steenbergen-Hu, Matthew Makel, and Paula Olszewski-Kubilius
Commentary
Requiring teacher externships: Good intention, bad idea
It’s budget season in Ohio, and that means plenty of debates about school funding and other education policy issues.
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/22/17 - A new voucher bill on the horizon in Ohio
There is a new voucher bill on the horizon here in Ohio, looking to make some radical changes – some might say improvements – to the existing programs. First up with coverage was Patrick O’Donnell.
Commentary
The Fordham Institute's 2017 Wonkathon: The $20 Billion School Choice Edition
By Michael J. Petrilli
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/17/17 - It's not a security camera, it's a medical device.
Mike Petrilli and Fordham are namechecked in this guest commentary about the role of the local chapter of The Exchange Club in boosting civics education in Dayton. Fascinating. (Dayton Daily News, 2/15/17)
Policy Brief
School Finance, Charter Schools, Private School Choice
Policy Brief: Ohio's Voucher Programs
The genesis of vouchers in Ohio stretches back to 1995 and the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring program. In 2006, vouchers expanded statewide via the Educational Choice Scholarship (or EdChoice), which aims to assist students assigned to a low-rated public school.
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/15/17 - Ignoring the public's wishes?
The state board of education met this week and members heard testimony from a number of organized groups of superintendents on the state’s draft ESSA plan. Coverage was sparse.
Commentary
Commentary
On school funding, first kill caps and guarantees
The recent unveiling of Governor Kasich’s budget plan for the 2018-19 fiscal years has kicked off Ohio’s biennial ritual of debating school funding. Caps and guarantees have long been a central part of that discussion, and it’ll be no different this spring.
Commentary
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/13/17 - Fordham staffers quoted in out-of-the-way places
Fordham Ohio staffers were quoted in some out-of-the-way places over the weekend.
Commentary
Ohio’s ESSA plan: Using reduced chronic absenteeism as a measure of student engagement
On February 2, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released the first draft of its state plan to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/10/17 - After the fact
With less than a month to go until a new CEO-style Academic Distress Commission comes to Lorain City Schools, one elected school board member has decided to reach out to the ACLU to see if a possible civil rights case may be an option to halt ADC implementation
Report
Accountability & Testing, School Finance
Ohio Education By the Numbers--2017 Edition
This guidebook offers simple and easy-to-use vital statistics about Ohio’s schools and the students they serve. The facts and figures contained within this report offer an overview of who Ohio’s students are; where they go to school; how they perform on national and state exams; and how many pursue post-secondary education.
Report
Charter Schools
Pathway to Success: Citizens Leadership Academy develops strong citizens and scholars
Citizens Leadership Academy (CLA) is preparing its middle schoolers for success in high school, college, and life. CLA is second among all public schools in the city on student growth.
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/8/17 - Global Impact STEM Academy growing again
Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger published an op ed this week in which he opines on the necessity and early efficacy of charter law reform in Ohio. For the latter, he cites our recent report looking at the early implementation of HB 2. Nice!
Commentary
Leveraging Behavioral Economics to Improve Educational Performance
Do incentives nudge students to exert more effort in their schoolwork? A recent study by University of Chicago analysts suggests they do, though the structure of the incentive is also important.
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/6/17 - Green Bear, Green Bear, what do you see?
A bit more coverage of the Ohio charter school facilities report, with whose release we helped out last week, courtesy of statewide public radio. (Statehouse News Bureau, 2/6/17)
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/3/17 - "This isn't about the money."
In case you missed, it Fordham assisted in the release of a new report documenting the opportunities and challenges facing charter schools in Ohio in terms of obtaining and maintaining proper facilities for their work.
Commentary
Gadfly Bites 2/1/17 - Welcome to The School Choice Corner
Details of Governor Kasich’s new biennial budget are emerging this week. Here are some peeks at the K-12 education portion of said budget from around the state.