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Charter Schools
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 11.5.21
Afterschool enrichment accounts for Ohio families
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 11/5/21—The smack of realism
The elected board of Youngstown City Schools voted earlier this week to amend their academic “improvement” plan per the recommendations returned to t
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 11/3/21—It’s just like “Room and Zoom”, only without the room…or the Zoom
The new nominal head of the Cleveland Metropolitan School district is… But you already guessed that, didn’t you? (The Land, 11/2/21)
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Curriculum & Instruction
The future of high tech education is probably not in your kid’s school
Regardless of whether you believe that too much is being asked of our schools and our educators these days, it is always worth asking whether th
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Even better than the real thing: Four-day school weeks make adults very happy
The most commonly expressed motivator for school districts to adopt a four-day school week is monetary: lowering expenditures on hourly staff, transportation, and utilities costs. It is not incidental that the most recent uptick in districts opting for them was in the aftermath of the Great Recession.
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 11/1/21—Trick, or treat?
In case you missed it while you were busy finalizing your costume for Halloween, Governor DeWine appointed two new state school board members late in
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Accountability & Testing
Youngstown’s academic improvement plan doesn’t promise much improvement
Since 2005, Ohio has intervened in chronically underperforming school districts by establishing new leadership in the form of an
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/29/21—Read my lips…
As we have been following in these here clips, the pilot program for a new approach to Covid-exposure quarantines in schools was deemed a success.
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Accountability & Testing
Six takeaways from Ohio’s latest school report cards
In mid-October, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released report card data for the 2020–21 school year. Due to pandemic-era provisions passed earlier this year, no school ratings were available—only raw data. Ohio will return to standard protocol and issue ratings next fall, but even without them, there are important things to highlight.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/27/21—Don’t we all?
The leaders of Akron City Schools say they want a “reset” after dealing with a concerning uptick in behavio
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/25/21—Sometimes, you don’t need to dig deeper
Here is a story about the status of the three Ohio school districts currently operating under the (nominal) aegis of an Academic Distress Commission.
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/22/21—Delivering
Repeat after me: “Report cards are just a snapshot. Tests do not define our students.
Commentary
Private School Choice
Gadfly Bites 10/20/21—Down is up
In our topsy turvy tour of education news clips today, we start with Fairview Park City Schools, which appears to be heavily recruiting students to attend its swanky, newly-upgraded high school next year.
Commentary
Governance
Moving school board elections on-cycle, and other policy musings
Hot-button education topics such as masking, vaccines, and critical race theory have dominated headlines this fall. But lost in the shuffle are a few notable items that have also made news—but barely—and have significant implications for Ohio policymakers.
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/18/21—Feats of creativity
Toledo City Schools continues to celebrate its increased graduation rate, as per the school and district report card data released last week, with the
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
The promise in Ohio’s Career Promise Academy pilot
Between the state budget, debates over school choice
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/15/21—Jarring
In case you missed it, Ohio released school and district report cards yesterday for the 2020-21 school year. They are, in general, not pretty.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Fordham Institute media statement on the release of Ohio’s school report cards
Earlier today, the Ohio Department of Education released report cards for the 2020–21 school year. Due to emergency legislative measures enacted due to the pandemic, this year’s report cards do not include any school ratings (those are slated to return next fall).
Commentary
Private School Choice
Backpack funding bill would put parents in control
Every parent has the right to educate their children in way that meets their kids’ needs and accords with their values and beliefs. Don’t just take my word for it: The U.S.
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/13/21—Episode 562 of “If This Were a Charter School…”
No less a light than former New York Lt.
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Accountability & Testing
The Cleveland Plan gets a refresh
In 2012, Governor Kasich signed legislation that allowed the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) to implement a city-wide education t
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/11/21—Saving us from a hyperbole deficit for sure
In case you missed it, Fordham’s own Aaron Churchill published an op-ed in Cleveland.com on Friday, laying out the troublesome findings of our recen
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/8/21—Finger pointing
In case you missed it, Wednesday’s press conference on House Bill 290 has been getting some media coverage.
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Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/6/21—Honey I shrunk the district…for $50 million
The elected board members of Belpre City Schools in southern Ohio this week considered several options to consolidate their entire pre-K to 12th grade student body (an
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Public school accountability is a myth
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham. Traditional public schools are accountable, right? I mean, everyone says they are, so it must be true.
Commentary
Charter Schools
A national look at charter school enrollment trends during the pandemic
A recent, state-level report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) seeks to shed some light on how many families made a school change during the pandemic. Comparing enrollment numbers from various states can be difficult as each jurisdiction has its own reporting protocols.
