Gadfly Bites 8/18/23—Cultivating fear
Jeff MurrayThere’s not a whole lot about actual teaching and learning involved in this
Gadfly Bites 8/16/23—The Devil Wears Casetify
Jeff MurrayIt’s always something, isn’t it? This year’s new favorite “kids can’t learn if…” boogieman is cellphones.
A tiny provision in the budget could have a big positive impact on Ohio students who exercise school choice
Jessica PoinerBetween expanded voucher eligibility, funding increases for charter schools,
Gadfly Bites 8/14/23—Can he fix it?
Jeff MurrayAs we have previously established, Dayton City Schools’ new interim superintendent is in full Bob the Builder mode, moving at warp speed to tackle literally anything he deems in need of fixing in his district, starting at
Gadfly Bites 8/9/23—You don’t say, padre
Jeff MurraySome nice words for Ohio in this opinion piece written by the Senior Vice President of the Commonwealth Foundation in Pennsylvania.
Student acceptance of computer-adaptive testing
Jeff MurrayComputer-adaptive testing (CAT) is on the rise in K–12 schools, from Seattle to Virginia
An in-depth analysis of the I Promise School’s troubling academic results
Jessica PoinerIn 2018, basketball superstar LeBron James opened the I Promise School (IPS) in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. IPS is a joint effort between Akron Public Schools (APS), the I Promise Network, and the LeBron James Family Foundation. It’s overseen and operated by APS, the state’s seventh largest school district.
Gadfly Bites 8/7/23—“I can’t go anywhere where somebody doesn’t stop me and say, it’s about time.”
Jeff MurrayOnly one clip today, but I think it’s great that this one stands on its own…for a lot of reasons.
Gadfly Bites 8/4/23—Grizzled
Jeff MurrayThere are a lot of words in this piece (nearly 2,900 of them) talking in the most negative possible terms about state takeovers of chronically-underperforming districts and schools.
Gadfly Bites 8/2/23—Spreading the Good News
Jeff MurrayThis is the article that every Columbus school parent has been waiting for: Asking the question
Mayoral control has been good for Cleveland schools
Aaron ChurchillA recent headline in Education Week suggested that mayoral control is a “fading school reform.” The piece noted the impending transition to an elected school board in Chicago, as well as efforts in Boston to wrest co
Gadfly Bites 7/31/23—What we did over summer break
Jeff MurrayFox News and several other national entities covered the I Promise School story we talked about on Friday.
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 7.28.23
Jeff MurrayThe time to close charter funding gaps is now
Gadfly Bites 7/28/23—More than a school, yes. But also: Still a school.
Jeff MurrayOne more post-budget story? Sure thing!
Gadfly Bites 7/26/23—Best and most practical
Jeff MurrayI’m going to go out on a limb to suggest that Dr. David Lawrence has harbored the ambition to lead Dayton City Schools for quite a while now.
A fifty-state analysis of non-district students’ access to district-provided services
Jeff MurrayTraditional district schools have become providers of many services and benefits for students. The list is nearly endless, but includes food provision (both in school and on weekends/summer break), athletics, the arts, computer and tech education, medical care, summer camps, and counseling.
Gadfly Bites 7/24/23—Beyond the Battle for the Budget
Jeff MurrayWhile initial responses to the state budget focused mainly on voucher expansion and third grade retention for last year’s kiddos, we’re several weeks into the new biennium now and the reality of changes to be realized on
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 7.21.23
Jeff MurrayPraise for school choice expansion in Ohio
Gadfly Bites 7/19/23—New and valuable
Jeff MurrayOnly two items to talk about today, but both of them are pretty interesting in their own way.
Gadfly Bites 7/17/23—A step toward fairness
Jeff MurrayFrom the sublime… The Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal has positi
Even school choice opponents should support open enrollment
Jessica PoinerNow that the latest state budget is officially in the books, it’s safe to say that school choice stole the show.
Gadfly Bites 7/14/23—“You’re taking away something vital.”
Jeff MurrayThis piece asks the big question “What comes next after the historic increa
Gadfly Bites 7/12/23—Exhibit Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Jeff MurrayWhile I am not at all surprised to learn that
Ohio lawmakers gut the third grade reading guarantee. What now?
Aaron ChurchillEnacted in 2012 under the leadership of Governor John Kasich, Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee included a retention requirement aimed at ending “social promotion,” the