Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 2/18/26—You know…don’t you?
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Topics
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
How to strengthen Ohio’s college and career ready measure
Ohio’s current report card measure of students’ post-secondary readiness is an improvement over the previous iteration, but its focus on low-quality industry credentialing must be changed to ensure that workforce preparation efforts are accurately reported.
Commentary
Governance
Does missing school harm students even when they aren’t “chronically absent”?
Researchers, policymakers, educators, and journalists have focused copious amounts of attention on student absenteeism data in the years since a pandemic-era surge that is only now beginning to moderate.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 2/16/26—Hometown heroes
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Parents deserve accurate report cards. Cincinnati Public Schools is making it happen.
Most parents assume that if their children are earning A’s and B’s, they must be meeting grade-level standards. After all, A is the highest grade possible. Getting a B is the next best thing. If students weren’t meeting the school’s expectations—if they were academically behind and at risk of falling further—they wouldn’t bring home such good grades.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 2.13.26
Stories featured in Ohio Charter News Weekly may require a paid subscription to read in full. An even brighter story
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 2/13/26—No Duh-adjacent
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Teachers & School Leaders
A deep dive into first-time pass rates on Ohio’s Foundations of Reading licensure exam
When Ohio lawmakers established a science of reading initiative in 2023, they included two provisions aimed at ensuring that higher education institutions are training teacher candidates in scientifically-based r
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 2/11/26—Offensive strategy
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 2/9/26—Not learning
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 2.6.26
Stories featured in Ohio Charter News Weekly may require a paid subscription to read in full. Building a brighter Cleveland
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 2/6/26—How someone else always gets us into trouble and why someone else must always get us out of it
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 2/4/26—Perhaps TOO simple
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
School Finance
Countering the doom-and-gloom school funding narrative in Ohio
Recent media coverage leaves an impression that Ohio public schools are being shortchanged when it comes to funding. But the sky is not falling and we follow the facts to prove it once again.
Commentary
Governance
Two innovative ways Ohio could combat chronic absenteeism
Ohio kids have recently missed quite a few days of school courtesy of abundant snow and frigid temperatures. For most, this brief time away won’t have a significant academic impact.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 2/2/26—Stone cold
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Private School Choice
Why this public school dad supports school choice
The debate over school choice—especially private school choice—is often contentious.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 1.30.26
Stories featured in Ohio Charter News Weekly may require a paid subscription to read in full. National School Choice Week hearing in DC
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 1/30/26—I can almost hear the Archangels singing already
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Getting Ohio’s early literacy measure right
Ohio’s school report cards have long provided transparency and accountability for student learning. But they’re not perfect. We explain how one vital report card component—early literacy—could be improved to provide clearer information to parents, educators, and the general public.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 1/28/26—Are you in or are you out?
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 1/26/26—Nobody moves downtown for the schools
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 1.23.26
Stories featured in Ohio Charter News Weekly may require a paid subscription to read in full. Stayed
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 1/23/26—Yeah…no
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 1/21/26—Slush, stench, wobble, and perspective
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
A closer look at the results of Ohio’s science of reading audits
It’s been nearly three years since policymakers established Ohio’s science of reading initiative.
Commentary
Governance
Student outcomes are better in non-union versus unionized public schools
Researchers looking at the impacts of teachers union membership on schools have had an easier time focusing on finance-related outcomes—including former student
Commentary
Charter Schools
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 1.16.26
Stories featured in Ohio Charter News Weekly may require a paid subscription to read in full. THAT’S why not
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 1/16/26—Here’s why not to go “government-to-government”
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 1/14/26—Hot topic
News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.
