Gadfly Bites 5/24/21—Perhaps they are referring to the party game?
Jeff MurrayThis headline, as with almost every legislation-related headline that includes it, misuses the term “limbo” in referencing the topic of education funding reform. (13ABC News, Toledo, 5/22/21)
Ohio Charter News Weekly - 1.11.19
Chad L. Aldis, Madison YoderAutomatic charter closure questioned
For Ohio districts with vacant buildings, sharing isn’t caring
Jessica PoinerEarlier this month, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece that charged school district officials in various cities with attempting to stall the growth of school choice b
Ohio Charter News Weekly - 8/24/18
Chad L. Aldis, Madison Yoder2018 EdNext Poll shows increased support for charter schools
When it comes to preparing teachers to teach reading, Ohio’s ahead of the pack
Jessica PoinerIt’s no secret that teaching kids how to read is extremely important. Research shows that children who don’t read proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma than proficient readers.
Ohio Charter News Weekly - 8/10/18
Chad L. Aldis, Madison YoderGovernor Kasich signs HB 87 and SB 216 into law
LeBron’s I Promise School isn’t a charter, but it puts kids first—and that’s all that matters
Jessica PoinerYou’ve probably heard by now that basketball superstar LeBron James opened a school for at-risk kids in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. Called I Promise School (IPS), it’s a joint effort between the I Promise Network, the LeBron James Family Foundation, and Akron Public Schools.
Ohio’s dual credit landscape: A primer
Jessica PoinerWith college tuition at an all-time high, Ohio families are increasingly interested in finding ways to save on costs. Dual credit is a promising solution because if offers students the chance to earn high school and college credits simultaneously. Ohio has a plethora of dual-credit options, but some are better known to families than others. Here is a quick overview of the offerings.
Innovation Ohio’s half truths about ECOT and school funding
Aaron ChurchillOver the past month, local newspapers across Ohio have blasted headlines such as “Local schools lost millions to ECOT” and “Study: Now-defunct ECOT siphoned $2.6 million from
Big changes are coming for Ohio’s dropout prevention and recovery schools
Jessica PoinerState report cards are a hot topic in Ohio, but most of the attention has been focused on the system used for traditional district and charter schools. Many Ohioans are unaware that state law requires the State Board of Education to have a separate report card system for dropout prevention and recovery charter schools (DPRS).
Bringing Head Start programing into the home
Jeff MurrayIf a little treatment goes a long way, does it stand to reason that more treatment will go even further?
2018 Teacher Prep Review: An examination of graduate and alternative teacher preparation programs
Jessica PoinerThe National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) recently added to their trove of teacher preparation evaluations with the 2018 Teacher Prep Review. This year’s study examines 567 traditional graduate, 129 alternative route, and eighteen residency programs across the U.S. (no undergraduate programs were examined).
Fordham Ohio celebrates teachers and charter schools
Ohio Education GadflyDuring the recent celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week and National Charter Schools Week, Fordham Ohio staffers shared stories of the teachers, counselors, and schools that made a positive difference in their education and in their lives. You can read about:
The impact of phonics instruction in England
Aaron ChurchillBack at the turn of the millennium, we at Fordham published a paper that urged a stronger focus on phonics.
Teacher appreciation
Jeff MurrayNOTE: In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Fordham Ohio staffers will be blogging about teachers, principals, and guidance counselors who made a positive difference in their schooling and in their lives. This is the third post.
Small town, great expectations
Madison YoderNOTE: In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Fordham Ohio staffers will be blogging about teachers, principals, and guidance counselors who made a positive difference in their schooling and in their lives. This is the second post.
One of the teachers who changed my life
Chad L. AldisNOTE: In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Fordham Ohio staffers will be blogging about teachers, principals, and guidance counselors who made a positive difference in their schooling and in their lives. This is the first post.
What’s with the fixation on educator certification in Lorain?
Jessica PoinerLast week, the Elyria Chronicle published a piece headlined “Another Lorain Schools hire lacks state certification.” The hire in question is Scott Dieter, who has been selected by CEO David Hardy to serve as the
Addressing language acquisition issues for bilingual children
Jeff MurrayDespite genetic hardwiring of babies’ brains to learn language, emerging evidence suggests that different languages are acquired in different ways based on their specific characteristics. Most of what child development and education professionals know about language acquisition in young children is based on monolingual studies and is difficult to apply to bilingual children.
Why Ohio should toss out teacher evaluation mandates
Aaron ChurchillOver the past year, Ohio lawmakers have been mulling revisions to the state’s teacher evaluation policies.
Efforts to improve teacher observations in New Mexico
Jeff MurrayAs teacher evaluation systems evolve around the nation—decreasing the importance of student growth scores in favor of more reliance on classroom observations—how best to support principals in observing and giving feedback on teacher performance will gain importance.
Cleveland casts a shadow on a solid teacher evaluation bill
Jessica PoinerOver the past few years, there’s been a lot of talk about changing the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES).
Youngstown takes a wrong turn on teacher evaluations
Jessica PoinerYoungstown City School’s CEO Krish Mohip recently announced significant changes to how his district will evaluate its teachers.
Ohio revises its test for new teachers
Jessica PoinerIt’s one of those perennial ideas in education reform that never seems to get across the finish line: raising the standards for who can teach in our schools.
Teacher salary schedules: More equitable but are they fair?
Aaron ChurchillMost American public school teachers are paid according to salary schedules that take into account their years of experience and degrees earned.
How did Ohio’s urban charters stack up on report cards?
Aaron ChurchillLast week, the Ohio Department of Education released school grades for the 2016-17 school year. These report cards offer Buckeye families, community members, and taxpayers an important annual review of the performance of the state’s 3,000 plus schools and 600 districts.
Gadfly Bites 9/8/17 - Paging Dr. Hardy! Paging Dr. Hardy!
Jeff MurrayNot much to report on today, but let’s not let that get us down. First up, we’ve got a bit more insight into that “final offer” from the Columbus City Schools board to the teacher’s union.
Kasich keeps Ohio teacher residency program
Jessica PoinerNestled within the General Assembly’s final budget plan as sent to Governor Kasich on June 28 was an under-the-radar provision that would have eliminated Ohio’s teacher residency program. This didn’t get a lot of coverage.
Sizing up teacher induction
Jessica PoinerThe New Teacher Center (NTC) is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve student learning via supports for beginning teachers.