Gadfly Bites 6/30/23—Super pleased
Jeff Murray“In general, I think most superintendents earn their compensation,” says F
Lorain schools don’t deserve special treatment in the budget bill
Jessica PoinerIt’s been a very busy budget season in Ohio.
Gadfly Bites 6/28/23—It’s like they don’t even read the Bites
Jeff MurrayQuite the mixed bag of stuff today, including two staple topics of Gadfly Bites. First up: Drama in Youngstown.
Five K–12 education issues to watch in the budget bill conference committee
Aaron Churchill , Jessica PoinerThe process of creating a new state budget is quickly drawing to a close, with key lawmakers set to hammer out the final legislation in conference committee. Those negotiations are ongoing, with the budget for FYs 2024–25 likely to pass by Friday.
One size does not fit all: Alternative education campuses in the charter sector
Jeff MurrayOne purpose of charter schools is to serve as laboratories of innovation for public education—a deliberate effort to do things differently than the long-entrenched traditional district model.
Gadfly Bites 6/26/23—Good old summertime
Jeff MurrayBoth of these summer academics-and-fun combined camp programs sound great to me.
Don’t weaken accountability for Ohio’s charter sponsors and online schools
Aaron ChurchillAs this year’s budget process races to the finish line, state lawmakers are the midst of making decisions about what stays and what goes. The current, Senate-passed version of the budget bill has dozens of provisions that would move K–12 education in the right direction.
Gadfly Bites 6/23/23—Not to be missed
Jeff MurrayWe’ll start today with some good news that is probably easy to miss.
Lawmakers can still go further in Ohio’s historic effort to narrow charter funding gaps
Aaron ChurchillDespite serving tens of thousands of students each year—most of whom are low-income—Ohio has a regrettable track record of underfunding its public charter schools.
Gadfly Bites 6/21/23—Failing grade
Jeff MurrayAaron Churchill is quoted extensively, and the report’s findings discussed at a decen
Lots of new schools. How much innovation?
Jeff MurraySince the 1980s, education reform efforts have sought to shake up the stodgy, traditional landscape of public schooling in the United States. One way to do that is to start schools from scratch that can introduce innovative new education models and push traditional systems to improve.
Gadfly Bites 6/16/23—Same old same old for the kids
Jeff MurrayIn case you missed it, the Ohio Senate passed the state budget bill yesterday.
CREDO got it wrong: Ohio’s charter sector is strong and getting better
Stéphane LavertuNOTE: 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.
Gadfly Bites 6/14/23—Media literacy
Jeff MurrayA little history for you before we kick off today’s clips: Back on June 4, a lifetime ago by journalistic standards, an op-ed by our own Aaron Churchill was published in the print version of the
Bravo to Ohio legislators for finding the way forward on student transportation
Jeff MurrayFor several years, thousands of charter,
The policies, perceptions, and implications of open enrollment
Jessica PoinerThis spring, the national education nonprofit EdChoice published a “capstone” report outlining a series of research projects it conducted alongside Hanover Research.
Gadfly Bites 6/12/23—Must be how the blob feels every year when state report cards come out
Jeff MurrayI guess I’m not quite sure how this happened, but I like it anyway: A blog post from our own Aaron Chu
Gadfly Bites 6/9/23—“People can choose”
Aaron ChurchillAaron Churchill provided testimony on the Senate’s version of the state budget bill during a committee hearing yesterday.
Testimony provided on Substitute House Bill 33—6/8/23
Aaron ChurchillNOTE: This morning, the Ohio Senate Finance Committee heard testimony on Substitute House Bill 33, the state’s budget bill for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
Kudos to Ohio policymakers for expanding ACE account eligibility and improving parent outreach
Jessica PoinerIn 2021, during the previous state budget cycle, lawmakers used federal pandemic relief funds to create
Gadfly Bites 6/7/23—Amended
Jeff MurrayIt’s been a busy couple of days for Fordham’s Aaron Churchill.
Impacts of charter authorizer and operator type on student achievement
Jeff MurrayOne of the more variable aspects of charter school operation around the country is the system by which schools are authorized and managed.
It’s time for Ohio to adopt the science of reading
Thomas J. Lasley, Jennifer BlatzNOTE: This piece was originally published by RealClear Education.
More evidence—this time from Ohio—that third grade retention works
Aaron ChurchillFollowing Florida’s lead, about twenty states, including Ohio, have enacted laws that require schools to retain third gra
Gadfly Bites 6/5/23—Why can’t we just put our differences aside?
Jeff MurrayAlways an interesting day when we have only opinion pieces to discuss here in the Bites. First up, Dublin City Schools Superintendent John Marschhausen wears many hats.
Four priorities for the new CEO of Cleveland’s schools
Jessica PoinerOn May 9, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) announced that it had hired Dr. Warren Morgan as the district’s new CEO. Morgan will replace Eric Gordon, who has been at the district’s helm since 2011.