Ohio Charter News Weekly – 6.30.23
Jeff MurrayBudget conference committee continues
Lorain schools don’t deserve special treatment in the budget bill
Jessica PoinerIt’s been a very busy budget season in Ohio.
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.
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.
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.
“Supplemental targeted assistance” is no way to fund schools
Aaron ChurchillIn its biennial budget plan for FYs 2024–25, the Senate—as did the House—proposed a hefty increase in K–12 education spending.
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.
Senate’s budget plan moves the ball downfield on educational choice
Aaron ChurchillTo use football parlance, education reform often feels like three yards and a cloud of dust. Yet sometimes the gains are bigger—a long forward pass—and that’s what the Ohio Senate’s final budget bill, which passed the chamber yesterday, would amount to. These are the key proposals in their game plan.
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.
Fordham Institute statement on Ohio Senate’s FY 2024-25 state budget plan
Ohio Education GadflyToday, the Ohio Senate unveiled its version of the biennial state budget (Substitute House Bill 33). Among the K-12 education highlights from the upper chamber’s bill include: Increasing accountability for the state education agency to rigorously implement education laws through much-needed governance reforms;
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
Fordham Institute media statement on new study demonstrating academic benefits of third grade retention
Ohio Education GadflyToday, Ohio Excels and the Ohio Education Research Center (OERC) released a study on the academic impact of retaining students under Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee and providing them with extra support.
Ohio’s urban students lost a full grade level of learning. Here’s what their schools need to do right now.
Aaron ChurchillBy now, it’s no secret that the pandemic and schools’ pivot to remote learning was a disaster for most students.
Despite the best of intentions, education policy still comes up short
Tom GunlockNOTE: This piece was originally published in the Dayton Daily News.
Charter sponsors need to be accountable for the performance of their schools
Aaron ChurchillWith the budget bill speeding to the finish line, the Statehouse rumor mill is cranking into high gear. Among the rumblings is an effort by a few charter advocates to weaken the state’s sponsor evaluation system.
For teachers, Ohio is one of the most affordable places to live and work
Jessica PoinerAs districts across the nation struggle with teacher shortages, policymakers and advocates continue to debate how best to draw more talent into the profession. Increasing salaries inevitably comes up in these discussions, and understandably so, as teachers do a difficult job that’s extremely important.
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 5.19.23
Jeff MurrayOne more story from National Charter Schools Week
Do Ohio’s teacher preparation programs follow the science of reading? How stronger teacher preparation and curricula policies can ensure scientifically based reading instruction in Ohio
Shannon HolstonThis study takes a look at Ohio's elementary-school teacher preparation programs and the extent to which they're training candidates in the science of reading. Based on analyses of programs' course materials and syllabi, the report identifies exemplary preparation programs that cover the five components of the reading science. Other programs, however, are lagging behind. The report offers recommendations that will better ensure that all incoming teachers are well-trained in the science of reading.
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 5.12.23
Jeff MurrayAnother Charter Schools Week is in the books
New state data offer tantalizing clues about Ohio’s teacher shortages
Jessica PoinerTeacher shortages have been a hot topic over the last few years.
Reinventing Ohio’s Charter School Sector, 2015–2023: Ohio’s successful charter turnaround—and what’s needed next
Aaron ChurchillFor more than two decades, the charter school movement has aimed to provide parents with more public-school options, empower educators to launch innovative schools, and boost student achievement. This report looks at the progress Ohio is making toward achieving these ambitious goals. It includes an overview of the landmark reforms that state lawmakers enacted in 2015 to strengthen accountability for charter school performance, as well as the improvements the sector has made since then. The report also discusses the large funding disparities that public charter schools in Ohio still face, and how legislators can work to bridge those gaps.