Gadfly Bites 2/8/18 - "I hope there is a way that you can trust me."
Jeff MurrayIt has been said (mostly by me, probably) that there are only three seasons in Ohio – budget season, campaign season, and summer vacation. I invite all five of my loyal Gadfly Bites subscribers (yes, it’s been a successful couple of months) to guess which one we’re in right now.
Education policy questions that every gubernatorial candidate should answer
Jamie Davies O'LearyCampaign season in Ohio is in full swing.
Gadfly Bites 2/7/18 - Circle one
Jeff MurrayI think this story is probably just as cute and benign as it comes across, but just for kicks I’m going to try to be needlessly provocative in clipping it.
Does Ohio need a revolution in school funding?
Aaron ChurchillOhio Representative Andrew Brenner has introduced legislation described on the General Assembly’s website as an effort to “revise school funding.” If there were an award for understatement of the year, that might win the prize.
Gadfly Bites 2/5/18 - "Answer Hazy, Ask Again Later"
Jeff MurrayNortheast Ohio’s own version of the Loch Ness Monster has reared his head again, and it looks like he might want to stick around a while this time. Denessie Kucinich says he’s running for governor, you see, using lots of the same rhetoric and ideas that he’s floated before.
Gadfly Bites 2/2/18 - Avoiding certain stories leaves very few stories
Jeff MurrayNot much to report on today that isn’t shameless politicking or overt criminality. So what does that leave us with? John Kasich, that’s what. Mr.
Gadfly Bites 1/31/18 - Basking in the pure glow of pragmatism
Jeff MurrayEditors in Toledo this week offered their opinion on the closure of ECOT. It’s generally what you’d expect, but it curiously includes something of a warning that might seem a little odd at first blush, but will not be that big of a surprise for all of my loyal Gadfly Bites subscribers.
Gadfly Bites 1/29/18 - Why we work, and why we must work harder
Jeff MurrayIt’s always interesting when education stories are covered in unconventional outlets.
Gadfly Bites 1/24/18 - Big old "duh"
Jeff MurrayColumbus City Schools is, apparently, facing a budget shortfall within two years, and the initial discussions about solving it involve closing it down immediately so it can repay lost revenue to the state of Ohio the elimination of up to 163 positions.
Gadfly Bites 1/22/18 - The saddest surprise party
Jeff MurrayWith ECOT closed, a special master appointed by the court to help oversee things like records transfer and asset management, and families working to find new schools that are at least the second-best fit for their kids, it seems there is little else for education reporters
Superintendent DeMaria joined Chiefs for Change: Here’s what it could mean for Ohio
Jessica PoinerEarlier this week, Chiefs for Change (CFC) announced that Ohio’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, Paolo DeMaria, joined their network.
Gadfly Bites 1/19/18 - Why shouldn't we give up on our education? You just did.
Jeff MurrayThe 2018 Quality Counts ratings are out and very little has changed for Ohio from the previous year. Doesn’t stop folks from trying to spin those results into a vision of speculative doom. Our own Chad Aldis is quoted in this piece as the voice of anti-spin.
Gadfly Bites 1/17/18 - Enhancements
Jeff MurrayChanges are coming to the popular College Credit Plus program as early as this summer, courtesy of the Chancellor of Higher Education (at the request of the General Assembly).
A birds-eye view of school funding policy in the U.S.
Aaron ChurchillCreating school funding policy is a delicate juggling act for state leaders. Contentious issues include deciding the responsibilities of local and state governments; determining efficient and fair ways to allocate funds; and ensuring economically friendly tax policies while raising sufficient revenue.
Gadfly Bites 1/12/18 - "Fighting" is the operative word
Jeff MurrayWe should probably start with the big ECOT news, I guess. Did you see that ECOT’s request to become a dropout recovery school was rejected by the Ohio Department of Education yesterday? No? How on earth did you miss that? Wonder what else was screaming off the headlines that took your attention?
Gadfly Bites 1/10/18 - "What is the purpose and what is the outcome?"
Jeff MurrayEditors in Akron opined in favor of revamped state report cards for schools and districts, opining in favor of Fordham’s recent report on same along the way.
Four big education stories you might have missed over the holiday
Jamie Davies O'LearyI don’t know about you, but for the most part, I shut down my social media and news apps over the winter holiday this year. As it turns out, tending to your neighbor’s chickens, building gingerbread houses, and riding sleds are all good strategies for recovering from the dumpster fire that was 2017.
Gadfly Bites 1/8/18 - Ohio's War on Knowing Stuff continues unabated
Jeff MurrayAhead of this week’s state board of education meeting, the Dispatch took a look at the issue of graduation requirements, sure to be a highlight of the agenda. If the one board member quoted here is anything to go by, extending the no-competency diploma pathways to the Classes of 2019 and 2020—two new fronts in the state’s War on Knowing Stuff—is a slam dunk.
It’s time to be more than just a critic
Chad L. AldisOne of the perils of working at a think tank, especially one like Fordham, which encourages provocative ideas and never shies away from a debate, is that it can be easy to anger or frustrate even your closest allies. That’s especially true in this polarized, fraught time we’re living in.
Gadfly Bites 1/5/18 - Let the DeLorean rust in peace
Jeff MurrayA task force was created this week to lead discussion and recommend a course of action to deal with the—frankly pretty enormous—problem of Dayton City Schools’ numerous underutilized buildings.
Gadfly Bites 1/3/18 - Back on schedule and even reporting the current year!
Jeff MurrayFordham is namechecked in this brief New Year’s Day story on possible report card changes for schools and districts coming via legislation in 2018.
Gadfly Bites 1/2/18 - Rounding up the last stories of 2017
Jeff MurrayClosing out the year with a further discussion of graduation rates, the Dispatch settled on the topic of charter school grad rates, finding them to be far lower than for traditional district schools.
Predicting the top 5 education issues for 2018
Aaron ChurchillTo ring in the New Year, we at the Ohio Gadfly have a tradition—two years running!—of predicting the top issues in education for the coming year.
Gadfly Bites 12/22/17 - "A pharmacist may have a great pill for headaches, but that may not be what a patient needs for a broken femur"
Jeff MurrayThe outgoing school board and the interim supe made some fairly permanent decisions this week regarding the school closure process in Dayton.
The top 7 Ohio education stories of 2017
Jessica PoinerIn the world of American politics, controversy dominated 2017. In the world of Ohio education policy, things were a bit quieter—but still eventful. As we say goodbye (or good riddance) to 2017, here’s a look at the seven biggest education stories of the year.7) State budget
Top Fordham Ohio blog posts of 2017
Ohio Education GadflyHere at Fordham, we try to keep our finger on the pulse of what our Ohio readers are interested in. But every year, we are pleasantly surprised when blog posts take on lives of their own.Herewith, the most-read Ohio Gadfly blog posts of 2017, with some thoughts as to why these pieces caught your attention.1. The student perspective
Gadfly Bites 12/18/17 -- Why should it be a leap of faith for a parent to expect a district school to prepare her child for the future?
Jeff MurrayFordham’s Aaron Churchill is quoted in this Dispatch piece on the topic of rising high school graduation rates. Our research guru warns that giving out unearned diplomas just for the sake of “fairness” can devalue both the piece of paper and the education it is supposed to represent.
Gadfly Bites 12/15/17 - Operating brand new school buildings filled to just 30% capacity seems like an expensive problem
Jeff MurrayThe state board of education finished up their meeting this week by drafting a resolution proposing to create a working group to review and recommend changes to state report cards. The resolution will be debated at the next meeting in January.
Gadfly Bites 12/13/17 - Ohio's ongoing war against knowing stuff
Jeff MurrayAs the song says, “There’s a war goin’ on out there somewhere.” It seems to be a war on knowin’ stuff and it’s being waged in the state board of education.