Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/27/21—Don’t we all?
The leaders of Akron City Schools say they want a “reset” after dealing with a concerning uptick in behavio
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/25/21—Sometimes, you don’t need to dig deeper
Here is a story about the status of the three Ohio school districts currently operating under the (nominal) aegis of an Academic Distress Commission.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/22/21—Delivering
Repeat after me: “Report cards are just a snapshot. Tests do not define our students.
Commentary
Governance
Moving school board elections on-cycle, and other policy musings
Hot-button education topics such as masking, vaccines, and critical race theory have dominated headlines this fall. But lost in the shuffle are a few notable items that have also made news—but barely—and have significant implications for Ohio policymakers.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/18/21—Feats of creativity
Toledo City Schools continues to celebrate its increased graduation rate, as per the school and district report card data released last week, with the
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/15/21—Jarring
In case you missed it, Ohio released school and district report cards yesterday for the 2020-21 school year. They are, in general, not pretty.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/13/21—Episode 562 of “If This Were a Charter School…”
No less a light than former New York Lt.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/11/21—Saving us from a hyperbole deficit for sure
In case you missed it, Fordham’s own Aaron Churchill published an op-ed in Cleveland.com on Friday, laying out the troublesome findings of our recen
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/8/21—Finger pointing
In case you missed it, Wednesday’s press conference on House Bill 290 has been getting some media coverage.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/6/21—Honey I shrunk the district…for $50 million
The elected board members of Belpre City Schools in southern Ohio this week considered several options to consolidate their entire pre-K to 12th grade student body (an
Commentary
Governance
Researchers test a simple method to reduce suspensions for Black students
Is it possible to reduce the number of out-of-school suspensions experienced by Black students in America by means of a small tweak in school practices, such as adding a simple activity to some school days?
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/4/21—Oh my
“I’m not sure Jesus and his 12 apostles (could do the job) right now.” That was the blunt assessment of the former transportation director for Dayton City Schools last week.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 10/1/21—“Please know”
This week, Barberton City Schools announced it was suspending its main transportation routes until at least October 7 due to t
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 9/29/21—There’s only one hand that matters
Pardon the brief interruption of service on Monday. Back with you with lots of good clips!
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 9/24/21—The high cost of normality
We start our Friday clips with a trio of STEM-related stories.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 9/22/21—Getting all the headlines…and then digging deeper
Fordham’s Chad Aldis was extensively quoted in Crain’s this week—along with other commentators—discussing legislative changes recently wrought upon school funding, school choice programs, and state report cards.
Commentary
Governance
Suburban school districts can help urban students succeed
It’s no secret that many of the best public schools are located in America’s leafy suburbs. They’re typically staffed by well-trained teachers, boast up-to-date textbooks and technology, and offer advanced and specialized coursework.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 9/20/21—Creating your own goals
Please don’t let the focus of this piece on school transportation woes in central Ohio school districts fool you. Numerous issues of accuracy and lateness have been building in districts large and small for years—long before anyone ever heard of SARS-CoV-2.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 9/17/21—No more dessert desert
One unforeseen consequence of broadening free lunch for schools is, apparently, that there is not enough of certain foods to go around.
Commentary
School Finance
Can Ohio solve the school transportation riddle?
Every student ought to have safe, reliable transportation to a school that meets their needs. Recognizing this, Ohio law has long required districts to offer transportation to all resident students in grades K–8 who live more than two miles from their school—whether that’s a district, charter, private, or STEM school.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 9/15/21—The easy A
The recent report by Ohio State University Professors Kogan and Lavertu—putting some very sobering numbers on pandemic-influenced learning loss in the Buckeye State—received national coverage from AEI’s blo
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 9/13/21—Creatively innovative
Here is a decade-long program in central Ohio whereby a third-party nonprof
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 9/10/21—Never call a double-dog dare when you don’t know what you’re talking about
A recent research paper review—on the topic of pandemic-era academic impacts on students—written by Fordham’s Jessica Poiner became the law of the land in Ohio when it was linked and quoted in Gongwer the oth
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 9/8/21—Painful switch
Gadfly Bites is back back back! Sorry about that, y’all.
Commentary
School Finance
An overview of Ohio’s new school funding formula, and a look at whether it might stick
At the end of June, Ohio lawmakers passed House Bill 110, the biennial operating budget for FYs 2022–23. It included a new school funding framework that received bipartisan support and was backed by school district officials and teachers unions.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 8/25/21—Tears, no tears, and happy tears
Gadfly Bites will be on vacation for a bit, you lucky readers; but your luck runs out on 9/8/21 when it all starts again.
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 8/23/21—“A great challenge”
Schools across the Miami Valley areas, including charter and private schools, are finding it even more challenging than usual, they say, in filling
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 8/20/21—From summer into autumn
Here’s the final look at Columbus City Schools’ summer program this year, including the news that 112 of the 412 seniors in the class of 2021 w
Commentary
Governance
Gadfly Bites 8/18/21—Built to last
We will top and tail today’s edition of the Bites with two “say what?” clips.
Commentary
Governance
Big opportunities await Ohio’s next state superintendent
Earlier this summer, Ohio’s state superintendent Paolo DeMaria announced his retirement, effective in September.
