Governance

Gadfly Bites 3/3/23—The chicken or the egg

A couple more items from around the Statehouse lead us off today.

Gadfly Bites 3/1/23—Around the Statehouse

We start our state government tour with the Controlling Board, the members of w

Gadfly Bites 2/27/23—Emergency triage

This national story is about how ability grouping in classrooms works, including findings from a number of studies into its effectiveness.

Gadfly Bites 2/24/23—A hot mess

We start today with

Gadfly Bites 2/22/23—Now was that so hard?

Nice coverage of Governor DeWine’s all-in push to make the science of reading the law of the land he

Gadfly Bites 2/20/23—Geeking out

This feels like good news to me: It was announced last week that Ohio will join the group o

Gadfly Bites 2/17/23—But you must act now!

Ohio’s state auditor and the president of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges published

Gadfly Bites 2/15/23—The price is wrong

The Senate Education Committee heard testimony on SB 1 yesterday.

Testimony presented before the Senate Education Committee on Senate Bill 1—2/14/23

NOTE: Today, the Ohio Senate’s Education Committee heard testimony on SB 1

Gadfly Bites 2/13/23—“It may never be a perfect system”

As I was reading this piece about

Gadfly Bites 2/10/23—Happy to share data

There’s not much substantive detail in this coverage, but the Ohio Department o

Gadfly Bites 2/8/23—News-adjacent

One assumes that

Gadfly Bites 2/6/23—“I’m a reader now. I can sound out the words.”

Here’s

Gadfly Bites 2/3/23—The good, the bad, and the obvious of voucher expansion

While Governor DeWine’s budget priorities included billions (billions I say!) to support a huge range of K-12 education priorities, lotsa folks out here in punditland only want to talk about proposed EdChoice Scholarship

Gadfly Bites 2/1/23—“A time of great opportunity”

In case you missed it,

Fordham Institute media statement on Governor DeWine’s education proposals

Today, Governor Mike DeWine announced his state budget priorities for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 in his state of the state address. Among his K–12 education proposals include bold steps that would greatly strengthen Ohio’s school choice programs.

Improving the accuracy of school funding data

Many states fund students who utilize school choice—public charter schools, private school voucher programs, interdistrict open enrollment, and the like—via “passthrough” mechanisms whereby per-pupil funding goes into a student’s home district coffers first before being transferred to the schools that stud

Gadfly Bites 1/30/23—Earnest pondering

The superintendent of LaBrae Local Schools (nope, me neither) has a list of interesting questions that

Gadfly Bites 1/27/23—Sometimes, I can’t even report ‘em

There are, in my estimation, only two people in Ohio (outside of state government, that is) who truly understand our school funding system. Neither of them is me.

Gadfly Bites 1/25/23—When you want something done, ask a busy person to do it

Three reasons why legislators are right to transform the state board of education

In December, state lawmakers rocked the boat during an otherwise sleepy lame duck session by moving forward with a proposal to significantly overhaul Ohio’s education governance structure.

Gadfly Bites 1/23/23—Impossible to overestimate

Despite the somewhat-traditional National School Choice Week snowfall,

Gadfly Bites 1/20/23—The extreme nitty gritty

The elect

Gadfly Bites 1/18/23—Checking in on the big districts

It’s an all-Urban 8 edition today.

Gadfly Bites 1/13/23—Anyone besides me kinda hope it’s cloudy that day?

We first noted this…unusual story last Friday, and simply alluded to it in the Bites because it seemed fanciful at the time.

Fordham Institute statement on introduction of Senate Bill 1

Today, Senator Bill Reineke introduced Senate Bill 1, legislation that would dramatically change the duties of the State Board of Education, create a Department of Education and Workforce Development, and make the new department part of the governor’s cabinet.

Gadfly Bites 1/11/23—Fool’s gold

New year, same as the old year, it seems.

Gadfly Bites 1/9/23—Welcomes, warm and otherwise

First things first: Looks like a deal was reached between Akron City Schools and its teachers union at some point over the weekend.

Gadfly Bites 1/6/23—“Obviously that’s not going to happen”

Our recent report on the impacts of Ohio’s EdChoice program on traditional district schools is one of two choice-focused report