Ohio Charter News Weekly – 1.6.22
Chad L. Aldis, Jeff MurrayWelcome back to our first edition of 2022, covering news from 12/17 – 12/31/21. We will return to regular weekly publication on Fridays starting tomorrow. Life advice and career advice
My favorite children’s books of the past year
Aaron ChurchillAmong the many things that I’ve come to better understand as a new parent is that children’s books are a literary genre of their own. Who knew there’d be board books, peek-a-flaps, and battery-powered books that make sounds? Some books have clever storylines and rhymes. Some have exquisite artwork. They literally come in all shapes and sizes.
Are private schools “unaccountable”?
Aaron ChurchillIn the debates over private school scholarship (a.k.a. voucher) programs, one of opponents’ favorite talking points is to say that nonpublic schools are “unaccountable” or “unregulated.” To get a flavor, consider the following statements made over the past couple years:
A descriptive look at high school students earning college credit in Rhode Island
Jeff MurrayThe term “dual enrollment” is often used to refer to young people earning college credits while simultaneously completing their high school coursework.
The future of high tech education is probably not in your kid’s school
Jeff MurrayRegardless of whether you believe that too much is being asked of our schools and our educators these days, it is always worth asking whether th
Even better than the real thing: Four-day school weeks make adults very happy
Jeff MurrayThe most commonly expressed motivator for school districts to adopt a four-day school week is monetary: lowering expenditures on hourly staff, transportation, and utilities costs. It is not incidental that the most recent uptick in districts opting for them was in the aftermath of the Great Recession.
Gadfly Bites 10/20/21—Down is up
Jeff MurrayIn our topsy turvy tour of education news clips today, we start with Fairview Park City Schools, which appears to be heavily recruiting students to attend its swanky, newly-upgraded high school next year.
Backpack funding bill would put parents in control
Aaron ChurchillEvery parent has the right to educate their children in way that meets their kids’ needs and accords with their values and beliefs. Don’t just take my word for it: The U.S.
Voucher critics are at it again
Jessica PoinerIt’s been a banner year for private school choice in Ohio.
Some Ohio schools are facing a teacher shortage. What caused it, and how can it be addressed?
Jessica PoinerOver the last few months, there have been growing concerns over a teacher shortage
An overview of Ohio’s recently-enacted family-friendly voucher changes
Jessica PoinerFor nearly twenty years, EdChoice has provided tens of thousands of students with the opportunity to attend private schools via state-funded scholarships, also known as vouchers.
NCTQ sheds light on Ohio teacher licensure exams
Jessica PoinerBefore they can stand in front of a classroom full of students, most prospective teachers have to pass state licensure exams. But how many candidates pass those exams on the first try and how many need multiple attempts? Which schools fare best at readying their students for these exams?
No, EdChoice is not the cause of racial segregation
Aaron ChurchillOpponents of school choice in Ohio continue to threaten a lawsuit seeking to eradicate the state’s largest private-school scholarship program, known as
Want great teachers and higher achievement? A study from Wisconsin suggests trying flexible pay.
Aaron ChurchillThe vast majority of Ohio teachers are paid according to salary schedules that reward seniority and degrees earned, the result of state l
Gadfly Bites 7/9/21—Exponential
Jeff MurrayOur own Chad Aldis is quoted in this piece from public radio here in Columbus, saying that the new state budget “completely divorced” school report cards from vouche
The past, present, and future of summer programs for students
Jeff MurrayAs post-pandemic life cautiously starts to take shape here in America, uncertainty abounds. Will our systems and processes and activities eagerly snap back to their 2019 forms? Or will our lives in 2021 and beyond take on new contours influenced by what we have learned, for good and ill, during the challenges forced upon us by 2020?
What’s next for College Credit Plus?
Aaron ChurchillBack in 2014, Ohio lawmakers overhauled the state’s dual-enrollment program that gives students opportunities to take advanced courses through two- or four-year colleges.
When it comes to preparing teachers to teach reading, Ohio’s ahead of the pack
Jessica PoinerIt’s no secret that teaching kids how to read is extremely important. Research shows that children who don’t read proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma than proficient readers.
How can children become good readers?
Aaron ChurchillIn a paper titled Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement, the Ohio Department of Education recently wrote that districts have “a limited understanding of how to build early literacy in young children.” This is manifestly troubling, as s
Bringing Head Start programing into the home
Jeff MurrayIf a little treatment goes a long way, does it stand to reason that more treatment will go even further?
2018 Teacher Prep Review: An examination of graduate and alternative teacher preparation programs
Jessica PoinerThe National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) recently added to their trove of teacher preparation evaluations with the 2018 Teacher Prep Review. This year’s study examines 567 traditional graduate, 129 alternative route, and eighteen residency programs across the U.S. (no undergraduate programs were examined).
Fordham Ohio celebrates teachers and charter schools
Ohio Education GadflyDuring the recent celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week and National Charter Schools Week, Fordham Ohio staffers shared stories of the teachers, counselors, and schools that made a positive difference in their education and in their lives. You can read about:
The impact of phonics instruction in England
Aaron ChurchillBack at the turn of the millennium, we at Fordham published a paper that urged a stronger focus on phonics.
Teacher appreciation
Jeff MurrayNOTE: In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Fordham Ohio staffers will be blogging about teachers, principals, and guidance counselors who made a positive difference in their schooling and in their lives. This is the third post.
Small town, great expectations
Madison YoderNOTE: In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Fordham Ohio staffers will be blogging about teachers, principals, and guidance counselors who made a positive difference in their schooling and in their lives. This is the second post.
One of the teachers who changed my life
Chad L. AldisNOTE: In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Fordham Ohio staffers will be blogging about teachers, principals, and guidance counselors who made a positive difference in their schooling and in their lives. This is the first post.
What’s with the fixation on educator certification in Lorain?
Jessica PoinerLast week, the Elyria Chronicle published a piece headlined “Another Lorain Schools hire lacks state certification.” The hire in question is Scott Dieter, who has been selected by CEO David Hardy to serve as the
Addressing language acquisition issues for bilingual children
Jeff MurrayDespite genetic hardwiring of babies’ brains to learn language, emerging evidence suggests that different languages are acquired in different ways based on their specific characteristics. Most of what child development and education professionals know about language acquisition in young children is based on monolingual studies and is difficult to apply to bilingual children.