While the philanthropy world was still reeling from Investor Warren Buffett's announcement to give the bulk of his fortune-$37 billion-to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the foundation's staff and a group of education leaders met in Seattle on July 17 and 18 for the foundation's EDU Summer Conference. On the agenda was the future of the Gates' Foundation's education program.
Gadfly still favors radically deregulating entry into teaching, but if states are determined to stick with teacher "credentialing" there is every reason to hope that the new American College of Education is getting it right.
Joe WilliamsEducation SectorJuly 2006
Aphorist Dorothy Parker once observed, "Los Angeles is 72 suburbs in search of a city." Similarly diffuse and divided is Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's latest plan to take over L.A. Unified.
This fall lawmakers will begin debate on the Ohio Core Curriculum, an initiative requiring high school students to take more math and science courses to graduate.
Editor’s note: Eight states have implemented statewide rigorous core curriculum for their students. Gov. Taft believes it’s time that Ohio does the same. The Ohio General Assembly is considering legislation that would do just that. Gene T.
In response to Martin Davis's article ("Ed reform, born again?" May 11), I want to know if he's read the think-piece, "Testing the Boundaries of Parental Authority Over Education," by Robert Reich. He quotes Justice White in Wisconsin v.
Jon Husted (R-Kettering) has long fought for school choice. He played pivotal roles both in developing the state’s charter school program and in creating the Ohio Education Choice Scholarship Program.
The new Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Program faces challenging days ahead—educating parents and students who would receive the vouchers is one of the most obvious problems. As the new executive director of School Choice Ohio, I attended a recent conference in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Alliance for School Choice and the Friedman Foundation.
On the eve of implementing the Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Program, unanswered questions remain. Can Ohio promise eligible families that their children who are now enrolled in schools rated in “Academic Emergency” or “Academic Watch” will be better served in private, religious, or alternative public schools?
Ohio’s high school students are ill-prepared for college level work. Evidence of this abounds. In December, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) reported, “41 percent of Ohio’s high school graduates took at least one college remedial class in math, reading or writing in the fall of 2003….
In 1970, half of the engineers in the world were American. Many were in Ohio, where much of the early technology that sent Neil Armstrong to the moon was developed. Flash forward to 2006. This year China will graduate over 600,000 new engineers. India, 300,000. The U.S. will graduate just over 70,000 new engineers, nearly half of these will be foreigners.
Last month, the Washington Post's David Broder wrote a column trumpeting the value of teaching civics to American students.
Both the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) and the Ohio Education Association (OEA) have hinted in recent weeks that they are going to work to unionize charter school teachers. The move is not unique to Ohio. The American Federation of Teachers, for example, now represents teachers in 30 charter schools scattered across ten states.
This essay is authored by Kati Haycock, director of Education Trust, and presents an overview of the themes she will discuss on May 10 at her an address in Columbus. The event, which is open to the public, is sponsored by KidsOhio.org. To register, click here.
Students at Bonham elementary school in Abilene, Texas, faced a serious problem last week when the school's toilets stopped working. Principal Diane Rose acted quickly and smartly. Instead of preparing mops and buckets, she called in the buses.
What’s the new vocabulary word for the week in school districts? “Portfolio diversification.”
KidsOhio.org and the Columbus Metropolitan Club will be hosting national educational policy expert Dr. Kati Haycock in Columbus to discuss her hope for America’s schools. Register here to attend.
Ohio Speaker of the House Jon Husted (R-Kettering) took over four hours out of his very busy schedule Monday and visited two charter schools in Dayton, and plans more school visits across the state in the near future.
National Association of Secondary School Principals2006
As the race for governor in Ohio heats up, so too has the interest in candidate Ken Blackwell's "65 Cent Solution," which would require every Ohio school district to spend at least 65 cents of each education dollar on "classroom instruction." The proposal clearly has political appeal.
Fifteen-year-old Gaurav Rajav will not be receiving an Xbox 360 video game console this month. That's because the high school student, who hoped to recite 10,790 digits of Pi, and whose parents promised him the Xbox if he met that goal, could muster only enough intellectual stamina to correctly recite 8,784 numbers.
Steven F. WilsonHarvard University Press2006
I have introduced legislation in the Ohio House that will improve school choice for Ohio’s disabled students. House Bill 431 , if enacted, would expand the Autism Scholarship Program (ASP), which currently benefits 450 children in Ohio by providing scholarships worth up to $20,000 for educational services, either public or private, to include all disabled children.
At the State Board of Education’s February 13-14 meeting, an Ohio Department of Education official testified that the board has no clear authority, under current state law or board rules, to evaluate, intervene in, or sanction the state’s original 59 community (a.k.a. charter) school sponsors.
Some, if not most, Ohio school districts believe that public charter schools are draining funds from their coffers, but it may be the other way around. Through a little-known process called “flagging,” districts can tie up indefinitely money owed to charters schools for educating the children who choose to be educated there.
The Fordham Institute has released new data on charter schools in Ohio, including their enrollment numbers, operating budgets and contact information. Summary information provides insights into where Ohio’s charters are located, the types of students they serve, the types of school operators in the state, and what types of organizations sponsor charter schools.
Last month, in a recommended reading entitled "No Voucher for You!" (December 22, 2005), the Gadfly was critical of Ohio's new voucher program (Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Program, a.k.a., Ohio EdChoice).
There have been big changes in Ohio's education landscape over the past several years, and the flurry of activity won't be slowing in 2006. So, what's in the crystal ball for the upcoming year in education, and how will it affect you? Gadfly presents four education issues to keep an eye on this year.1. Increased accountability for charter schools and their sponsors
U.S. Department of EducationDecember 2005
