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Gadfly Bites 9/25/23—Antepenultimate

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Ohio Charter News Weekly – 9.22.23

Roll the tape!

Gadfly Bites 9/22/23—That thing you DEW

News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. Just sayin’.

Gadfly Bites 9/20/23—DEW or DEW not

How’d the first day of actual school go in Youngstown this week? Or even the second? No one in the local press seems to care since the teachers union is happy with the deal they won, so I have no idea.

As chronic absenteeism rates soar, some Ohio lawmakers want to make it easier for kids to skip school

The negative impacts of chronic absenteeism are well known. In elementary school, truancy can contribute to weaker math and reading skills that persist into later grades.

2021 PIRLS test results starkly illustrate global learning loss

The first pandemic-influenced data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) test are in. Unsurprisingly, an initial analysis says the news is bad.

Ohio’s long and winding road back to where it started with novice teachers

In 2011, Ohio lawmakers introduced a state initiative focused on new teachers—specifically, those who were in the first four years of their career.

Gadfly Bites 9/18/23—It only takes one whammy to make families scramble for solutions

The Youngstown teacher strike seems to be over after a tentative agreeme

Ohio Charter News Weekly – 9.15.23

Lifelong values

Gadfly Bites 9/15/23—Seems like all tortoise and no hare

In case you somehow missed it, state report cards were released yesterday.

Fordham Institute statement on Ohio’s school report cards

This morning, the Ohio Department of Education released its annual school report cards based on results from the 2022-23 school year. This year’s iteration makes clear that the impacts of the pandemic on student learning are still being felt, especially for students from less advantaged backgrounds.

Ohio Senate proposes much-needed tweaks to College Credit Plus

During the 2015–16 school year, Ohio launched a revamped dual-enrollment program called College Credit Plus (CCP).

Gadfly Bites 9/13/23—A “digestible” counterproposal?

Looks like someone’s been listening to Fordham’s Aaron Churchill, who has been advocating for including party labels for candidates on local school board ballots for many years, with lots of great analysis backing it up.

Why Ohio’s school board elections should be on-cycle

It’s September and that means fall elections are coming soon. Not that election—the presidential is still more than twelve months away—but local school board races are right around the corner.

The Great Recession offers insight about the impact the impending fiscal cliff will have on Ohio school districts

Some Ohio public schools may be headed for a world of hurt.

Gadfly Bites 9/11/23—School funding is a zero-sum game because we say it is

Gongwer covered the news of the massive parental response to expanded EdChoice voucher eligibility.

Ohio Charter News Weekly – 9.8.23

High on the list

Gadfly Bites 9/8/23—A different kind of Friday the 13th; still pretty scary

OSU’s

Gadfly Bites 9/6/23—Reality bites…and so do bats

Despite steady gains, much work remains on Ohio’s academic recovery

NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.

A new state initiative could help districts address the bus driver shortage

The start of a new school year means that big yellow school buses are back on the road. For many, they’re a welcome sign that a familiar routine has resumed. For others, they spark nostalgia. But for district and school administrators across Ohio, the sight of a yellow bus likely spurs stress and concern thanks to widespread bus driver shortages.

Are college completion grants a no-incentive incentive?

At the same time that the number of degree earners in the U.S.

Ohio Charter News Weekly – 9.1.23

First first day

Gadfly Bites 9/1/23—The circus is in town—all three rings of it

Approximately 7 hours of talks on both Wednesday and Thursday between Youngstown teach

Here’s how Governor DeWine and Ohio lawmakers expanded CTE access this legislative session

Career and technical education (CTE) was a huge priority for Ohio lawmakers during the recent budget cycle.

Are Ohio students making up sufficient ground, post-pandemic?

As has been widely reported, students in Ohio and across the nation suffered major setbacks during the pandemic. Between 2019 and 2022, Ohio students lost on average the equivalent of roughly one-half grade-level of learning.

Dr. Stéphane Lavertu joins the Fordham Institute as Senior Research Fellow

Today, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute announced that Dr. Stéphane Lavertu will join the Institute as a Senior Research Fellow. Dr.

Gadfly Bites 8/30/23—Who’s zoomin’ who?

Contract talks are to resume in Youngstown this afternoon.

Gadfly Bites 8/28/23—No bueno

Back from a little vacation. Sorry (for you) that’s it’s over! 

Are students more likely to cheat on unproctored online exams?

When classes moved abruptly online at Iowa State University in March 2020 as part of Covid-mitigation actions statewide, psychology professor Jason Chan expected big changes in student behavior. Specifically, he worried about his students being easily able to cheat on unproctored online exams.