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Gadfly Bites 5/14/21 – STEM-tastic!
Jeff MurrayGadfly Bites is back from vacation. Hope you missed me as much as I missed you!
Testimony presented before the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee on SB 145—5/11/21
Chad L. AldisNOTE: On May 11, the Ohio Senate’s Primary and Secondary Education Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 145, a proposal to revise school and district report cards
Testimony presented before the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee on HB 110 – 5/10/21
Chad L. AldisNOTE: Today, the Ohio Senate’s Primary and Secondary Educatio
Put the kids first, Ohio: It’s time for ESAs
Robert AltAs Ohio’s General Assembly continues working on the biennial state budget, policymakers have the unique chance to pursue meaningful education reform for Ohio’s K–12 students. Given the dark rain clouds of the past fourteen months, we are all grateful to see a silver lining emerging.
Gadfly Bites 5/10/21 – The waitlist
Jeff MurrayGadfly Bites will be on vacation Wednesday. Back with more fun on Friday.
Universal ACT and SAT participation is a matter of equal opportunity
Aaron ChurchillOver the past few years, education groups have pushed the General Assembly to walk back the state policy that requires all high school juniors to take the ACT or SAT exam.
Testimony presented before the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee on HB 110
Chad L. AldisNOTE: Today, the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee heard testimony on HB 110, the state’s next biennial budget.
Gadfly Bites 5/5/21 – Laser focus
Jeff MurrayI must admit that I didn’t read or watch yesterday’s budget testimony in the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee yesterday. (I’ll be sure to be watching today, though, boss.
An overview of the computer science provisions in the state budget
Jessica PoinerIt’s rare for policies that are proposed in the state budget to sail untouched from the governor’s office through the House and to the Senate—especially if they’ll have a significant impact on the status quo.
Gadfly Bites 5/3/21 – “Mask-erade” indeed.
Jeff MurrayWhile Fordham’s own Chad Aldis notes a couple of positive aspects of the current school funding revamp which is now stuffed into the s
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 4.30.21
Chad L. Aldis, Jeff MurrayBest high schools in America
Gadfly Bites 4/30/21 – Megaphone
Jeff MurrayChad Aldis and the Fordham Institute make up part of the “balance” in this story, which is otherwise all-in for the school funding revamp currently included in the state budget.
Ohio needs to think bigger, bolder on charter facilities
Aaron ChurchillExcelinEd, a national education group, recently released a paper revealing large shortfalls in facility funding for Ohio’s public charter schools.
Here’s what Columbus City Schools plans to offer students this summer
Jessica PoinerIn February, Governor DeWine asked all public schools to create plans designed to address the learning loss caused by pandemic-related school closures.
Gadfly Bites 4/28/21 – Fiscal excellence
Jeff MurrayBrunswick City Schools recently celebrated its third “clean audit” award over the last seven years, bestowed by the Auditor of State.
People tend to solve problems by adding, not subtracting
Jeff MurrayProblem solving involves a complex set of mental steps, even when it happens quickly. A group of researchers from the University of Virginia sought to test one specific aspect of the process—the types of solutions people consider—and uncovered what could be an important human attribute, with significant implications for public policy.
Gadfly Bites 4/26/21 – “Everybody's got to feel a little pain.”
Jeff MurrayI am honestly not sure how any school district is in financial hardship at the moment, given the Covid-relief largesse sluicing in, but it appears that Mansfield City Schools is in such a state and its elected board duly finalized a cost-saving plan last week intended to get the district out of that
Ohio Charter News Weekly – 4.23.21
Chad L. Aldis, Jeff MurrayCharter facilities in Ohio
Gadfly Bites 4/24/21 – Where the suburbs met utopia
Jeff MurrayWith apologies to Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, today’s clips all hail from Suburbia.
School attendance boundaries: A thing of the past?
Historically, children have been assigned to public schools based on their home address. For some students, this works out fine. But for many others, geographic assignment locks them into schools that don’t meet their needs. What can be done to break the link between students’ zip codes and their school?
The good, bad, and ugly of the House budget
Aaron ChurchillThe Ohio House recently passed its version of the state budget (HB 110) for FYs 2022–23.
Impact of video presentations on learning outcomes in college courses
Jeff MurrayA new report from the Journal of Chemical Education takes a look—pre-pandemic—at the ways in which college students benefited from a new opportunity to participate remotely in their education.
Gadfly Bites 4/21/21 – Winnowing
Jeff MurrayFordham’s Chad Aldis provided opponent testimony on HB 200 in committee yesterday.
Testimony presented before the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee on HB 200
Chad L. AldisNOTE: Today, the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee heard testimony on HB 200, one of seve
A fairness gap in Ohio and how it might be closed
Sam Duell, Matthew JosephNOTE: 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.
Gadfly Bites 4/19/21 – Summer/Fall
Jeff MurrayHere is a look at more “summer school” pandemic remediation plans in school districts across central Ohio.