Dayton Daily News ran two articles over the weekend illustrating a frustrating dichotomy when it comes to charter school quality in Ohio. The first lifted up the good news that eight of the top ten public schools in Dayton are charters (a fact that Fordham noticed in its annual analysis of Ohio’s achievement results). If Dayton’s high-flying charter schools are Dr. Jekyl, then the second DDN article explored the charter movement’s Mr. Hyde –charters represent not only some of the best but also the worst public schools in that city. The article discussed Ohio’s “death penalty” for poor performers, a law that shuttered five charter schools this year and threatens another 19 next year.
The two articles also illustrate Fordham’s unique role in the Buckeye State – juxtaposing the fact that we are simultaneously advocates of choice but also strict believers in quality. Indeed, we are no ideologues when it comes to choice for choice’s sake. We want good charters to thrive and the bad ones to be closed – even when Ohio’s new closure law (which doesn’t apply to equally low-performing traditional district schools) hits close to home.
Dayton Daily highlights one Fordham-sponsored school in Dayton that is eligible for closure next year, if it remains in Academic Emergency, noting that:
Ironically, the school’s sponsor, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, pushed hard for the language in the law to shut down failing charter schools based on poor performance.”
Fordham’s Terry Ryan is quoted in the article – and in usual fashion minces no words:
Now the language has come around to impact a school we authorize… We think it’s good language and we support it.
After analyzing academic performance in the Buckeye State for seven years, it’s fair to say that even with our own schools there’s no room to wear rose-colored glasses. We’ve come to terms with the fact that while eight of Dayton’s top ten schools in 2009-10 were charters, four of the five shuttered schools (statewide) were also in the Gem City. We’ll continue to celebrate the successes of the charter sector and push hard for policies and reforms to help more of them thrive. But we’ll also stand true to our belief that bad schools be shut.