Welcome to a special Fordham-in-the-news edition of Late Bell. On the heels of the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO)’s study on charter school performance in Ohio, as well as Bellwether Education Partners' examination of potential changes to Ohio charter law, we’ve assembled some of the relevant local and national news coverage of both publications for your perusal. Enjoy!
THIS MUST BE WHY CHECKER WEARS SPURS AROUND THE OFFICE
Speaking before an audience in Cleveland, CREDO’s director, Macke Raymond, depicted Ohio’s situation as “grim,” though she conceded that the city’s charter schools “are creating a positive result.” In the Plain Dealer’s synopsis of the talk, they recalled a NACSA characterization of the state as “the Wild, Wild West” of charter sectors.
FALL OF BYZANTIUM
The Daily Caller quotes Ohio State Auditor David Yost in its review of official reactions to both reports. In a statement, Yost described the state’s charter regulations as “byzantine” (great SAT word, everyone), asserting that they have given rise to “lax oversight by boards, conflicts of interest, improper spending and even criminal conduct by some rogue schools and operators.”
THE GOOD KIND OF AUDIT
Yost went on to laud the recommendations set forth in the Bellwether study, raising the hope that some could be enacted in the future under recently re-elected Governor John Kasich: “This report does a good job of pointing out where Ohio’s governance of community schools doesn’t work. We can do a lot of good for our kids by seriously considering many of these ideas and best practices. I hope they will be among the General Assembly’s priorities in its next session.”
IF NOT NOW, WHEN?
Fordham’s own irresistible Aaron Churchill was interviewed for a segment on local WKSU radio, calling for changes in statute to prohibit some of the bad practices (such as charter authorizers lining their own pockets by selling services to their own schools) that have plagued Ohio’s charter sector. “If all the actors in the charter-school system can get on the same page and actually understand what they are tasked to do and how they’re held accountable, I think that would be a huge step forward for the charter-school sector,” he said.
THE GLASS-HALF-FULL VERSION
Both reports have also grabbed the attention of members of Ohio’s legislature. State Senator Peggy Lehner, the chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee and occasional charter foil, said that “[the Fordham report] was also very encouraging to me, because it showed that when you have the right policies in place and the charter school sector is functioning well, from a policy perspective, that they can do outstanding work,” according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
ACCOUNTABILITY IN ACTION
Finally, the Gadfly’s call for reforms seems to have made it all the way up to the governor’s desk. In a speech before the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Governor Kasich urged action to fix the state’s broken system: “We are going to fix the lack of regulation on charter schools. There is no excuse for people coming in here and taking advantage of anything. So we will be putting some tough rules into our budget.”
Where does this leave the Buckeye charter school sector? With a lot of work to do in 2015.
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