The Education Gadfly Weekly

Talking charter schools on WOSU's All Sides with Ann Fisher
Fordham VP Terry Ryan appeared on WOSU's All Sides with Ann Fisher to discuss the major policy issues facing the Buckeye State's charter school program. Watch the show here or stream audio here (Terry joins in around the 40-minute mark).

 "Schools that Shine": WCPN's Sound of Ideas
Fordham's Needles in Haystack report was the subject of this Sound of Ideas show on Cleveland's NPR affililate, WCPN. Fordham's Ohio VP Terry Ryan discussed top-performing urban schools in the Needles study, as well as Race to the Top and education reform in Cleveland.

A selection of Fordham quotes in national media, Ohio newspapers, and the blogosphere

National news
School Spending Hot Issue in Ohio Governor's Race, Education Week.
Ohio Schools Opt Out of ‘Race to the Top’, School Reform News
Midwest Group Serves as Magnet for Innovation, Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Results in National School-Reform Contest Spark Complaints, Newsweek.
What LeBron James' decision means for the Midwest, Huffington Post.
Rewriting of States' Standards on Social Studies Stirs Debate, Education Week.
States Strive to Overhaul Teacher Tenure, Education Week.
 
Ohio newspapers
More than half of persistently low-performing public schools remain open after 5 years, study finds, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
Editorial: Good Example, Columbus Dispatch.
Closed charter school returns $423,421 to state, Dayton Daily News
Cleveland schools give all-clear sign, beckon charters Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Smart Schools Initiative, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
Ohio voters turn down tax hikes for schools, while state cuts loom, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Miller South, STEM school rated tops by Fordham Institute, West Side Leader.
Out of control, Akron Beacon Journal.
Ohio Supreme Court ruling could hurt charter schools, Dayton Daily News.
Voucher students' test scores lag, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Schools make more strides forward, Canton Repository.
ODE wants competition for charter school contracts, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
After Class – Commentary, Catalyst Ohio.
Billboard campaign in SW Ohio targets teachers’ contracts, Akron Beacon Journal.
Report challenges charter schools on conflicts, accountability, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Miller-South and NIHF-STEM top urban middle schools in state, Akron Beacon Journal.
Report blasts Ohio charter school law, Catalyst Ohio.
Editorial: Families deserve choice of charters, Dayton Daily News.
News from around the state and the nation, Catalyst Ohio.
Five Ohio charter schools to close, Miami Student.
Low state scores may close more charter schools, Dayton Daily News.
Professor flunked class-size argument, Columbus Dispatch.
Top districts slip in report card rankings, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Ohio gets no love in Race to the Top win, Catalyst Ohio.
Race to the Top Results Expected Tuesday; Delisle Previews Report Card Data, Hannah Report; subscription required.
State’s school grades tardy, Columbus Dispatch.
Fordham Foresees Data in Upcoming State Reports Cards Being More Reliable, Hannah Report; subscription required.
Foundation for change: Ohio has its share of successful charter schools. The challenge now is crafting ways to replicate the achievement, Akron Beacon Journal.
Charter School Study Author Says Ohio System Needs 'Reboot', Hannah Report; subscription required.
Building a new urban education model, Catalyst Ohio.
Education notes: Report shows newly adopted English, math standards superior to Ohio’s old version, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
Ohio, Ky. among finalists for education funds, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Study knocks Ky., Ohio academic standards, Cincinnati Enquirer.
More TFA Debate, Dayton Daily News.
After Class: Which federal pot holds more coin for Ohio? Catalyst Ohio.
Editorial: Fordham finds school reform isn’t so easy, Dayton Daily News.
After Class – Commentary, Catalyst Ohio.
Harris: Commence Bipartisan Budget Panel ASAP; Ire over For-Profit Charter Sponsors Misplaced, Hannah Report; subscription required.
The most important book in the Cleveland school district is being rewritten: The union contract, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Editorial: Effective lessons, Columbus Dispatch.
More on charter schools, Akron Beacon Journal.
Report details power over charter schools, Akron Beacon Journal.
10 Northeast Ohio charter school boards sue White Hat Management firm, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Will Dayton parents accept fewer school choices? Dayton Daily News.
Good Partners: Merger of two strong education centers should improve charter schools, Columbus Dispatch.
Orphanage's oversight of schools blasted, Cincinnati Enquirer.
News from around the state and the nation, Catalyst Ohio.
Fordham, ESCCO plan charter sponsor merge, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
Ohio’s next request for Race to the Top dollars must be collaborative: Sen. Gary Cates, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Report details power over charter schools, Akron Beacon Journal.
Charter-school sponsors plan merger Columbus Dispatch.
Public good and private profit, Catalyst Ohio.
Ohio urges school districts, teacher unions to sign up for Race to the Top money, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Cleveland issues layoff notices to more than 500 teachers, Catalyst Ohio.
Ohio's colleges get better marks, Columbus Dispatch.
Tax credit to fight brain drain stalled at Statehouse, Columbus Business First.
Ohio leads in adopting education standards, Columbus Dispatch.
Real change can get Ohio more Race to the Top cash, Dayton Daily News.
Ohio schools make finals in Race to the Top grant competition, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Editorial: State hasn’t learned how to judge progress, Dayton Daily News.
State splits the difference on teacher evaluations in Race to the Top application, Catalyst Ohio.
Ohio educators await details on proposed changes to No Child Left Behind, Zanesville Times-Recorder.
In education, Strickland happy to rest on laurels, Catalyst Ohio.
Racing to the Top, Toledo Blade.
Disputes cloud teacher contract talks, Cincinnati Enquirer.
More students choosing charters, Columbus Dispatch.

In the blogosphere
…You Know It Ain’t Easy, Eduwonk.
Quick Hits for 11.15.10, The Quick & The Ed (Education Sector).
Fordham Institute: Unraveling Constant School Spending Growth, SaveHilliardSchools.org blog.
Quality must trump quantity when it comes to new charter schools, Charter School Partners blog.
David Harris and the Mind Trust – Article in the Chronical of Philanthropy, Education Policy Student Association blog.
Questionable Companies Pursue Turnaround Dollars, District Dossier (Education Week).
Think Tank: Sponsoring Charters Harder Than It Looks, EdBeat blog.
The return of edujobs, Joanne Jacobs.
Putting Charter Theories to the Test, Eduwonk.
Fiscal impact of raising student-teacher ratios in Ohio, Moscow Education (Idaho) blog.
Elitists aren’t the best teachers, Joanne Jacobs.
Order in the School, Joanne Jacobs.
Education Updates, Ohio State University: Political Landscape.
Standards, Childhood Obesity, Charter Sponsors and More, State of Ohio Education.
Not enough autonomy for charter schools, Examiner.com.
Politics creeping into Race to the Top, The New Schoolhouse.
What can foundations do to support Online Learning – the case of Ohio, Civic Fabric.
Holding Authorizers Accountable, The Charter Blog, (NACSA).

Ohio needs a better way to grade teachers' impact
Op-ed, Terry Ryan, Dayton Daily News
Read it here.

 Schools need to keep the best teachers
Op-ed, Terry Ryan, Columbus Dispatch
Read it here.

 Use Ohio's value-added data to assess teacher effectiveness
Op-ed, Terry Ryan, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Read it here.

 Increasing class sizes could save state money
Op-ed, Emmy L. Partin, Columbus Dispatch
Read it here.

 Cyber-learning lessons from Georgia
Op-ed, Terry Ryan, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Read it here.

 Cleveland schools should take note of the national shift toward smart-teacher personnel policies
Op-ed, Jamie Davies O'Leary & Emmy L. Partin, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Read it here.

 States factor in teachers' performance
Op-ed, Jamie Davies O'Leary, Columbus Dispatch
Read it here.

 3 things Ohio needs to do to win money for schools
Op-ed, Terry Ryan, Dayton Daily News
Read it here.

 Charter schools are part of the system
Op-ed, Terry Ryan, Columbus Dispatch
Read it here.

 Analysis on voucher students is flawed
Letter to the editor, Bianca Speranza, Columbus Dispatch
Read it here.

 Teaching as Leadership
Article, Jamie Davies O'Leary, Education Matters, American Association of Educators’ newsletter
Read it here.

 A Cautionary Tale: School Turnarounds and Charter Leadership
Article, Terry Ryan, from “Hope, Fears, and Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2009,”
Center on Reinventing Public Education
Read it here.

Stretching the School Dollar: Insights for the Buckeye State

District superintendents, treasurers, lawmakers, policymakers, and education reformers gathered September 27 in Columbus to find solutions to tight education budgets at our Stretching the School Dollar event, which was co-hosted by the Ohio Grantmakers Forum and KidsOhio. (Read about the book, Stretching the School Dollar, published by Harvard Education Press, here). Discussing smart cost savings were economist Marguerite Roza, Steven Wilson of the NYC-based charter management organization Ascend Learning, and Fordham’s own Eric Osberg and Terry Ryan.

You can view the panelists’ Power Point presentation online here. And be sure to check out the full video of our event, “Stretching the School Dollar: Insights for the Buckeye State,” online here.

Read what others had to say about it:

Panel warns that education spending has to change, Catalyst Ohio.
Forum on School Budget Challenges Casts Wary Eye on Small Class Sizes, Hannah Report; subscription required.

In November, Terry Ryan also presented on this topic -- "doing more with less" in education-- at Ohio Grantmakers Forum's 2010 annual conference in Cincinnati. View the PowerPoint presentation here.

 2010 NACSA Leadership Conference

Terry Ryan and Kathryn Mullen Upton were among the presenters at the National Association of Charter School Authorizers' annual conference, held in October in Phoenix. Terry joined representatives from Renaissance School Services and Imagine Schools for a lively debate about what authorizers and management organizations wish the other would do.  He and James Merriman of the New York City Charter School Center shared the challenges and unintended consequences of charter laws, policies, and authorizer actions in New York and Ohio. Kathryn co-led a session in which participants made fast-paced, live-action decisions about whether to close (fictitious) failing schools.  Finally, Terry joined colleagues from Ohio and Minnesota to share how they are using grant dollars from NACSA’s Fund for Authorizing Excellence to improve authorizing policies and practices. 

Also related to charter school quality, Terry Ryan led a professional development session jointly with Bill Sims, president of the Ohio Alliance of Public Charter Schools, on the topic of Ohio's automatic charter school closure at a NAPCS event in November. View the PowerPoint presentation here.

 Think Tank + Sponsoring Charter Schools = Harder Than It Looks

Co-authors of Ohio’s Education Reform Challenges Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Terry Ryan participated in three book events in August. The first event, hosted by the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools, took place at Horizon Science Academy High School in Columbus and was attended mostly by folks from the charter school world (and charter advocates generally).

The second was held at the Columbus Metropolitan Club (CMC), where they were joined by Jim Mahoney, executive director of Battelle for Kids, and Brad Mitchell, director of Battelle-OSU STEM Education & Economic Development Engagement to talk about charter schools – and other reform issues ranging from STEM and project-based learning to teacher compensation and Race to the Top – with central Ohio’s business and civic community.  Checker encouraged community leaders to play a more direct role in pushing education reform and removing the “stake” from current education stakeholders’ hands, as a key lesson from the book is that even reformers and innovators become defenders of vested interests over time.

The third took place in Washington, DC, and convened national charter experts. You can see footage of the event here.

Read what others had to say about the events:

Think Tank: Sponsoring Charters Harder Than It Looks, EdBeat (blog).
Ohio Needs To Correct 'Mixed Bag' Of Charter Schools To Guarantee Excellence, Education Stakeholders Say, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
Charter school advocates argue Ohio's system needs reform, Catalyst Ohio.

 Testimony to the Ohio House Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education

In May, Terry Ryan and Kathryn Mullen Upton, Fordham’s director of charter school sponsorship, delivered testimony to the Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Subcommittee on ways to improve Ohio’s charter school program.

	We see it as an inherent conflict of interest when a sponsor also functions as the (paid) purveyor of services to its schools, or blurs the line between operator and sponsor in other ways.

 Testimony to State Board of Education on proposed new authorizing entity

Also in May Terry Ryan and Kathryn Mullen Upton offered testimony to the Ohio State Board of Education announcing Fordham’s plans to merge and consolidate our charter school sponsorship operations with that of the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio and jointly launch a new statewide sponsorship entity. The new statewide authorizer would hold its schools to a high standard of performance, support the development of great new schools, and recruit outstanding models to Ohio. The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) has provided grant support to aid this effort.

Read the press release here.

	Knowing the economic challenges facing public education, and charter schools specifically, it makes great sense for charter school sponsors to try and work together in coming months to develop cost efficiencies and economy of scale.

Talking charter schools on WOSU's All Sides with Ann Fisher
Fordham VP Terry Ryan appeared on WOSU's All Sides with Ann Fisher to discuss the major policy issues facing the Buckeye State's charter school program. Watch the show here or stream audio here (Terry joins in around the 40-minute mark).

 "Schools that Shine": WCPN's Sound of Ideas
Fordham's Needles in Haystack report was the subject of this Sound of Ideas show on Cleveland's NPR affililate, WCPN. Fordham's Ohio VP Terry Ryan discussed top-performing urban schools in the Needles study, as well as Race to the Top and education reform in Cleveland.

A selection of Fordham quotes in national media, Ohio newspapers, and the blogosphere

National news
School Spending Hot Issue in Ohio Governor's Race, Education Week.
Ohio Schools Opt Out of ‘Race to the Top’, School Reform News
Midwest Group Serves as Magnet for Innovation, Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Results in National School-Reform Contest Spark Complaints, Newsweek.
What LeBron James' decision means for the Midwest, Huffington Post.
Rewriting of States' Standards on Social Studies Stirs Debate, Education Week.
States Strive to Overhaul Teacher Tenure, Education Week.
 
Ohio newspapers
More than half of persistently low-performing public schools remain open after 5 years, study finds, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
Editorial: Good Example, Columbus Dispatch.
Closed charter school returns $423,421 to state, Dayton Daily News
Cleveland schools give all-clear sign, beckon charters Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Smart Schools Initiative, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
Ohio voters turn down tax hikes for schools, while state cuts loom, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Miller South, STEM school rated tops by Fordham Institute, West Side Leader.
Out of control, Akron Beacon Journal.
Ohio Supreme Court ruling could hurt charter schools, Dayton Daily News.
Voucher students' test scores lag, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Schools make more strides forward, Canton Repository.
ODE wants competition for charter school contracts, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
After Class – Commentary, Catalyst Ohio.
Billboard campaign in SW Ohio targets teachers’ contracts, Akron Beacon Journal.
Report challenges charter schools on conflicts, accountability, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Miller-South and NIHF-STEM top urban middle schools in state, Akron Beacon Journal.
Report blasts Ohio charter school law, Catalyst Ohio.
Editorial: Families deserve choice of charters, Dayton Daily News.
News from around the state and the nation, Catalyst Ohio.
Five Ohio charter schools to close, Miami Student.
Low state scores may close more charter schools, Dayton Daily News.
Professor flunked class-size argument, Columbus Dispatch.
Top districts slip in report card rankings, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Ohio gets no love in Race to the Top win, Catalyst Ohio.
Race to the Top Results Expected Tuesday; Delisle Previews Report Card Data, Hannah Report; subscription required.
State’s school grades tardy, Columbus Dispatch.
Fordham Foresees Data in Upcoming State Reports Cards Being More Reliable, Hannah Report; subscription required.
Foundation for change: Ohio has its share of successful charter schools. The challenge now is crafting ways to replicate the achievement, Akron Beacon Journal.
Charter School Study Author Says Ohio System Needs 'Reboot', Hannah Report; subscription required.
Building a new urban education model, Catalyst Ohio.
Education notes: Report shows newly adopted English, math standards superior to Ohio’s old version, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
Ohio, Ky. among finalists for education funds, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Study knocks Ky., Ohio academic standards, Cincinnati Enquirer.
More TFA Debate, Dayton Daily News.
After Class: Which federal pot holds more coin for Ohio? Catalyst Ohio.
Editorial: Fordham finds school reform isn’t so easy, Dayton Daily News.
After Class – Commentary, Catalyst Ohio.
Harris: Commence Bipartisan Budget Panel ASAP; Ire over For-Profit Charter Sponsors Misplaced, Hannah Report; subscription required.
The most important book in the Cleveland school district is being rewritten: The union contract, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Editorial: Effective lessons, Columbus Dispatch.
More on charter schools, Akron Beacon Journal.
Report details power over charter schools, Akron Beacon Journal.
10 Northeast Ohio charter school boards sue White Hat Management firm, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Will Dayton parents accept fewer school choices? Dayton Daily News.
Good Partners: Merger of two strong education centers should improve charter schools, Columbus Dispatch.
Orphanage's oversight of schools blasted, Cincinnati Enquirer.
News from around the state and the nation, Catalyst Ohio.
Fordham, ESCCO plan charter sponsor merge, Gongwer News Service; subscription required.
Ohio’s next request for Race to the Top dollars must be collaborative: Sen. Gary Cates, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Report details power over charter schools, Akron Beacon Journal.
Charter-school sponsors plan merger Columbus Dispatch.
Public good and private profit, Catalyst Ohio.
Ohio urges school districts, teacher unions to sign up for Race to the Top money, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Cleveland issues layoff notices to more than 500 teachers, Catalyst Ohio.
Ohio's colleges get better marks, Columbus Dispatch.
Tax credit to fight brain drain stalled at Statehouse, Columbus Business First.
Ohio leads in adopting education standards, Columbus Dispatch.
Real change can get Ohio more Race to the Top cash, Dayton Daily News.
Ohio schools make finals in Race to the Top grant competition, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Editorial: State hasn’t learned how to judge progress, Dayton Daily News.
State splits the difference on teacher evaluations in Race to the Top application, Catalyst Ohio.
Ohio educators await details on proposed changes to No Child Left Behind, Zanesville Times-Recorder.
In education, Strickland happy to rest on laurels, Catalyst Ohio.
Racing to the Top, Toledo Blade.
Disputes cloud teacher contract talks, Cincinnati Enquirer.
More students choosing charters, Columbus Dispatch.

In the blogosphere
…You Know It Ain’t Easy, Eduwonk.
Quick Hits for 11.15.10, The Quick & The Ed (Education Sector).
Fordham Institute: Unraveling Constant School Spending Growth, SaveHilliardSchools.org blog.
Quality must trump quantity when it comes to new charter schools, Charter School Partners blog.
David Harris and the Mind Trust – Article in the Chronical of Philanthropy, Education Policy Student Association blog.
Questionable Companies Pursue Turnaround Dollars, District Dossier (Education Week).
Think Tank: Sponsoring Charters Harder Than It Looks, EdBeat blog.
The return of edujobs, Joanne Jacobs.
Putting Charter Theories to the Test, Eduwonk.
Fiscal impact of raising student-teacher ratios in Ohio, Moscow Education (Idaho) blog.
Elitists aren’t the best teachers, Joanne Jacobs.
Order in the School, Joanne Jacobs.
Education Updates, Ohio State University: Political Landscape.
Standards, Childhood Obesity, Charter Sponsors and More, State of Ohio Education.
Not enough autonomy for charter schools, Examiner.com.
Politics creeping into Race to the Top, The New Schoolhouse.
What can foundations do to support Online Learning – the case of Ohio, Civic Fabric.
Holding Authorizers Accountable, The Charter Blog, (NACSA).