This week's Ohio Education Gadfly takes on the issue of charter school quality in Ohio. With 40 new charters opening this year (twice that of previous years) and eight of them ?drop back in? or high school dropout programs with an authorizer whose track record is questionable, we wonder what Ohio is thinking and why it's not using more discretion and a more rigorous screening process for new schools.
We also explore district consolidation. Earlier this year a report by the Brookings Institution and the Greater Ohio Policy Center called on the Buckeye State to eliminate a third of its 614 districts, and a recent Michigan State University study estimated that district mergers could save that state $612 million. A handful of Ohio districts have already combined administrative positions to realize cost savings, but this week we look at a proposal to merge two very small districts in northwestern Ohio, with folks weighing in on both sides.
Fordham recently conducted its annual analysis of Ohio's achievement results, and we bring you a list of 16 schools in Ohio's Big 8 cities (the largest urban districts) that are both high-achieving and whose students have made academic progress. While achievement overall in Ohio's urban centers is stagnant, these 16 schools are worth celebrating. We also take a look at Ohio's stagnant e-school performance and wonder why the state still keeps a moratorium on new virtual providers, when innovation is precisely what we need.
Next, read our critique of Youngstown's academic transformation plan.? As the lowest performing district in the state ? for example, 12 times as many students attend a school rated D or F, as one that's A or B ? the district needs to implement dramatic, bold reforms. Instead, the plan does little more than dump more cash into hiring new teachers, reducing class sizes, and preserving the status quo.
Also read why the charter movement in Ohio is like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, and how Fordham maintains its objectivity and commitment to charter quality ? even as one of our own is being threatened for closure. For reviews, check out the latest evaluation of the Teacher Incentive Fund, and a field guide by the Policy Innovators in Education Network on how to create a state level education advocacy organization.
To read about the high regard for?tattooed professors (and more random happenings), be sure to check out this edition's Editor's Extras.
Finally, don't miss signing up for Fordham's upcoming event, Stretching the School Dollar (and check out the book that just came out under the same title), and learn how to access our most updated charter school sponsorship applications.