Gadfly Bites 10/4/19 – “This sends a message we may not want to send”

1. Fordham’s Chad Aldis—my boss, a stand-up guy, my direct supervisor, super smart, and did I mention he’s in charge around here?—has been having a recent run of very bad luck when it comes to being quoted in Ohio newspapers. Not because he’s not on the ball or not saying really smart stuff. But because he has been quoted talking sense in the midst of a couple of the loopiest stories we’ve seen in a good while. Case in point, a proposal by one mayoral candidate in Lorain to turn the entire district into charter schools as a way to “defeat” the Academic Distress Commission. Is it…like “peek-a-boo” or something? (The Morning Journal, 10/2/19)
2. In far, far better Fordham-related news, how beautiful is this kid? Take a look at Dayton through the eyes of an amazing 12-year-old who attends Fordham-sponsored Dayton Leadership Academies. You’ll be reminded immediately why we do the work we do. Awesome stuff, and don’t miss the pictures! (One Day Magazine, 10/1/19)

3. 150 families in Toledo City Schools will be receiving home computers and internet access via WiFi hotspot for free as part of a wide-ranging partnership reaching from the local to the federal level. If you haven’t thought about what it means to be without home internet in 2019, check this out. Given that, I’m a bit surprised to read that the cost of WiFi is only covered for three months in the deal. Seems a bit stingy if you ask me…which no one has, but it’s my newsletter so deal with it. (Toledo Blade, 10/3/19)
4. Speaking of things that nobody asked me about: I predict some good things happening for Youngstown City Schools’ families from here on out. The new(ish) CEO has set out a busy schedule for meeting with constituents including parents and community members every week. That depends, though, on whether said CEO keeps his job while others lose theirs instead. You know what I mean. (Vindy.com, 10/4/19)

5. It wouldn’t be an early fall edition of Gadfly Bites if we didn’t include a piece about school report cards. So here it is: “While Yellow Springs Schools administrators have long found fault in the usefulness of the state’s yearly testing system, new Superintendent Terri Holden believes the district has something to learn from the results.” Given the blather that follows this semi-promising intro, you would be forgiven for thinking that supe isn’t really going to learn anything useful from her district’s drop to an overall C this year. Luckily, a Yellow Springs resident—who also works in the physics department of nearby Wright State University—is on hand to help. “At Wright State, we have 85% of incoming students needing remedial math and 15% needing remedial English, and these lacks are determined by standardized testing,” he wrote in an email to the paper. “The [latest] results seem to suggest something seriously wrong in YS.” See? It’s not rocket science. (Yellow Springs News, 10/2/19)

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