- Fordham is namechecked in Jeremy Kelley’s look at the latest charter sponsor ratings. Makes sense since our sponsorship office (and two sponsored schools) is located in the Gem City. (Dayton Daily News, 11/20/17)
- It’s been five years since the Cleveland Plan was enacted and a progress report is due to the legislature from the state superintendent. Paolo DeMaria provided his take on Cleveland’s progress last week. Interestingly, the focus as put forth in his cover letter seems to be more on the district than on partnering charter schools. Hopefully the full report goes deeper, because I seem to recall that those charter schools have done rather better on several important success measures than the district itself. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/17/17)
- Speaking of the CLE, Patrick O’Donnell has two pieces on the possible benefits of the Say Yes to Education program which the city is attempting to launch at a cost currently projected at $130 million. Say Yes would provide substantial college scholarships to graduates of district high schools (and maybe charter schools, but that possibility has generally been a mere footnote in the reporting). Both of Patrick’s pieces are attempting to assess the economic benefits of the program to Cleveland by comparing certain economic and demographic stats of cities which have enjoyed partnerships with Say Yes for several years. In Part one, Say Yes cities of Buffalo and Syracuse are compared to non-Say Yes cities Cleveland and Rochester. The only thing that seems really clear is that there were a lot of factors in play in the ups and (mostly) downs of these four cities. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/19/17) In Part two, it seems that whatever economic benefits might accrue to Cleveland from Say Yes (not to individual students, but to the city as a whole) will likely accrue unequally between the already-haves and the generally have-nots. Great. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/19/17)
- You may be shocked to know that there are questions being raised about the process by which ECOT’s most recent attendance audit was conducted. Just like you may be shocked to know that water is wet. (Columbus Dispatch, 11/19/17)
- Finally today, we give you House Bill 170. It would, among other things, allow school districts to replace algebra II with computer science in the current four-credit math sequence needed for students to graduate. It would also require the Ohio Department of Education to develop model curriculum for computer science for all grades K-12 by the end of 2018, including standards for advanced computer science courses in grades 9-12. The intention is to help increase the supply of high tech workers for the future, but if this sort of change isn’t your cup of spaghetti sauce, time’s a-wastin’ for making your voice heard. The bill has already passed the House and a key Senate committee. All that’s left is likely a Senate vote. (Columbus Dispatch, 11/19/17)
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