- Coverage of Fordham’s HB 2 implementation report On the Right Track continued over the last couple of days. Check out journalistic coverage from the Associated Press (AP, via Toledo Blade, 1/18/17), Gongwer (Gongwer Ohio, 1/18/17), and statewide public media (Statehouse News Bureau, 1/18/17). Fordham’s report serves as an additional talking point in this editorial from the D opining on the need to keep up the pressure on poor-performing charter schools. (Columbus Dispatch, 1/19/17)
- The Youngstown branch of the NAACP this week gave its own grade card to district CEO Krish Mohip at the six-month mark of his tenure. You can read the details for yourself but it seems a pretty good showing if you ask me. More telling, I think, are the comments of NAACP officials when asked if they’ll be grading the district school board along the same criteria. (Youngstown Vindicator, 1/19/17) Also telling: Mohip’s response to said report card. (Youngstown Vindicator, 1/19/17)
- The Louisville school board this week started the process to fire 3 of 10 teachers suspended in the aftermath of the recent strike. They are accused of deleting computer files necessary for the running of their classes on the day before they went out on strike. Pretty sure that story had a different headline when I first looked at it. Weird. (Canton Repository, 1/17/17) Repository editors opined on same the following day, calling it “another painful day” for the community. (Canton Repository, 1/18/17) It is worth remembering that there is still no contract signed between board and union, despite the strike ending. Word yesterday was that a new contract could be voted on by the union as early as Monday. There is little indication whether the situation with the “missing 10” would impact that vote. (Canton Repository, 1/19/17)
- Finally, we got our first glimpse at some facets of Ohio’s proposed ESSA plan yesterday. It is only the broad overview at this point, with details to follow in a couple of week. You can read coverage of what we have seen in the PD – which focuses on the testing part of the plan, as far as is known (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 1/19/17) and in the Dispatch, whose coverage is more general. (Columbus Dispatch, 1/20/17)