- This could get messy. Field Local Schools has voted to non-renew the charter school they have sponsored for the last five years. And kick them out of their building for good measure. Depending on how you look at it, the reason is that the predicted financial help to the district failed to materialize (shades of Upper Arlington, Gahanna, and others) or that Falcon Academy for the Arts simply became too successful a competitor. A quick look at the stats says that Falcon is at least as good overall as the district schools and, as the article points out, better in some cases. The kids, teachers, and board prez sure seem to think so. Story developing, as they say. (Akron Beacon Journal)
- Sticking with the Beacon Journal for a moment, the editorial staff opined today on the state superintendent’s report on standardized testing in Ohio. I don’t like to opine myself upon other folks’ opining, but I will just say “be careful what you opine for”. (Akron Beacon Journal)
- While it is not unprecedented for a charter school in Ohio to have all union teachers (see Falcon Academy, above), it is pretty groundbreaking for a charter school that started out non-union to unionize. But efforts have been underway in Cleveland to do just that. Well, I say “efforts”, but what started out as fairly straightforward organizing devolved into legal wrangling. But the legal wrangling appears to be on hold for now as negotiations between union and schools takes place. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
- Remember that Cleveland’s charter school landscape is a bit more complex than other places in Ohio thanks to The Cleveland Plan, in which a number of charters (including one of those in the union tussle, above) partner with the district and receive a small share of local funds. What does the district think of the attempt to unionize their partner charter school? "CMSD remains agnostic to form, whether children attend traditional public schools or charter schools and whether the staff of those schools are unionized or not," says a district spokesperson. Well said. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
- In case you didn’t know, it’s National School Choice Week next week, and there’s a big rally event in Columbus on Monday, January 26. Fordham is a partner in the event and some media notice is being taken. Be there if you can! (Columbus Business First)
RESEARCH BITES 1/21/15: Education landscape beyond the “Big Eight” – pt. 1
In recent years, Fordham has written reports on the performance of Ohio’s “Big Eight” urban areas (see here and here for the most recent). But scattered throughout the state are a dozen or more smaller cities (populations of roughly 30,000 to 60,000). Over the next few weeks, Research Bites will profile the education data in seven of these cities. What are the enrollment patterns? What does student achievement look like? What is the quality of the schools?
First up: Newark, population 45,573, located about an hour east of Columbus in Licking County. Student enrollment in the city’s school district has declined in recent years, from 7,078 students in 2001 to 6,309 in 2014. The city has a small school choice environment: 21 students enrolled in a private school on a voucher (Jon Peterson and Autism; no students were EdChoice eligible); 666 students attended a charter; and 273 students attended another district via open enrollment. In terms of academics, student achievement—as indicated by reading proficiency—is mostly at or above the state average. School quality (indicated by value-added ratings) is mixed: six schools received an A, three schools a C, and two schools an F. The four-year graduation rate for the district (not displayed) is below the state average (76 percent versus 82 percent statewide). Overall, Newark has a few solid public schools (B’s and A’s on PI and VA) but there are some trouble spots in the city’s school system, including a few struggling schools and a below-average graduation rate.
Newark Public Schools – District and Charter, 2013-14
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* Table does not include 267 charter students attending statewide e-schools (ECOT, Ohio Virtual Academy, and Virtual Community School of Ohio). Newark Digital Academy is a dropout-recovery charter school and does not receive conventional school ratings. Both charter schools displayed on the table (shaded in orange) are authorized by the district.
