- The folks at Gongwer covered CREDO’s latest report looking at the quality (or lack thereof) in charter schools in Ohio. Probably took them a week to get to it as they were exhausted after the marathon of lame duck legislating last week. Chad is quoted. (Gongwer Ohio)
- The Ohio Department of Education submitted their budget request for the next biennium last week. Among other things, they have requested funding for another round of Straight-A Grants. Says the state superintendent: "The early successes and outcomes of this grant program require that we continue these efforts… Encouraging schools to pursue sustainable, innovative, local ideas will help transform and modernize Ohio's education system." Nice. (Gongwer Ohio)
- It has been said that the real success of Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee will become apparent if and when last year’s “all-hands-on-deck” efforts to help students read on grade level is repeated as a matter of course in multiple years. Columbus City Schools appears to be confident they can do this, and they have even expanded their reading academy outreach to include math as well. Here’s hoping for excellent success in both areas for those families. (Columbus Dispatch)
- One newly-elected state school board member met with her constituents last week….many of whom didn’t know she existed until then. Sigh. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
- We told you some months ago about Toledo City Schools’ effort to oust a teacher using, for what most folks believe is the first time, student test data as one piece of evidence for termination. At the time, the teacher was determined to fight the termination efforts. Last week, she apparently gave up that fight and resigned. (Toledo Blade)
- We end with a must-read piece on what Ohio calls non-public, non-tax-supported schools. That is, private schools with even less connection with state education mechanisms than what we traditionally think of as a private school and less even than traditional parent-led homeschooling. There are hundreds of them in Ohio and that number appears to be growing. This story looks at a number of such schools in Stark County and is absolutely fascinating. (Canton Repository)
