- We start today with an oldie-but-goodie: Fordham’s 2017 open enrollment report is namechecked in this piece on the blog of The 74, looking at the various disparities evident on either side of the somewhat artificial borders between school districts. (The 74 Million, 12/16/18)
- OSU professor, education researcher, and Fordham friend Vladimir Kogan posted this op-ed in which he posits at least one way that the elected board of Columbus City Schools could get its act together and do right by at least one segment of its student body. (Columbus Underground, 12/14/18)
- Our developing theme today seems to be about how much the adult-centric education system acts in the best interest of students. Here are two more examples. Lakota Local Schools in Butler County is launching “Lakota Cyber Academy”. No, it’s not an online charter school. In fact, it seems like a fairly standard classroom-based program, with the aim of helping high school students learn about and gain credentials in the hot field of cybersecurity. A local company (desperate for new recruits, it seems) is taking the lead in developing the curriculum, will support the district’s efforts financially, and will provide lots of internships for interested and adept students. No, it’s not E-Corp. Why do you ask? (Middletown Journal-News, 12/14/18) Operating under the mantra of “It’s hard to have a good day at school if you’re not having a good day”, three of central Ohio’s highest academically-performing school districts are focusing on “soft skills” as sometimes more important than academics. The director of social and emotional learning at Hilliard City Schools, perhaps cognizant of the occasional side-eye cast in her direction, makes sure to clarify that learning such skills “isn’t just fluff”. However, I’m not sure her dependence on Ohio’s proposed new strategic plan for education is really the most solid justification she could be resting her assertion upon. (Columbus Dispatch, 12/17/18)
- The Dayton Daily News has another sky-is-likely-falling story about the “impending” deadline for Ohio daycare providers to get with the state program and become accredited via the Step Up to Quality Program. Doom and disaster is proffered here even though the providers have known this was coming since 2012 and they still have 18 more months to complete the requirements. My heavens! How much lead time do they need? Seems like it shouldn’t take much to reach the bottommost level of the program—which is all that is required—but if our attempt at boosting high school graduation requirements is any example, I’d say 35 years might do it. (Dayton Daily News, 12/16/18) Unfortunately, Governor-Elect DeWine says quality preschool is really important and he’s got lots of money to toss in that direction…but only for the providers who reach at least the minimum quality threshold. Wonder if we’ll have to lower that threshold at all between now and 2020? (Dayton Daily News, 12/16/18)
- Finally today—staying on theme—students have apparently been locked out of a shared use gym while adults bicker over money in the village of LaGrange, Ohio. (Elyria Chronicle, 12/15/18)
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