- In case you missed it: Governor Kasich said this about Common Core over the weekend: “It's local schools with local school boards and high standards. I don't know how anybody can disagree with that…” On national television. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
- In honor of National School Choice Week, one Lima News editor opined strongly against the entrenched status quo of what he calls “government schools”. Not sure how one reconciles that attitude with a support for open enrollment or even charter schools, but it’s a fascinating read nonetheless. (Lima News)
- Speaking of “government schools”, the local chapter of the NAACP wants Youngstown’s district superintendent out, expressing no confidence in his ability to improve education in the district. Let’s remember that “the government” (i.e. – the Ohio Department of Education) has placed the district under the aegis of an Academic Distress Commission, a review of procedures found the school board micromanaging the district to a damaging degree, and the newspaper’s editorial board literally begged the governor to take over the district entirely. No wonder everyone’s open enrolling in Austintown. (Youngstown Vindicator)
- In other academic distress commission news, there appears to have been a Q&A between Lorain’s commissioners and district officials yesterday. The article reads like stream of consciousness reporting and is hard to garner much detail from. It is instructive as to what’s going on in schools and classrooms in the district, but probably not in the way that anyone involves thinks it is. Even when it starts to sound like there are supports in place for at-risk students (by which I mean “at risk” of anything – not turning in homework, not showing up on time, not reading on grade level, etc.), members of the commission appear to dismiss or undercut even some strong efforts of the district with regard to these supports. Someone should take a look at these distress commissions and see how/if they’re really helping student achievement, especially since Fordham’s hometown of Dayton might be next in line for one. (Northern Ohio Morning Journal)
- Retire/rehire or “double-dipping” is a prevalent state of affairs in “government schools” here in Ohio. We reported a while back that Middletown’s teacher union wasn’t too pleased with the impending retire/rehire of their district’s superintendent. Well, the board voted unanimously to approve the action this week despite the opposition, although it seems that some concessions were worked into the supe’s new contract, including elimination of bonuses and a streamlined process for termination going forward. (Middletown Journal-News)
- Over in Geauga County, where a two-district merger and a four-district consolidated high school are being actively discussed, the foundation soliciting funds to build a long-gestating and super-fancy athletic complex in one of the four districts seems to be moving full speed ahead with its plans, despite the fact that a consolidated high school would likely want something entirely different than what is being planned, or may not care at all about such a thing seeing as they are planning to locate on a college campus that already has “an artificial turf field, rubberized track…, upgrades to lighting, grandstands, concessions and rest rooms”. I’d end this with “keep your eye on the ball, folks” if the irony wouldn’t be too much. (Willoughby News Herald)
- A Straight-A Innovation Fund project in Ross Local Schools has resulted in every student in grades 5 through 12 getting a Chromebook, starting this week. There are obviously some cautions here around kids with a need for more hands-on learning to make things stick and the number of families who don’t have wifi at home. But my own experience says that teachers and schools willing to put in the extra work required to help kids be efficient, proficient, and effective in more computer-based coursework will reap the desired rewards. Oh, and get those kids shock-proof cases! The ones that cover the hinges. I’m serious. (Middletown Journal-News)
