Gadfly Bites 5/13/19 – Equal opportunity whiners

1. Make of this what you will: A 2017 blog written by our own Aaron Churchill is “mistaken” for a research study and its points exaggerated (IMHO) in this commentary opining against outcomes-based funding. By which I mean: anti-testing. (Texas Tribune, 5/13/19) The anti-test whiners are out in full force in the Buckeye State again, too, introducing yet another bill to burn all the tests to the ground in the name of…well, who really knows why? Chad is quoted in here agreeing on some points, but not on others. (Columbus Dispatch, 5/10/19)

2. Fascinating swoops of logic from Youngstown’s Swooper-in-Chief Bertram de Souza in this commentary supporting the district’s Academic Distress Commission. At least, I think he supports it. (Youngstown Vindicator, 5/12/19) The logic used by the Dispatch ed board on the same topic is also a little whiplashy, but I think I get their point in the end. (Columbus Dispatch, 5/13/19)

3. As you have all heard me say over and again: While most of the accountability haters generally focus on one item at a time (tests, report cards, state intervention, etc.), the truth seems to be that they really hate it all and want it all to end right now. The education brain trust which found its way to the Ramada Inn Lima Lima News premises last week added more evidence of this to the growing pile. Not that that evidence makes a whole lot of sense when it includes the following: “If standardized tests are that important, why do we not do it more than one day a year?” (Lima News, 5/11/19)

4. Back in the real world, teacher absenteeism data across Ohio seems kind of bad. Red flu, perhaps? It is also bad here in central Ohio, but I think we already knew that. Didn’t we, Professor? (Columbus Dispatch, 5/11/19) Those numbers are all well and good, but here’s a detailed look at how teacher absenteeism plays out on the ground. The contractor providing substitute teachers for Dayton City Schools is struggling to keep up with a huge boost in overall requests, as well as a wildly swinging amount of requests day to day, as well as the specific do’s and don’ts of the subs themselves. Sounds like a mess. (Dayton Daily News, 5/12/19)

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