- Our own Chad Aldis had a commentary piece published in the PD this morning, urging the General Assembly to stay the course on charter law reform. You’re so close, gang! And a tiny rap on the knuckles to the PD editorial board – on behalf of our awesome Dayton team – for use of the term “manage” in reference to their sponsorship work. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 6/17/15)
- The editorial board of the Dispatch have no trouble with the term “sponsor”, as evidenced by today’s opinion piece lauding Ohio’s newish sponsor rating process. Fordham is namechecked here as one of the sponsors rated “exemplary”. Dispatch defends exemplary sponsors. Link (Columbus Dispatch, 6/17/15)
- Well, strike me pink! The folks at the Think Twice project of the National Education Policy Center looked at Fordham Ohio’s recent “blockbuster” report on school closures and student achievement…and chose not to destroy it. In fact, even the caveats they put forward are ones discussed during our panel event upon release. All worthy of further research, as the Think Twice gang say. I can’t even words right now. (PR Web, 6/16/15) via Seattle PI and other outlets
- Speaking of Fordham’s reports (and yes, I’m tired of talking about Fordham now too; sorry, Mike and Chad), the lead author of our latest Ohio report – Paolo DeMaria of Education First – was on the radio in Washington State yesterday talking about education deregulation. Nice! (Freedom Foundation radio network, 6/16/15)
- In other news: Quaglia. Nope, not the Italian soccer coaching legend. But an ongoing program in Youngstown City Schools that aims to boost student achievement through improved school climate. The first two years of the program – at about $200K per year – were paid for by federal and state funds. The third year, as voted by the Y’town Board of Education, is to be paid fully by the district. Some board members disputed the program’s effectiveness at the bottom line: student achievement. Year 3 looks to be a weaning-off process, whereby district teachers will become masters of the art, owning the program and instructing new teachers and students, while the Maine-based non-profit will eventually become advisers only. (Youngstown Vindicator, 6/16/15)
- Here’s a follow up on last week’s story about the Ohio Department of Education’s letter of intent to close four charter schools they sponsor for, among other things, poor academic performance. Two of those schools are suing to avoid shut down, alleging, among other things, that the five-day turnaround for a corrective action plan was insufficient. ODE has been here before, and I imagine the outcome will be the same. Don’t know what I’m talking about? It rhymes with “BLT”. And now: lunch. (Akron Beacon Journal, 6/16/15)
