- A blog post by our own Jessica Poiner is cited in this announcement of the imminent opening of a new online dropout recovery charter school. While I first spotted this notice on Yahoo Finance, it has subsequently popped up in like 100 other outlets. I didn’t think folks were that interested in the topic, but I could be wrong. (Yahoo Finance, 6/18/19)
- While the text of the editorial is the same as from the Columbus Dispatch as clipped here on Monday, editors in Canton took a moment to let the world know that they concur with their CBUS colleagues about the importance of “meaningful, but flexible, graduation requirements” (you know which ones I mean). And speaking of multiple outlets, the Dispatch’s take has been reposted by a number of other news outlets across the state. No editor’s note as in Canton, but we’ll just go ahead and figure they’re on board too. (Canton Repository, 6/18/19)
- What is Rushmore Academy? No, not the one where Max Fischer was the king of extracurriculars. The one in Marion City Schools that was a district program, that became a charter school, that was closed but “reintegrated” into the district, that will now become a full and proper MCS school of some kind. It appears to be a sort of hybrid career tech/dropout recovery model that will include “a mixture of online courses, problem solving-based learning and…a greater emphasis on career readiness.” And who is it for? Those students “who may not meet the minimum requirements for the Tri-Rivers Career Center”. But “enrollment will be open to Marion City students on a referral basis”. The hope is, according to the new-ish superintendent, “to attract students who want to focus on the career piece while taking traditional academic courses at Harding or students who struggle in a traditional classroom environment.” In other words, everyone and no one at the same time. Weird. (Marion Star, 6/17/19)
- House Bill 239 had a hearing this week. That’s the one aiming to reduce testing in Ohio’s schools by getting rid of four existing end-of-course exams. This piece indicates that the bill will face some strong opposition should it reach the state Senate, mainly due to the inclusion of U.S. history and government exams on the chopping block. Mainly. (Gongwer Ohio, 6/17/19)
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