Gadfly Bites 8/11/21—Gone the way of the “venerable” magnet school campouts

1. I have to admit I didn’t realize just how venerable (for lack of a better word) those schools-specific public transit routes for Cincinnati City Schools students were—in use for more than 40 years—which explains to my satisfaction why district officials were so incensed when they learned that those routes were discontinued “suddenly”. While the accuracy of that descriptor still seems to be in question, what’s not in question is that so-called XTRA routes will not be reinstated for this school year—a fact reinforced by the boards of both the district and the transit authority after a big summit meeting yesterday. The two agencies will, however, work together over the next week or so to make tweaks to SORTA’s new plans for students riding regular commuter routes, if any such tweaks are needed. (WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, 8/10/21)
    
2. Meanwhile, in other breaking news, the fellow tapped to replace outgoing state supe Paolo DeMaria in September has himself submitted his resignation from ODE, effective on the same day. Says he’s got a “unique opportunity to lead a small, nonprofit organization located in Stark County that works to connect education, business and the community.” Wonder which one that could be? (Dayton Daily News, 8/10/21)
   
   

3. We should probably talk summer school (or whatever we’re allowed to call it today) while summer is still with (some of) us. The bulk of this piece is about the nonsensical (to this M.C.R.P. degree-holder) notion of a school district needing to exercise eminent domain on a city government to acquire some empty land, but there is a tiny little summer school nugget toward the bottom: Canton City Schools administrators reported to the elected school board this week that their “summer learning program attracted roughly 650 students, including nearly 260 high school students who collectively earned 300 class credits that they needed to graduate.” That’s supposed to be a “yay!” moment, right? Just askin’. (Canton Repository, 8/9/21) Here’s a look at some cool-sounding science projects being provided for kids by Cleveland teachers during weekend community events in a local park. While we hear briefly and tangentially that “[t]he most intense science and math lessons this summer happened at the district’s five-day-a-week summer learning program,” we also hear that, “[t]eaching any science to kids is a big need for Cleveland schools, even before COVID kept students out of classrooms, relegated to online learning for more than a year. Cleveland scores near the bottom of Ohio school districts on state fifth and eighth grade science tests.” Any. Science. So, again, I gotta ask whether I’m supposed to be “yay”ing this or not. (The 74, 8/10/21)
    
4. And speaking of online learning, here’s a national story with a Columbus, Ohio, dateline regarding what are termed long-term changes in the direction of training for future teachers. It includes the understatement of the century: “Nobody's hurt by additional information about teaching online.” That is, the understatement of the 20th century. (AP, Via U.S. News & World Report, 8/10/21)
   
   

5. Speaking of understatements, Lt. Governor Jon Husted this week told a gathering of officials and business folks in Mansfield, “You'd be surprised at the number of students who are neither getting a career credential or not being prepared for college and who are graduating unprepared for life.” He touted many state initiatives specifically around career, technical, job skills education but stressed that quality K-12 education must come first. “That means ensuring children can read by third grade, do simple math by sixth grade,” he said, “and be ready for a career or college education upon graduation.” Nice. (Bucyrus Telegraph Forum, 8/11/21)
    
6. Probably coincidentally, the editorial board of the Morning Journal eloquently echoed the Lt. Governor when opining on new school report cards: “We rate schools for the same reason we rate student performance — to ensure they are meeting performance standards. When schools don’t live up to expectations, we should concentrate more on finding the flaws and improving how we educate, and less about analyzing whether there is a better way to rank the schools. If the rating system is working, successful schools and districts will rise to the top, whether rated with letter grades or numbers of stars. At the end of the day, the evaluation system is far less important than the fact that there is a clear benchmark with fair and measurable standards. No matter what the system, the goal always must be to help our young people gain the knowledge and skills that they will carry into adulthood.” To which your humble clips compiler adds an uncharacteristic “Hear, hear!” (Morning Journal, 8/10/21)

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