The time to close charter funding gaps is now
Fordham Institute president Mike Petrilli published an article on The 74 this week in which he lauds Ohio (along with Indiana, Missouri, and others) for recent efforts to boost charter school funding closer to parity with traditional districts. He uses Columbus’s United Schools Network as one example of how the historic underfunding of charters unfairly impacted the neediest students and argues that a confluence of circumstances allowed this window of opportunity to open. However, Petrilli fears that a slowing economy and the looming end of Covid-relief funding will cause that window to close soon. Charter advocates who want to emulate Ohio and meaningfully close charter funding gaps in their states will need to act fast.
Nina Rees looks to the future
Also discussing the near future outlook for charter schools is National Alliance of Public Charter Schools CEO Nina Rees. She lays out a range of opportunities and pitfalls as she sees them in this EdWeek interview, many of them in response to state and national actions in the charter school space (think, expanded funding in states and the potential for the religious charter school issue to reach the U.S. Supreme Court). For her part, the top item on her mind is “to make all public schools like charter schools in terms of the autonomy that teachers and principals get in exchange for achievements and that all schools ultimately become schools of choice.” Interesting stuff.
Budget changes impact dropout recovery schools
Gongwer Ohio has provided a first look at the changes approved in the state budget which impact Ohio’s dropout recovery charter schools. These include access to additional funding for provision of career and technical education, expansion of the end-of-course testing windows, and creation of a statewide Dropout Prevention and Recovery Advisory Council. “The purpose of the council is really to improve communication and collaboration between the department and dropout prevention and recovery school stakeholders,” said an ODE spokesperson.
The science of reading spreads
Ohio is not the only state to enshrine the science of reading into law recently. Indiana House Bill 1558 was signed by Governor Eric Holcomb in early May. Like Ohio’s law, Indiana’s also outlaws discredited reading curricula such as three-cueing and provides vital support for young people studying to become teachers in colleges across the state to learn and learn to apply what works. “This is not a new phenomenon, getting seventh and eighth graders who are struggling readers,” Eddie Rangel, Executive Director of Adelante Charter Schools in Indianapolis, told Indiana Public Media. But he says he’s “really happy to see that the state is taking action to say this is not just a school issue. This is a teacher preparation issue. And it’s not just a kindergarten through second grade teacher issue. It is an educator issue.” Here’s hoping that both Hoosier and Buckeye students will benefit from these important changes in policy soon.
Help is available for Ohio’s math learners too
Earlier this week, Governor Mike DeWine announced that all Ohio schools serving students in grades 6 through 8 will be eligible for free access to Zearn Math for the next two years. The online platform provides high-quality instructional materials, including digital math lessons with access to differentiated support when students need it, and is intended to enhance both classroom instruction and home-based acceleration. Onboarding for interested schools begins this fall with access to resources starting in the winter. More information on the Zearn program from ODE is here. And Zearn’s Ohio-specific access page is here, including information on upcoming introductory webinars for educators.
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