Charter student enrollment numbers decline again
Although full data is not yet available, enrollment in Ohio’s charter schools for the 2019-2020 school year is expected to be down by nearly two percent from the previous year. The decline is attributed to a combination of school closures and fewer new schools opening.
Charter opposition
The former board president of Marion Preparatory Academy has apparently become its biggest critic, launching a tirade against the soon-to-open charter school at a recent Marion City Schools board meeting. The usual anti-charter charges were laid at its door. Marion’s superintendent was even handed in his response, and one Marion City teacher went even further to counter the nasty rhetoric: “There's only one reason that school got to be here; it's because of the state of our schools.”
“Chaos”
The definition of “chaos” is somewhat fluid these days, but the uncertainty experienced by parents and students enrolled in Georgia Cyber Academy is real. A rancorous behind-the-scenes “divorce” between the online school’s board and operator K12, Inc. spilled out into the real world with predictable consequences.
A culture of coaching
The executive vice president and superintendent of schools at ACCEL Schools in Ohio argues that the culture of charter schools, very different from that of districts, creates unique challenges for teachers and administrators. That same culture, however, can allow for creative solutions as he explains in this new blog post.
A generous gift
Teachers in two Dayton charter schools were happily surprised when all of their crowdfunding requests on Donors Choose were fully funded by none other than Lady Gaga! She was giving back to both Dayton and El Paso following the devastating tragedies in those cities.