March 15 – March 22, 2012

Ohio

How Publicly Funded Private School Scholarships Could Reach a District Near You
StateImpact Ohio
March 22, 2012
This article discusses bills in the Ohio House and Senate that would establish a tax credit scholarship program. The bills have bipartisan support. Rep. Andrew Brenner tells StateImpact Ohio that creating a tax credit scholarship program would put the power back into the hands of parents.   The article notes that similar programs exist in several other states, including Indiana and Pennsylvania.

Cash-strapped school districts see benefits, problems with open enrollment (with video)
The News-Herald
March 17, 2012
This article looks at the open enrollment policy and how it impacts local schools in The News-Herald’s area. The open enrollment option allows students to attend other public schools outside of their assigned school. Funding for students who take advantage of open enrollment follows the students to the school they choose to attend. Local school officials discuss their opinions on the pros and cons of open enrollment.

Ohio has more ‘dropout factories’
Cincinnati Enquirer
March 19, 2012
A new national report titled “Building a Grad Nation” shows that in Ohio, the number of “dropout factory schools” increased by 80 percent between 2001-02 and 2009-10. The “dropout factory school” term is applied to schools that have a graduation rate of 60 percent or less. In total, the report says 35 states have seen an increase in the number of these schools. Civic Enterprises, Everyone Graduates Center, America’s Promise Alliance and the Alliance for Excellent Education compiled the report.

Teacher evaluations now hinge on student progress
Dayton Daily News
March 16, 2012
The Dayton Daily News reports that teacher evaluations in Ohio will now include student performance as 50 percent of the evaluation. The remaining 50 percent will be based on the teacher’s growth. This change will help prepare both teachers and students for new standards that will begin in 2014-15. This article also includes a bulleted list of key elements of the Ohio teacher evaluation law.

Schools to impose tougher standards
The Columbus Dispatch
March 18, 2012
The state of Ohio is working to strengthen standards in schools to better prepare graduating students for college. Superintendent Stan Heffner tells the Dispatch that currently, students are asked to meet minimum standards, which sets the bar low. Instead, he says students should “have a diploma worth owning.” The overhaul of the guidelines is expected to be complete three school years from now and will consist of adopting tougher standards, new tests, and revamping state report cards.

Common Core Standards aim to transform Ohio education
Newark Advocate
March 18, 2012
This article discusses the Common Core State Standards, which will be in place by 2014. Based on these standards, students will be expected to explain as opposed to memorize.  Teachers will teach fewer subjects in class but will go into more detail on the subjects that they teach. They will also use other learning material in addition to the textbook.

Cleveland schools plan not necessarily for other districts
The Columbus Dispatch
March 22, 2012
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson joined Democratic and Republican legislators from both chambers for a press conference Wednesday to say they will work together to pass legislation to improve the Cleveland school district. While offering their support, the legislators did acknowledge that there is disagreement on some provisions in the plan. Mayor Jackson tells the Dispatch that he doesn’t know if his plan would work in other school districts.

National

Indiana school voucher case goes to state Supreme Court
Indy Star
March 17, 2012
The Indiana Supreme Court will hear a case that challenging the constitutionality of the state’s new school voucher program. In January, a Marion County judge ruled that the program is constitutional. This article notes that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that school vouchers are constitutional a decade ago.

N.H. Senate signs off on scholarships for private school students
Foster’s Daily Democrat
March 22, 2012
The New Hampshire Senate passed a bill this week by a 15-9 vote that would give businesses a tax credit for donating money for scholarships to help students attend the school of their choice. Rep. Gregory Hill explained that this tax credit program would help families with limited resources to find “the educational opportunity that best suits their child’s needs.” The Senate Finance Committee will now review the legislation.

March 8 – March 15, 2012

Ohio

State switching to new system of grading academic performance
The Columbus Dispatch
March 9, 2012
This article takes a detailed look at the potential impact of a new school evaluation system that the state plans to begin using this year. The Dispatch reports that last year, a total of 382 districts and charter schools received an “excellent” rating. If the state had been using the new method last year, only 22 would have received an A. State Superintendent Stan Heffner explains that because the proposed method is “a far more-rigorous system,” it is expected that in general, school ratings could lower by one or two levels.

The Edu-Rundown on Gov. Kasich’s Midterm Budget Review
StateImpact Ohio
March 14, 2012
Governor Kasich held a press conference Wednesday to discuss his mid-biennium budget, which includes new strategies for Ohio’s education efforts. He discussed his plans to work toward increasing reading rates among elementary students. Gov. Kasich also shared his support for the Cleveland school district’s Transformation Plan and outlined additional education strategies.

Ohio 3rd-graders who can’t read at grade level could be held back under Gov. John Kasich’s plan
The Plain Dealer
March 14, 2012
The Plain Dealer writes about Governor Kasich’s plan to retain third-graders who cannot read at grade level following intensive intervention. The state would begin testing students in kindergarten, and those students who aren’t reading at grade level would receive intervention plans. State Superintendent Heffner explains that it can be frustrating for a child who is not reading at grade level to move on to higher grade levels where reading comprehension is more important.

Kasich hails Cleveland school plan
The Columbus Dispatch
March 13, 2012
Governor Kasich met with the State Board of Education during its monthly meeting to encourage the board to support Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s plan to transform Cleveland’s schools. Mayor Jackson’s plan calls for removing tenure from staffing decisions, accountability for charter schools, and addressing the issue of low-performing schools. Governor Kasich would like to give Cleveland schools the authority to move forward with a test program.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson unveils draft legislation to support schools plan
The Plain Dealer
March 13, 2012
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is working to identify a legislative sponsor within the next week to 10 days for the proposed legislative package to support his Cleveland Transformation Plan for schools. The Plain Dealer reports that Mayor Jackson’s goal is to have the necessary changes in state law in place by May and a tax increase this fall. Cleveland is the state’s only district under mayoral control.

Enquirer In-Depth: Region mobilizes to ensure 3rd-graders read well
Cincinnati Enquirer
March 12, 2012
Organizations in the Cincinnati-area are working together on the Campaign for Early Grade-Level Reading. By 2020, their goal is to have 100 percent of students in the region reading successfully by the completion of third grade. The Enquirer reports that studies show that through the end of third grade, students are learning to read, but they are expected to begin reading to learn after third grade.

National

Assembly Passes Special Education Voucher Plan
The Associated Press
March 14, 2012
The Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill that would create a special needs scholarship program by a vote of 55-39. The bill would allow students with special needs to apply for scholarships worth $13,500 that could be used to attend the school of their choice. The bill must still pass the Wisconsin Senate.

Helping special needs students
Journal Sentinel
March 12, 2012
This opinion piece was submitted by five Wisconsin parents who have children with special needs. They give a parent’s perspective on why it is crucial for Wisconsin legislators to support legislation that would create a scholarship program for students with special needs.

February 23 – March 1, 2012

*We at School Choice Ohio extend our deepest condolences to the Chardon community.*

Ohio

Voucher program accepting student applications
Springfield News-Sun
February 24, 2012
In Springfield, students who attend one of the seven eligible city schools are eligible to apply for an EdChoice scholarship. The article explains that those students have until April 13 to apply.  The Springfield News-Sun reports that last year, more than 550 students applied for a school voucher to attend a private school in Clark County.

Cincinnati Public Schools expands choices again
The Cincinnati Enquirer
February 27, 2012
In an effort to better serve its students with special needs, Cincinnati Public Schools is planning to open two new autism units. The district is also considering applications from two charter schools that would like to partner with the district. The Enquirer reports that these developments are part of an ongoing effort to increase the number of choices the district offers with the hope of attracting and retaining more students.

Mom in School Residency Case Speaks About Choice
WJW Fox 8
February 26, 2012
Kelley Williams-Bolar spoke out in support of school choice in Cleveland as part of Trinity Outreach Ministries education initiative. Williams-Bolar received jail time for falsifying records when she enrolled her daughters in the Copley-Fairlawn School District in Akron. At the event, she stressed the need to make open enrollment available in all school districts, and she said that “school choice should be an option for every parent.”

Dramatic proposal
The Columbus Dispatch
February 25, 2012
This editorial from the Dispatch discusses the proposal from Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson that would reform Cleveland schools. The main goal of the plan is to triple the number of Cleveland students who attend top-rated schools and to replace low-performing schools faster. The Dispatch states that “hope for the future rests on the willingness of legislators, unions and parents to break with the past.”

Ohio school districts operate under 2009 rules as they await Kasich’s new funding formula
Toledo Blade (Associated Press)
February 26, 2012
This article states that Ohio has been effectively without a school funding formula since 2009. An Ohio Department of Education official explains that schools are receiving the same amount that they did in 2009, but there is a guarantee that districts will not receive less than they did in the previous year and extra money is available for those that demonstrate excellence. The Associated Press reports that Governor Kasich is working on developing a new formula that will most likely be part of the two-year budget he will reveal in 2013.

Overcoming obstacles: School programs help economically disadvantaged students get ahead
Zanesville Times Recorder
February 26, 2012
In Zanesville City Schools, 64.6 percent of students are economically disadvantaged. On average, 45.1 percent of students are economically disadvantaged statewide. Zanesville’s elementary schools focus on after-school programs that can help students overcome economic barriers to learning. The teachers work to make sure that poverty does not affect their students’ learning.

TPS officials discuss success of transformation plan, announce new developments
Toledo Blade
February 23, 2012
Toledo Public School District officials hosted a news conference to highlight the positive impact of the district’s transformation plan. Since switching to K8 schools, the district witnessed an increase in attendance at parent-teacher conferences and discipline rates decreased. In the future, the district plans to give focuses to their high schools and pilot electronic textbooks. They are also considering a boarding school. Future plans will be discussed during community meetings in the coming weeks. 

National

SC’s latest private school choice plan advances
The Associated Press
March 1, 2012
A bill that would help South Carolina parents send their children to private schools advanced on Wednesday. A panel vote moved the bill to the House Ways and Means committee. The bill would allow scholarships worth up to $10,000 for students with special needs and $5,000 for students who are economically disadvantaged.