Alternatives

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Exploring the range of alternatives to traditional education practices and policy.

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May 17, 2013

Fordham: This Ed Reform Thing Could Blow Up in Our Face

Ohio schools aren’t ready for major changes the state has mandated, according to the results of a survey of superintendents conducted by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. And the rapid pace of school reform may mean Ohio policymakers risk the failure of ambitious efforts to improve schools if the pace doesn’t slow, said Fordham’s Terry [...]

May 15, 2013

EdisonLearning, K12 Inc. Among National Companies Looking To Open New Online Charter Schools In Ohio

At least four school operators plan to apply for one of the new online school spots. All but one of the new schools would be operated by national, for-profit companies that also run online schools in other states.

March 29, 2013

MSNBC: How One School Makes Social Progress Its Mission

MSNBC’s daily talk show Now with Alex Wagner picks up the StateImpact Ohio story about a Columbus charter school that has gained a reputation as being a safe place for gay students.

March 27, 2013

Do All Charter School Students Get Free Bus Rides to School?

Do all charter school students get free rides to school? Not exactly.

March 25, 2013

Ohio Charter School Serves as Safe Place for Gay Students

ACPA students wait backstage at the school's drag show.

At Arts and College Preparatory Academy, about a third of students identify as gay. The school has gained a reputation as a place welcoming to gay students, and to other students who don’t quite fit in.

March 22, 2013

Most Ohio Charter Schools Would Get F’s Under New School Report Card System

New state report cards are coming to Ohio schools. The new report cards move from a system of ratings such as “Excellent with Distinction” and “Academic Emergency” to an A-F grading system. It’s going to be harder for schools to get top grades under the new system. The Ohio Department of Education estimates that about [...]

March 14, 2013

Ohio Department of Education Investigating Out-Of-State Diploma Deals

Deval Patrick / Flickr For years some charter schools have funneled students who are unable to pass the Ohio Graduation Tests onto another track, one that allows them to earn a diploma from a private correspondence school based in Illinois. Earlier this year, the state auditor found out that one central Ohio charter-school was engaging [...]

March 11, 2013

Ohio Charter Schools Let Students Who Fail Graduation Tests Earn Out-Of-State Diplomas

Adam Schwegler / Flickr Can’t pass the Ohio Graduation Tests? No problem, some charter schools say. You can still graduate. At some Ohio charter schools, if a student can’t pass Ohio’s five graduation exams — in reading, writing, math, science and social studies — the schools enroll them in a series of correspondence courses through an [...]

February 17, 2013

Reuters: Charter Schools Screen Out the Students They Don’t Want

_Bunn_ / Flickr Charter schools use a range of practices to ensure only the “right” kind of students get in, Reuters reports. Those practices can include mandatory family interviews, long application processes and demands for Social Security cards and birth certificates. And they sometimes put charter schools in violation of state and federal law, Reuters reports. In Ohio, federal [...]

February 4, 2013

Kasich Education Plan Would Make Half of Ohio Children Eligible for Private-School Vouchers

Philip Howard / Flickr Nearly half of Ohio students would be eligible for vouchers to attend private schools under a dramatic expansion of the state’s existing voucher programs proposed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich in this year’s budget. Vouchers are publicly funded tuition subsidies for students attending private-school. The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice writes: Gov. Kasich’s proposal will [...]