Statewide Education News

Ohio’s future may require workers to go back to school (Journal-News)

Thousands of job openings are expected in southwest Ohio in the next five years in the fields of computer science, insurance and finance and accounting, and the labor needs will exceed the number of new college graduates with relevant degrees, according to a new study. Young people had an abysmal employment rate last year, and many are struggling to compete for jobs with older, out-of-work residents with more experience and education. Read More…

State school board districts new (Dispatch)

Gov. John Kasich’s administration has redrawn boundaries for the State Board of Education, lumping two central Ohio Democrats in the same district, a move that could increase the governor’s control of the panel. But a spokesman for the Republican governor rejected suggestions that the move was for political gain on the body, which establishes education policy for Ohio and picks the state superintendent. “This happens every 10 years,” said Rob Nichols, Kasich’s spokesman, referring to the recent redrawing of Ohio’s legislative districts. Read More…

Most children aren't ready for kindergarten (Newark Advocate)

Today's kindergartners are expected to know what first-grade students 20 years ago knew. They need to write their name, know the alphabet, count to 10 and more. But half of students -- if not more -- enter kindergarten unprepared. School districts are searching for ways to help parents prepare their children for kindergarten. Students in Ashley Grieb and Stacey Cook's kindergarten classes chose their favorite birds Friday afternoon, moving them up an interactive white board. Read More…

Bullying law brings rule changes (Journal-News)

A new state law gives school districts the authority to suspend students who send a text or post something on the Internet that is deemed to be harassing, intimidating or bullying to another student. The Jessica Logan Act, H.B. 116, was signed into law in January and schools must update their anti-bullying policies by November to reflect the changes. The changes include new language addressing so-called cyber-bullying, in which harassment or intimidation is achieved using a cellphone, home computer or other electronic device. Read More…

Ohio could get STEM schools on agriculture (Dispatch)

While Gov. John Kasich stressed in his State of the State speech last week the need to match work-force training to Ohio’s available jobs, three Republican senators are already working on a plan to get students, particularly from urban and suburban areas, motivated to join the state’s largest industry. They stress that the $107 billion-a-year industry is all-but-guaranteed to continue growing, with expanded job opportunities in high-tech fields that will require hands-on training along with a strong education in science, math and technology. Read More…

Education strong determinant with work success (Journal-News)

Most labor experts agree that education is the strongest determinant for success in the modern-day workplace, and new government job forecasts indicate more education is better for job seekers. Regardless of industry, the fastest growth is projected for occupations that require at least a master’s degree. Those professions will grow by 22 percent through 2020, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs requiring doctoral degrees will see the second-fastest rise, growing by about 19 percent over the next decade. Read More…

Local Issues

School pays kids to come to class (Enquirer)

WALNUT HILLS — Dohn Community High School senior Arneqka Lester, 16, is especially excited about coming to school this week. That’s because Friday is payday. This charter school of 170 students embarks on a new experiment this week – it’s paying students to come to class. Kids will get Visa gift cards – $25 for seniors, $10 for underclassmen – for showing up five days a week, being on time, not getting into trouble and being “productive,” said Principal Ramone Davenport. Productive means that they are working in class, it has nothing to do with grades or test scores. Read More…

Warnings a fallback if schools can’t fire (Dispatch)

Ten Columbus school-district employees are working under contracts that offer them a last chance to improve or be fired. Half signed the district’s “last-chance agreement” after they were accused of neglecting or abusing students. One high-school teacher was accused of sending a text message asking a student for pictures of his penis, according to district documents. An elementary-school teacher with a history of angry outbursts in class was accused of choking a student as he dragged him to the office to be disciplined. Read More…

Editorial

Anti-bullying efforts start at home (Eagle-Gazette)

Bullying can take thousands of forms, and our local schools have their hands full trying to stop it. Although there's no way to completely eliminate it -- after all, kids always have been this way -- there are ways to diminish its effects. It starts with awareness, not only among school officials and parents, but among bullies themselves. If they know people are watching and that there are consequences for their actions, these kids will think twice about harassing other students. Read More…

From the legislature, a school-year idea worthy of detention (Plain Dealer)

No matter how the sponsors may try to tweak it -- and they are doing so now -- Ohio House Bill 191 is a bad bill proposed for bad reasons that have little to do with educating the state's youngsters. The bill, co-sponsored by Democratic Rep. Bill Patmon of Cleveland and Republican Rep. Bill Hayes of Licking County in central Ohio, aims to extend summer to help tourism and recreational businesses by making it possible for school to begin after Labor Day. Read More…

‘922’ the movie lets us root for the underdog (Times Reporter)

We have long known about the 922 telephone prefix, which connects the communities of Uhrichsville and Dennison in the Claymont City School District. And now, after an in-depth news story published in Monday’s Times-Reporter, we know about a documentary that’s been filmed and is in the editing stage that reveals some incredible efforts and results coming from within the local school district. Read More…