The Kasich Administration and GOP-controlled Ohio General Assembly has been all about “education reform” over the last 5 years, with an alleged focus on improving student achievement — especially decreasing the dropout rate. Recent legislation has focused on getting Ohio’s students to graduate from high school with not only a high school diploma, but for those not interested in college, some sort of industry credential.

The Third Grade Reading Guarantee, for example, has been continually touted as a step toward decreasing Ohio’s dropout rate (we strongly disagree with this assertion) and the legislature has held firm on this law even while passing House Bill 7 that protects all other students (at least for the 14-15 school year) from experiencing negative ramifications from all other state standardized tests.

Additionally, Governor Kasich in his recent State of the State speech touted the need for charter schools in the state, saying:

“But I also want to say to you that just because a charter school is not producing great results in grades, it doesn’t mean they’re failing. Some of these charter schools have kids that if they weren’t in that charter school, they’d be out on the streets.”

Hmm.

Charter schools as a means of keeping kids in school? Fascinating.

(Read more at Plunderbund)