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Education News for 03-06-2013

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State Education News

  • Ohio school superintendent finalists have questions in past (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Richard A. Ross, Gov. John Kasich’s education adviser and former superintendent of Reynoldsburg City Schools, pleaded guilty to a operating a vehicle while intoxicated, reckless operation, speeding, and driving without a seatbelt after being pulled over in Powell, Ohio...Read more...

  • State no longer flags school-worker probes (Columbus Dispatch)

    • We used to be able to tell you whether the state was investigating local educators for misconduct. Those days, apparently, are over…Read more...

  • Officials concerned about looming cuts (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

    • Schools could see a loss in shared service programs and staff positions if proposed funding cuts are implemented, according to area officials…Read more...

  • Panel warns Yo. BOE: Keep Hathorn or we’ll take over (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • Youngstown schools Superintendent Connie Hathorn is staying put in the district, and the board of education has been warned to keep it that way, or lose control of the schools altogether…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Jobs, busing may feel ax as Columbus schools face $25 million shortfall (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Eliminating more than 300 jobs, shortening the school day, dropping middle-school sports and ending all high-school transportation — including for charter and private schools…Read more...

  • Fairfield schools to increase security (Hamilton Journal-News)

    • Fairfield City Schools plans to increase security following a review of its buildings in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting…Read more...

  • Group of Strongsville High School students say they 'will not be silenced' from talking about (Sun Newspapers)

    • About 20 students at Strongsville High School held a silent rally outside the Board of Education office March 5…Read more...

  • All sides in Strongsville teachers strike say they want deal, but no talks are scheduled (Sun Newspapers)

    • It's official - all sides involved in the ongoing Strongsville teachers strike have said they are ready to continue negotiating…Read more...

  • Austintown teachers break off without a vote on a new contract (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • Austintown teachers met Tuesday but broke off without a vote on a new contract with the school board…Read more...

Survey finds parent-teacher relationships strong--Teachers given grade of "A"

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Parenting magazine and the National Education Association today announced the results of a groundbreaking joint survey* of 1,000 public school parents and educators that explored the roadblocks to effective parent-teacher communication. When parents were asked to “grade” their relationship with their child’s teachers, nearly half (45 percent) gave the teachers an “A,” with the majority on both sides categorizing the relationship as “great” and “open.”

Despite the strong relationships, the survey revealed that the two sides differ on some key issues. Sixty-eight percent of teachers reported difficulty in dealing with parents. A similar percentage of parents–63 percent–reported they’d never had difficulty with teachers. More than one-quarter of parents stated their biggest challenge has been teachers’ perceived lack of understanding for their concerns, while one in three teachers cited parents’ lack of understanding of their child’s issues as their biggest challenge.

The survey also revealed that:

  • Nearly two out of three parents say their child’s teachers offer a supportive response to concerns when they are expressed, and that teachers are willing to help resolve concerns; nearly 80 percent of teachers consider parents to be supportive.
  • Nearly 88 percent of parents consider their child’s teacher a partner in achieving success in school, but just over half of teachers, 54 percent, feel that parents do their part at home to ensure that kids get the most out of classroom learning.
  • The majority of parents, 8 out of 10, feel their child’s teachers are well equipped with the skills necessary to communicate with them.
  • Although 48 percent of parents feel that their opinion is always taken seriously by their child’s teachers, only 17 percent of teachers feel their opinion is taken seriously just as often by their students’ parents.

More at the link.

The State of Charter Schools

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NPR news's All sides considerdd had a great segment earlier this week "The State of Charter Schools". You can listen to it here, or there

Podcast: Download (Duration: 54:52 — 62.8MB)

The State of Charter Schools

Do your children go to public schools, charter schools, or private schools? Why? On this segment of “All Sides with Ann Fisher,” we’ll be discussing charter schools… Do they work?

Guests:

  • Molly Bloom (Digital Reporter, State Impact Ohio)
  • Ida Lieszkovszky (Broadcast Reporter, State Impact Ohio)
  • Stephen Dyer (Education Policy Fellow at Innovation Ohio)
  • Terry Ryan (Vice-President for Ohio Programs and Policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Foundation)

Two Sides of the School Staffing Coin

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An interesting panel discussion titled Two Sides of the School Staffing Coin: Innovative Models and Class Size Reduction Policies"

Featured presenters:
Matthew Chingos, Fellow, Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution
Julie Kowal, Senior Consultant, Public Impact

Featured panelists:
Michael Hansen, Research Associate, Education Policy Center at the Urban Institute
Donna Harris-Aikens, Director of Education Policy and Practice Department, National Education Association

Moderated by:
Raegen Miller, Associate Director for Education Research, Center for American Progress