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| Wednesday August 22, 2007 Volume 5, Issue 17 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. OHIO FAIR SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN UPDATE 2. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT RELEASES REPORT CARDS FOR OHIO SCHOOLS 3. REPORT CARD RESULTS FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS 4. VOICES FOR OHIO'S CHILDREN HOLDS COMMUNITY BRIEFINGS 5. THE ONGOING INVESATIGATION OF WHITE HAT CHARTERS 6. JERROD'S LAW: NEW SAFETY RULES FOR SCHOOLS 7. A HANDFUL OF JOBS, THOUSANDS OF APPLICANTS 8. ACT SCORES IMPROVE 9. ONE IN FOUR STUDENTS FAIL TO EARN A DIPLOMA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. OHIO FAIR SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN UPDATE Mark your calendar, our next meeting is on September 8 from 11-2 in Columbus, at the First Congregational Church, 444 E Broad Street in Columbus. The focus of July meeting was on strategic planning for the next several years. If you have ideas you want to share with us about what needs to be done, please let us know. How can we help local people be more involved? What do you need from us to make it easier to get your local leaders on board to fix school funding? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT RELEASES REPORT CARDS FOR OHIO SCHOOLS The Ohio Department of Education released the 2006-07 Local District Report Card Ratings for Ohio School Districts. Rating factors in 2006-07 included 30-Performance Indicators. Here's a summary of the ratings, community school ratings are reported separately: Excellent: 139 Districts Effective: 347 Districts Continuous Improvement: 113 Districts Academic Watch: 11 Districts Academic Emergency: 0 Districts To search by district, visit: http://dnet01.ode.state.oh.us/DistrictRatings/Districts.aspx To search by school, visit: http://dnet01.ode.state.oh.us/DistrictRatings/Buildings.aspx To download data for all districts and buildings, visit: http://ilrc.ode.state.oh.us/Downloads.asp To read related articles, visit: 8/16 Toledo Blade Toledo's poorer schools did worse on tests http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070816/NEWS04/70816002 8/16 Cincinnati Enquirer School districts blame test http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070816/NEWS0102/708160393 8/15 Columbus Dispatch Some top school districts slip, but news good overall http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/15/Grades.ART_ART_08-15-07_A1_6B7KAKI.html 8/14 The Plain Dealer Ohio school report card puts pressure on districts to reach 'excellent' ranking http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/11870825978310.xml&coll=2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. REPORT CARD RESULTS FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS 85 of the 330 charter schools listed in the Ohio Department of Education's 2006-07 Local Report cards are in academic emergency, 54 in academic watch, 80 in continuous improvement, 16 effective, and only 8 earned an excellent rating. Eighty-seven charter schools did not get a rating. Report card ratings for community schools can be downloaded from the Ohio Department of Education's website: http://ilrc.ode.state.oh.us/Downloads.asp To read related articles, visit: 8/16 Canton Repository Ohio's charter schools still lag http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=370644&Category=9&subCategoryID 8/16 The Plain Dealer Charter schools grade: Incomplete http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1187254531252820.xml&coll=2 8/15 Toledo Blade Charters fare poorly in state report cards http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070815/NEWS04/708150410 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. VOICES FOR OHIO'S CHILDREN HOLDS COMMUNITY BRIEFINGS Voices for Ohio's Children is planning 7 community children's briefings across the state. These briefings serve as a good networking opportunity with other child advocates and experts in various issue areas. A panel of experts will share information on state budget outcomes, fall ballot issues and ideas for program implementation (in-between) budget work. There will be discussion regarding the political and fiscal climate, budget issues for 2010 and 2011 and how to get involved in federal policy work. For more info, visit: http://www.vfc-oh.org/cms//970ae92bf0bd552e/index.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. THE ONGOING INVESATIGATION OF WHITE HAT State Auditor Mary Taylor uncovered "abusive business practices" during an audit of 19 charter schools operated by David Brennan of White Hat Management. According to recent media coverage of the audit, board members were paid multiple times for attending the same meeting. The audit also found improper credit-card purchases, widespread bookkeeping errors and lack of documentation to support expenditures. In addition to abusive business practices at White Hat, a state election-law complaint by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner says that Brennan illegally dodged campaign laws when he gave $200,000 to a Virginia PAC (political action committee) and the Virginia PAC turned around and gave $870,000 to an Ohio PAC to support Republican candidates. Ohio law limits individual gifts to candidates and PACs to $10,670, but there are no such restrictions in Virginia. Brunner argues that by doing this Brennan was trying to bypass Ohio's campaign contribution limits, and that since the Virginia PAC is not registered in Ohio it is subject to the $10,670 contribution limit. To read related articles, visit: 8/12 The Columbus Dispatch Is PAC skirting election limits? http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/12/pacfight.ART_ART_08-12-07_B1_TM7JA1N.html 8/16 Akron Beacon Journal Auditor criticizes Brennan's community schools http://www.ohio.com/news/9189847.html 8/15 Cleveland Plain Dealer Audit finds mismanagement in chain of charter schools http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-33/1187195126325650.xml&storylist=cleveland 8/15 Columbus Dispatch Audit raps charter schools http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/15/BRENNAN_SCHOOLS.ART_ART_08-15-07_B1_DJ7KAK5.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. JERROD'S LAW: NEW SAFETY RULES FOR SCHOOLS The Ohio Department of Health is working on a new set of safety regulations for schools that will become effective in September. According to an article in the Columbus Dispatch, many schools are already in compliance with the new rules, but others are spending thousands to make a safer environment for their students. To read related articles, visit: 8/21 Cincinnati Enquirer Boy's death inspires new law http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070821/NEWS01/708210377 8/16 The Columbus Dispatch New safety regulations spelled out for schools http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/16/Safer.ART_ART_08-16-07_A1_2Q7KL55.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7. A HANDFUL OF JOBS, THOUSANDS OF APPLICANTS Teachers are being laid off in rural and urban districts with declining enrollment, but growing suburban districts are hiring. Although districts with growing enrollment need to increase the amount of teachers at their schools, there are still many many more applicants than available teaching jobs. To read related articles, visit: 8/20 Cleveland Plain Dealer Teaching jobs draw thousands of applicants http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1187599343294660.xml&coll=2 8/15 Dayton Daily News In teaching, many apply but few are chosen http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/08/15/masonappsweb.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. ACT SCORES IMPROVE Nationally, high-school graduates received an average score of 21.2 on the ACT exam this year, up from 21.1 last year. In Ohio, the average ACT score also rose by one-tenth of a point, to 21.6, according to the ACT National Score Report. According to the annual report, advanced-placement (AP) courses are offered in about 61 percent of Ohio schools. The report said 38.4 percent of the schools have at least 10 or more students enrolled in AP courses, while 22.5 percent of high schools have between one and nine students in the advanced classes. A press release, a summary of the results and a link to the report can be fount at: http://www.act.org/news/releases/2006/ndr.html Summary courtesy of CORAS http://www.coras.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9. ONE IN FOUR STUDENTS FAIL TO EARN A DIPLOMA Despite the national focus on reforming America's high schools, most states are setting woefully low goals for improving graduation rates and are not setting goals for ensuring that more low-income, minority, disabled and English language learner students graduate, according to a report released earlier this month by The Education Trust. The report, "Graduation Matters: Improving Accountability for High School Graduation", said one in four, or nearly one million students, who start ninth grade will not earn a diploma four years later, and the picture is even worse for low-income and minority students. To read the10-page report, including data for Ohio, visit: http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/5AEDABBC-79B7-47E5-9C66-7403BF76C3E2/0/GradMatters.pdf Summary courtesy of CORAS, http://www.coras.org |
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Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, 94 Columbus Road Athens, Ohio 45701 Tel. (740)592-2866 Fax (740)593-5451 |
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