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The
mission of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign
is
to organize and advocate for high quality public
education opportunities for all Ohio children
wherever
they live, whatever their race and
whatever
their family background.
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Wednesday November 14, 2007 Volume 5, Issue 23
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1. OHIO FAIR SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN UPDATE
2. FAMILY-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP SUMMIT ON DECEMBER 8
3. UPDATE ON STRICKLAND'S SCHOOL FUNDING PLAN
4. ELECTION RESULTS
5. TUITION FOR ALL-DAY KINDERGARTEN
6. CURRENT EDUCATION NEWS FROM OSBA
7. AMONG STATES, OHIO’S CHARTER SCHOOL FAILURE RATE IS HIGH
8. WHY RURAL MATTERS
9. NCLB WILL NOT BE REAUTHORIZED IN 2007
10. NEW REPORT: TEACHERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
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1. OHIO FAIR SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Mark your calendar; our next statewide meeting is on Thursday, December 13 from 11-2 in Columbus, at the First Congregational Church, 444 E. Broad Street in Columbus.
We have an exciting fundraising opportunity for the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign through the Kroger Giving Program. If you choose to help, it costs you nothing, but you will be contributing to help fix school funding in Ohio. Kroger will donate 5% of all of your purchases, including gasoline, to the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign. This could be huge. All you have to do is purchase a Kroger Gift Card from us for $5 (it will have $5 credit on the card) and use this card every time you shop at Kroger. You can use it at any Kroger store. You pay nothing extra for your items.
If 100 people spend an average of $200 per month at Kroger, the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign will receive $1,000 each month. This would help to sustain our work throughout Ohio. Please order your card today!
To get started with your card, please call the office (740) 592-2866 or e-mail Debbie: Debbie@ohiofairschools.org
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2. FAMILY-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP SUMMIT ON DECEMBER 8
The Ohio Parent Information and Resource Center (PIRC) in partnership with the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio PTA, invite parents and educators, to attend the Family-School Partnership Link and Learn Summit on December 8 at COSI in Columbus.
The purpose of this summit is to provide school teams with information and strategies to create and assist family–school partnerships that support student learning. Forty family-school partnership teams will be chosen to attend this FREE summit. Teams must consist of a principal, two teachers (or one teacher and one parent coordinator/liaison) and three parents.
Teams can apply on-line at http://www.ohiopirc.org/. The deadline to apply is November 19. Participants will receive two vouchers for their children to attend COSI during the summit. Many thanks to Jane Sonenshein, member of the State Board of Education, for sending the information to us!
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3. UPDATE ON STRICKLAND'S SCHOOL FUNDING PLAN
Several news articles have appeared in local newspapers about Governor Ted Strickland’s campaign promise to fix Ohio’s school funding system. Since March of this year, Strickland has had private meetings with stakeholders to talk about education, but
many think a plan is unlikely before the 2008 election. Most educators who have been involved in the stakeholder meetings feel very positive about the commitment of the Strickland administration to a real solution to Ohio’s school funding problems. We encourage people who have ideas on ways to improve the system to contact John Stanford, the Governor’s education policy advisor at: mailto:john.stanford@governor.ohio.gov
To read related articles, visit:
11/12 The Cincinnati Post
School funding promise unmet
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071112/NEWS01/711120381
11/11 The Columbus Dispatch
No fix in sight for school funding
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/11/11/edgov_2.ART_ART_11-11-07_A1_I78DSDP.html?sid=101
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4. ELECTION RESULTS
The Ohio Department of Education reports that 107 of the 200 school issues on the November 6 ballot passed and 93 failed, a 53.5% passing rate. The 29 Ohio Appalachian counties fared less well; out of the 24 issues on the ballot, only 9 passed, a 37.5% passing rate. To view the election results in PDF format, visit:
http://www.ohiofairschools.org/PDF/NOV2007_RESULTS.pdf
To read related articles, visit:
11/8 The Columbus Dispatch
Levies getting hard to pass
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/11/08/levy08.ART_ART_11-08-07_B1_NA8DJ5M.html?sid=101
11/7 The Enquirer
Resounding 'no' to tax hike
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071107/NEWS0102/711070387/1058/NEWS01
11/7 The Plain Dealer
Madison, Aurora among school measures rejected by voters
http://www.cleveland.com/election/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/119442810557820.xml&coll=2
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5. TUITION FOR ALL-DAY KINDERGARTEN
The Ohio Senate voted to permit school districts to charge tuition, on a sliding scale, for all-day kindergarten classes. Currently, Ohio provides funds for half-day kindergarten. Districts are free to offer a full day program, if they can pay for it themselves. This provision was added to HB 190, which gives schools an additional week for elementary achievement testing. Other significant amendments include recommendations to address the teacher misconduct issues, which were the subject of hearings in recent weeks. The House concurred with the Senate amendments, and the bill now goes to Governor Strickland.
To read related articles, visit:
11/13 Akron Beacon Journal
Senate approves school tuition proposal
http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/10934946.html
11/4 Akron Beacon Journal
ABJ Editorial: All Day or Not
http://www.ohio.com/editorial/opinions/11003311.html
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6. CURRENT EDUCATION NEWS FROM OSBA
The Ohio School Boards Association(OSBA) is producing a bi-weekly streaming video update that is available on their website. The update, entitled The OSBA Internet Update, includes 15 minutes of the latest education news. To view the Nov. 2 update, visit:
http://mediasite2.minds.tv/mediasite/viewer/?peid=88095e27-2080-43db-8880-8914f2e63834
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7. AMONG STATES, OHIO'S CHARTER SCHOOL FAILURE RATE IS HIGH
The New York Times reported recently that Ohio charter schools have a far higher failure rate than most states. According to the article, Ohio’s high failure rate is due to “loopholes in oversight, a law allowing 70 government and private agencies to authorize new charters (Most states limit the number of authorizing agencies to a handful), and financial incentives that encourages sponsors to let schools stay open.
In addition, the Times said "federal money helped fuel the growth, with up to $450,000 available to every new school in its first three years. Ohio sweetened that incentive with $50,000 more."
To read the article visit:
11/8 The New York Times
Ohio Goes After Charter Schools That Are Failing
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/us/08charter.html?ref=us
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8. NEW STUDY: WHY RURAL MATTERS 2007
The Rural School and Community Trust released, Why Rural Matters 2007. The report examines the status of rural education in each of the 50 states. The report says Ohio has the fifth largest rural student population in the nation at nearly 440,000. Schools serving these students have moderately high levels of poverty. Ohio’s rankings in terms of policy context are among the nation's worst, with the second lowest level of rural per pupil instructional spending nationally. The report urges Ohio policy makers to pay more attention to students who attend schools in rural communities. To read more about Why Rural Matters, including state-by-state results, visit: http://www.ruraledu.org/site/apps/nl/content.asp?c=beJMIZOCIrH&b=3508831&ct=4537855
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9. NCLB WILL NOT BE REAUTHORIZED IN 2007
No Child Left Behind will not be reauthorized in 2007. Despite dozens of hearings, months of public debate and hundreds of hours of Congressional negotiation, neither the House nor the Senate has produced a bill that would start the reauthorization process. The administration and Democrats in Congress had repeatedly promised to make important changes to the law this year. If it is not reauthorized, the law will remain on the books unchanged.
To read related articles, visit:
11/4 The Washington Post
An Unlikely Partnership Left Behind
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/04/AR2007110401450_pf.html
11/6 New Your Times
For a Key Education Law, Reauthorization Stalls
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/washington/06child.html
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10. NEW REPORT: TEACHERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
A new international report says high-quality teaching for every child is at the heart of school improvement. School success, the report says, hinges on getting the right people to become teachers, helping them learn to teach, and crafting a system that ensures every child will get access to the teaching needed to keep from falling behind. The view the report, commissioned by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, visit: http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/socialsector/resources/pdf/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf
To read a related article, visit:
11/7 Education Week (free registration required)
Teachers Seen as Making Difference in World's Top Schools
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/11/07/11oecd.h27.html
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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