Minnesota’s got a great charter school sector as does New Orleans, so who will win this week’s education reform Super Bowl playoff? Don’t miss the blooper at the end (sometimes work is a lot of fun.)

While the real Super Bowl hopefuls are battling on the field, we look at the battles for high-quality education in the teams’ hometowns. This week we preview Minnesota vs Dallas, which is as hot as a billy goat in a pepper patch; you’ll have to watch the video to find out why. And don’t miss last week’s video in our video archive.

The holiday season has arrived – and here at Fordham Ohio we’re feeling pretty darn generous.  We’ve decided to bestow upon you this week not one, but TWO Ohio Education Gadflies!

Hot on the heels of Monday’s Special Edition, the regular Ohio Education Gadfly returns and you won’t want to miss it!

This edition features a Q&A with Mark North, superintendent of Lebanon City Schools whose district is facing challenges from the unfunded mandates in H.B. 1. Jamie provides timely coverage of a report from The New Teacher Project that could have profound implications for improving teacher effectiveness in Cincinnati Public Schools. And be sure to check out a recap of Checker’s recent keynote address at the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools Annual Conference. (You can find the full text here and the Q&A session below.)

The Dayton Daily News asked today why the “big names” in education from the Dayton area weren’t on the state’s new “Ohio School Funding Advisory Council”. The names referenced included Fordham’s Terry Ryan.

Capital Matters overfloweth with timely coverage of the recent flood of education-related legislation. Among them are bills that address the Buckeye State’s bid in Race to the Top, and the proposed changes to the Ohio school rating system and its all-day kindergarten mandate.

Rounding out the issue are several excellent short reviews and Flypaper’s Finest -this is an issue you definitely don’t want to miss!

OAPCS Q&A with Checker Finn

This week’s edition opens with a timely look at Senate Bill 180 – a pending piece of legislation that would make Ohio more competitive for Race to the Top dollars (you’ll definitely want to check out Terry’s testimony, as well as testimony from two dynamic Teach For America alums who spoke about their maddening experience to try to get certified in Ohio).

 Terry Ryan testimony in support of Ohio SB 180

John Dues and Abbey Kinson testimony in support of Ohio SB 180

Next in the lineup, Mike highlights the grave funding cuts to Ohio’s early college academy high schools and their decision to form a lobbying group to stay afloat. Eric discusses the performance gap between Ohio NAEP math scores and the state test results; this disconnect, though not unique to Ohio, should inform lawmakers and education officials who may be plowing forward in drafting Ohio’s academic standards and possibly reneging on their commitment to the Common Core Initiative.

Also check out an interesting piece on STEM education, Flypaper’s Finest, Kalli’s review on achievement gaps and another on district portfolio management. Finally, for anyone tired of Ohio weather already, there’s a cool job in New Orleans.

If you enjoyed Andy Smarick’s article on the fallacy of school turnarounds then you’ll want to watch this Education Next video in which he and Mike Petrilli discuss the issue.

The Ohio Department of Education recently spotlighted an innovative partnership between Dayton Public Schools and Sinclair Community College that has established a unique Tech Prep high school in Ohio.This holds special significance here at Fordham, as it is named after David H. Ponitz, a Fordham trustee and the venerated president emeritus of Sinclair Community College.

This fall, 550 teenagers began attending the David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center. It offers students the chance to graduate with training in a technical career field , all while offering an American high school experience that includes such features as music and sports.

A typical program of study lasts six years, allowing students to earn an associate’s degree in a technical field of their choice.  This partnership also allows students to earn free college credit in high school and a $3000 scholarship upon graduation.

The school offers training in nursing, biotechnology, STEM teacher preparation, commercial art, culinary arts, financial services, automotive technology, carpentry, computer-aided design drafting and engineering technology.

Ponitz Class President Jasmine Bean had this to say of her experience: “This is more like a college campus than a high school. It’s comfortable. The teachers ‘get’ us. We have school spirit. We’re allowed to create something new if we have a good plan for it.”

We’re glad to see such a program being pioneered in our hometown of Dayton, and hope to see similar schools here in the Buckeye State.

Video courtesy of the David H. Ponitz Career and Technical Center

Arne Duncan seems to be everywhere lately – even popping up last week on the Colbert Report.

Also worth mentioning in this episode is special guest and ‘early childhood education exepert’ Andrew Gellman, who had some interesting observations on lengthening the school year. (Gellman easily upstaged Colbert, if you ask me.)

In the spirit of Friday, we bring you both clips :

Duncan:

Gellman:

If you’re in the mood for more bad education puns and some terrible basketball, you can watch the entire episode here.

Video clips courtesy of Hulu.com.

Video is now available from our recent event, World-Class Academic Standards for Ohio, which was held October 5 in Columbus, Ohio.

What do state and national experts make of the “Common Core” standards effort?  How can states go about crafting top-flight standards?  How will the Buckeye State respond to the Common Core effort and a recent legislative mandate to upgrade its standards?  Click on the links below to find out.

Opening Speaker:

Why World-Class Standards?
David Driscoll, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education

Highlighting the Efforts of Top Performing States 
David Driscoll, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education
Stan Jones, former Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education
Sue Pimentel, StandardsWork
Bruno Manno, Annie E. Casey Foundation, moderator

Moving Forward in Ohio
Deborah Delisle, Ohio Department of Education
Eric Fingerhut, Ohio Board of Regents
Jim Mahoney, Battelle for Kids
Rod Paige, former U.S. Secretary of Education, moderator

Ohio Speakers:

Stephen Dyer, Ohio House of Representatives
Jon Husted, Ohio Senate

Also, you can find a copy of the conference materials here.

Fordham has had a keen interest in the Ohio State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) since 2007. We frankly were not surprised last month when it came out that the STRS was facing serious funding shortfalls. As we have worked hard to better understand this issue and talk thoughtfully about it, we reached out to experts in Ohio and beyond.

One of the most thoughtful people in the Buckeye State on this now is Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, who also happens to sit on the State Retirement Study Council.

His perspective and insights on the challenges facing the STRS and the state’s four other retirement systems are important for all who worry about these systems’ sustainability and their impact on things like new talent recruitment.

Mike Lafferty recently sat down with him to discuss his perspective on the STRS and retirement systems in the state of Ohio.

To learn more about the book "From Schoolhouse to Courthouse ," visit the information page on our website.

This past week was the first official week of classes at Columbus Collegiate Academy, a charter school sponsored by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Ohio. CCA students notched gains on reading and math proficiency exams last year and everyone’s ready for another excellent, energizing academic year.

Back to school from Education Gadfly on Vimeo.

Terry Ryan of our Ohio offices offers a concise explanation of our Ohio 2009 Education Report Card Analysis in this video.

Ohio 2009 Education Report Card Analysis from Education Gadfly on Vimeo .

Recently, Mike Petrilli shared his thoughts on year-round school with folks at NBC. But apparently they liked Mike so much that they also posted a full 2-minute version of his interview, which you can watch below! Check out both of these great clips…..

FUN FACT FRIDAY! You wait all week… and you won’t be disappointed. In our FINAL Fun Fact Friday video, we use data from a recent Fordham report, The Accountability Illusion, to show you how some states set the bar high for their students–and some don’t. Watch our Play-Doh men do the Twizzler high jump in this first ever education track meet.

Fun Fact Friday! – Setting the standards bar from Education Gadfly on Vimeo.

Sources:

“The Accountability Illusion : Data Map,” John Cronin et al, Thomas B. Fordham Institute, February 2009.
Crowd sounds from freesound.org

(May take a minute to load.)

With charter schools ascendant, is there still a future for vouchers? from Education Gadfly on Vimeo .

This will make you laugh. And then it will make you cry at the poor state of the U.S. education system.

The sixth video in our Fun Fact Friday! video series looks at students and the attention they receive at school.

—–

Video fact source:

“High-Achieving Students in the Era of NCLB : Part 2,” Steve Farkas and Ann Duffett, Thomas B. Fordham Institute, June 2008.

Fun Fact Friday! – Waiting…. from Education Gadfly on Vimeo .

The fifth video in our Fun Fact Friday! series looks at how information affects peoples’ support for teacher pay increases. Don’t miss our first , second , third and fourth videos.

Fun Fact Friday! – Not as hot from Education Gadfly on Vimeo .

Video fact source:
"Educating the Public ," William G. Howell and Martin R. West, Education Next , Summer 2009

An Introduction to "The Great Graduation-Rate Debate" from Education Gadfly on Vimeo .

Fun Fact Friday! – US education expenditure and other countries GDP from Education Gadfly on Vimeo.

VIDEO SOURCES

U.S. expenditure on education in 2007:
Census Bureau

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/014091.html

Countries’ GDP in 2008:
World Bank

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GDP.pdf