Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
Does it work? Test team returns to try out new products advertised on television
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns vs. Lions live …
Akron Zips:
Akron trounces Howard to reach .500
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Robiskie, Harrison inactive
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Sunday Sanity Challenge
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
A Random Rant on Testing
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
By Pat Smith
Published on Sunday, Nov 18, 2007
COLUMBUS: Ohio is at a pivotal point in its history, with a lowered credit outlook, loss of jobs, declining population growth and poor citizen educational levels.
At the same time, the whole U.S. educational system is at a pivotal point in its history, with two decades of increased funding and lowered class sizes not improving achievement scores or poor rankings on international assessments, and now, cheaper and better-educated workers in other countries creating unprecedented competition.
Forty years ago, America ranked No. 1 in the percentage of people with a high school diploma; now we rank 19th. Currently, Ohio ranks 38th out of the 50 states in the number of high school graduates academically ready for college.
Eighth-grade students in many other industrial nations are two years ahead of ours, and Europeans consider our first two years of college courses to be high-school level work. At a recent National Governors Association meeting, there was a call for a sweeping transformation of our entire educational system. And more and more national leaders are joining that call.
Yet, here in Ohio, there seems to be little sense of urgency. All the focus has been on school funding, with virtually no attention on a systemwide overhaul to improve productivity. Lost is any recognition that a systemwide overhaul also could result in a major reallocation of funds, enabling us to ''make ends meet'' without reducing other necessary services or raising taxes.
The Ohio Constitution calls for not just a ''thorough'' system of education, but also an ''efficient'' one. Creating a more efficient system will help to provide a more thorough one. Here are some examples of major changes that could help produce that efficient system.
The School Facilities Commission's adopting a few flexible designs, as Wyoming recently did, and using pre-engineered structures, estimated to save 30 percent of construction costs.
Combining funding and governance of pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade education with that of higher education.
Providing more time for students who need it, and faster progression through the system for capable students, enabling them to gain college credits before graduation and realize tuition savings.
Giving staff and parents authority over individual school budgets, along with training so that they could exercise the authority wisely.
Improved early screening, followed by more-accountable prevention and intervention programs for all kids.
Benchmarking Ohio's standards and tests to those of the National Association for Educational Progress, and eliminating low cut-off scores to increase passage rates.
Expediting data-driven systems now available that can assess students' strengths and weaknesses, show teachers what each student needs to perform at grade level and guide better decision-making in our schools.
Using technology to more widely promote on-line instruction, interactive television and presentations on DVDs by superstar teachers, computerized record-keeping, online teacher training and professional development and administering and scoring proficiency tests.
Statewide collective bargaining and benefits, and a teacher career ladder that includes an internship required for licensure.
Statewide implementation of the new Educational Region Service System to provide services more efficiently.
Per-pupil funding based on student needs and following the student.
Adopting a year-round quarterly calendar to gain instructional time now spent on review each fall, and tutoring students needing more time during quarterly breaks.
Increasing apprenticeships and other school-to-work programs to better prepare students who want education alternatives.
Of course, little of the above will be possible without remedying conditions that limit productivity — the high incidence of behavior problems, computer downtime, teaching to proficiency tests and interference with instructional time.
To implement any major transformation, major barriers will have to be addressed:
The usual resistance to change.
The ''at odds'' agendas of the teachers unions, the Ohio School Boards Association, the Buckeye Association of School Administrators and others.
Lack of political will.
Little knowledge about ''what really works.''
Most important, long-held educators' biases and beliefs that are unsupported by solid research.
Tackling systemwide overhaul will require bipartisan support from the legislature, enlightened advocacy from business and community leaders, unprecedented cooperation from entrenched vested interests and not only strong leadership from the Ohio's 68th governor, but also his putting to use his vast experience in psychology.
COLUMBUS: Ohio is at a pivotal point in its history, with a lowered credit outlook, loss of jobs, declining population growth and poor citizen educational levels.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
