Yesterday, Firelands (Ohio) Local Schools Superintendent Bob Hill took a simple but important step in exposing to the American people how the education reform movement is impacting our public schools. He suggested on his school district blog that citizens in his community take advantage of two “valuable sources of information” about what is happening. Here is what he wrote:
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Public education continues to evolve at a rapid pace and educators are faced with an ever-changing playing field that is most often dictated by our state legislature. Due to the myriad of recent changes such as the new Ohio Learning Standards, PARCC testing (performance based assessments, end of course exams), the new Ohio Teacher and Principal Evaluation System (OTPES)…and the list goes on…I am often asked how our community can become involved in the change process to help ensure an education that is best for our most valuable asset, our students.
After much reflection, I write today to alert you to two valuable resources that serve as tools to educate our citizens about becoming involved in supporting the education of our children in regards to sweeping legislative reforms that continue to frustrate our education community. The resources are as follows:
- The Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy: http://ohiocoalition.org/
- Bill Phillis is a longtime educator and advocate of public schools who was a part of the original DeRolph funding litigation. His daily emails are well worth the read and the email sign up is located on the web site.
- Corky O’Callaghan: http://corkyocallaghan.com/
- Corky is a good friend of mine who has worked with educators for the past 25 years to implement a public engagement process in over 300 school districts across the nation. His most recent book, America’s Schools at a Turning Point, is worth the read. The book is very relevant and I encourage everyone in our community to read it, as it addresses the issue of local control and the legislative takeover of public education. Corky also writes a blog that is exceptionally informative and relevant.
I encourage all members of the Firelands Community to visit the sites and to become better informed about the fight to save public education.
As always, please contact me with questions or concerns.
Yours in Education,
Dr. Bob Hill |
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