"CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland schools chief Eugene Sanders wishes people would get past the gristle in his proposed academic-reform plan and chew on the meat.
OK, let's bite. If and when the furor over the closing of 13 schools and the moving of five others fades, what would remain? Sanders and his aides say it would be a 'transformation' that they call one of the most aggressive in the nation.
OK, let's bite. If and when the furor over the closing of 13 schools and the moving of five others fades, what would remain? Sanders and his aides say it would be a 'transformation' that they call one of the most aggressive in the nation.
At its core is a building-by-building outline for improving Cleveland's many failing schools and nurturing the successes.
The plan could still be amended before the school board votes, probably in March. But here's what the public would see if the reforms sail through undiluted: big high schools divided into intimate academies; an expanded portfolio of innovative schools, like one planned for the Cleveland State University campus; elementary schools emphasizing science and the arts; and, perhaps, select district buildings run by charter-school managers.
Less visible would be a teacher force evaluated and assigned to jobs based on their students' achievement. The district also would have a"