Format and funds are key issues, group says

The group suggested revamping the school calendar and hours, and de-emphasizing proficiency tests.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A contingent of League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown has added its collective voice to the regional Voices and Choices initiative.
About a dozen League members and other guests participated Monday in a two-hour brainstorming session, identifying ways to help the region compete in the global economy. They focused on ways to improve education.
The group identified funding and format as the biggest education challenges.
Voices and Choices is a regional initiative aimed at pulling 15 counties of Northeast Ohio together socially, economically and politically to, as Voices and Choices literature states, "be a collective force to be reckoned with in the global economy."
According to Voices and Choices statistics, Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Ashtabula, Lake, Geauga, Portage, Stark, Carroll, Summit, Cuyahoga, Medina, Wayne, Ashland and Lorain counties combined are home to more than 4 million people, making the region larger in population than 23 states.
The region employs one-third of all workers in Ohio, with 23 percent of the workforce working in one county and living in another. The region has 1.8 million workers with an average income of $33,700.
Local group
The local League of Women Voters identified improving education as its top priority, specifically, to: "Provide and promote hands-on, real-world experiences in education to produce an active and knowledgeable electorate."
Participants said the biggest problem in education is funding and legislators' failure to develop a new funding system despite the Ohio Supreme Court's ruling 10 years ago that the current system is unconstitutional.
The group also said the format of the school calendar is outdated and needs to be changed. They suggested that pupils attend school longer and that the school day be tailored to developmental needs.
They said the current schedule with three months off is a product of a primarily agrarian society, and is obsolete. They also are opposed to the organization of the school day that has younger pupils in class later in the day than older pupils.
Some members said they know young children who get on buses before 7 a.m., and suggested all pupils start school later in the day.
They said pupils are frustrated with the emphasis on teaching to pass proficiency tests, stifling individual and creative thinking.
The group said pupils should have more choices in education, with more diverse opportunities such as vocational, or magnet schools where pupils focus on their strengths. Members said schools in Europe and Asia test pupils to find their aptitude areas and send them to specialty schools to focus on their strengths.
Organizers said other community meetings are planned this spring with the next step in the study being town hall meetings across the region in June.
More information is available on the Web site, www.voiceschoices.org.
tullis@vindy.com