Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Text here, text there - soon an odd Q&A

The University of Akron's leadership team has previewed and withdrawn so many options in its rebranding exercises that even stillborn ideas gravitate to front-page media coverage these days.

Take, for example, the Beacon Journal report on the a bizarre tightly controlled student government forum with President Scott Scarborough  in the Gardner Theatre.  Students were required to text  their questions to a  couple of student leaders who were seated aside Scarborough.  The questions were then forwarded to the boss. That doesn't  even happen at the White House press conferences!

The topic that quickly gained traction was a mere mention by Scarborough that  UA was looking at establishing a K-12 school,  like, say, the University of Chicago's.  But it got no farther.  Scarborough said later the UA College of Education  is  merely exploring the idea  but it  might never happen.

Still, Tuesday's BJ reader saw a commanding Page One headline that said:    UA considers own K-12 school.  

And we're sure that's how Scarborough, a man of action,  would like us to remember another exciting foray by his regime.

About the Chicago plan, which has been operating for nearly two decades.  It's called the  UChicago Charter School and is one of the four integrated units in the Urban Education Institute.  It serves 1900 students as a "pre-K-12th pathway to college"  .

I asked about the cost in a call to the school and was told it was "funded like public schools".

Are you listening David Brennan?

Please.  No more of this talk. Certainly not when charter is part of the conversation.  It could get quite expensive for UA, which already is claiming poverty.  And based on Scarborough's remarks, it's a bridge to nowhere for UA. I would text him about this but I don't know how to do it.  I've never fully caught up with the digital age.

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