Children still spanked in Ohio schools

I didn't know that spanking was still used as a form of discipline in some Ohio public schools:

Many parents refuse to paddle their children, and a lot of people believe it has been taken out of the equation in the school systems, but that isn’t true in all schools.

“Many parents can’t or don’t want their children going to Saturday School because of a discipline problem they may be having. Instead the parents can sign a paper and agree to have the child paddled instead of making them go to school on Saturday. It is entirely up to the parents, and it is effective in most cases,”.

Strickland cutting vouchers/charter schools

Another good article on Vouchers in Ohio, this time in the Chicago Tribune:

"There are those in our society and political leadership who have given up on public education, and they really don't believe that public schools ought to have a special place within our social structure," Strickland said in a recent interview in Toledo.

Reflecting the demand of some parents to get their children out of public schools, about 76,000 students attend charter schools in Ohio, and annual growth rates have been in double digits since the first charter school opened in Ohio in 1998.

Social networks of children strengthen neighborhoods

Contrary to popular opinion, children play a key role in strengthening local communities and making people feel safe in their neighbourhoods, according to a study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Much panic today about childhood in urban areas is based on a very partial picture, argue the authors...(whose) report challenges previous theories that social networks are largely determined by parents. According to the evidence they found, children are active - both indirectly and directly – in forging neighbourly relationships and connections for their parents.
...
They found that the more parents were involved in the lives of their neighbours, the more freedom they gave their children. At the same time, the more social networks children have in a neighbourhood, the greater parents’ confidence in the safety of that area.

Many parents questioned were often torn between wishing to protect their children and wanting them to be streetwise.

Games in the Street

 

What good is playground equipment for children over 5 years old? The padded, plastic and rubberized stuff that Cincinnati Recreation Commission installs is only fun (read: challenging) for children ages 2-5. Then they post a sign that says "this playground intended for children ages 5-12".

What use does a 12 year old have for a three-foot long slide? They would rather be playing on the street like the photo above.

Photo from book "Games in the Street", by Rachel Gallagher, 1976 Brooklyn