Richard Lee Colvin, EdSector, posted a good summary of Cleveland’s struggle to make the portfolio approach work because it “hasn’t moved the needle much on student achievement and the school district “is mired in bureaucratic, outdated and cumbersome work rules,” according to the mayor’s plan.
The district hasn’t been very good about shutting down or improving its own schools, as Terry Ryan of the Ohio Daily Gadfly points out.  The recent MDRC study of NYC’s aggressive close/replace strategy suggests this is key to improvement.
As the 10 Elements of Digital Learning Now suggest, Ohio could also use more and better online and blended learning opportunities.  I spent Digital Learning Day (2/1/12) in Columbus with friends from KnowledgeWorks meeting with policy makers.  Here’s my testimony, Ohio Should Expand Digital Learning Opportunity and Promote Innovation and the Q&A  and  Lisa Duty’s Ohio Should Remove Digital Learning Barriers for Innovation.