Our Work in Ohio
Governance Options, a Reading Guarantee, and Much More
Fordham Ohio has been keeping busy with a number of different analyses looking at everything from school governance options, to why Ohio needs a reading guarantee. Did you know that Ohio currently has a reading guarantee, but that it has never been fully implemented? We explain the history of the reading guarantee and why we need to earnestly implement it. The team at Fordham Ohio also took a look at Ohio’s teacher evaluation reform efforts, as well as how voucher students are performing across the state compared to their traditional school peers.
Working Smarter Together
Can we work smarter together? That was the question on people’s minds at a forum last month sponsored by Fordham, the Nord Family Foundation, Ohio Grantmakers Forum, ESC of Central Ohio, Ohio Education Matters, and Public Performance Partners. The event, Working Smarter Together: Enhancing savings and performance for local schools and governments, featured several keynote speakers (including Auditor of State Dave Yost), and a panel discussion about real-world examples of efficiency and cooperation in local government. To find out more about this important and timely issue and view footage from the event click here.
2010-11 Report Card Analysis Summary
Ohio recently released its annual report data detailing how schools and districts around the state performed. As in years past the team at Fordham Ohio released a quick turn-around analysis on Big 8 charters and traditional schools. However, this year Fordham Ohio decided to dive deeper into the data and stagger various analyses day-by-day on the blog. Several interesting findings emerged from the data. They can be checked out in their entirety here.
Common Core Primer
In June 2010 Ohio committed itself to adopting the Common Core standards in math and English language arts (ELA). In an attempt to ensure that these new standards are complemented with rigorous training for current and future teachers, and that the curriculum is aligned at the local level, states must choose from two different consortia who are working with states during the transition process. States must either choose from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) or the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC). Some state have already chosen one, Ohio has not. A recent primer produced by Kathleen Porter-Magee, Jamie Davies O’Leary and Emmy Partin outlines the characteristics of SBAC and PARCC and raises implementation concerns for Ohio as it moves forward with this decision.
2010-11 Ohio Report Card Analysis
The Ohio Department of Education recently released their performance data about the state’s public schools performance. As in previous years Fordham, released a quick-turnaround, city-by city analyses of Ohio’s Big 8 urban school districts. The reports can be viewed here. With the help of Public Impact we will be releasing more in depth analyses the next couple of weeks. In the meantime read about our take on Dayton’s achievement trajectory and a look at value-added data. Stay tuned to Flypaper for more to come.
After the Budget- What Next?
Revised considerably by the General Assembly, Governor Kasich’s budget plan (House Bill 153), a 5,000-page document that both funded the Buckeye State through fiscal year 2013 and included dozens of education-policy changes, was signed into law on June 30. The Ohio House and Senate were also engaged during the spring in passing other legislation that impacts schools. It’s time to take stock. To what extent have Ohio’s leaders met the challenges and opportunities before them in K-12 education? What needs to happen next? Fordham reflects on these questions - and offers recommendations and cautions as the state implements recently passed reforms - in its post-budget analysis, After the Budget, What Next? Ohio's Education Policy Priorities.
Ohio's biennial budget sets the conditions for education success
Ohio's FY 2012-13 budget has been passed and signed, and is chock full of changes to K-12 education policy. What does this mean for the Buckeye State and its 1.9 million students? Read Fordham's response here. Hint: the devil is in the details and implementation and leadership from the State Board of Education, the next state superintendent, and the Ohio Department of Education will be crucial to uphold the intent behind many of the budget reforms.
December 7, 2011
Better Choices
In this policy brief, Public Impact’s Joe Ableidinger and Julie Kowal examine the merits of the charter incubation model, outline specific strategies for supporting it, and profile organizations around the U.S. putting it into practice. The authors explain that through the strategic recruitment, selection, and training of talented leaders—and support of them as they launch or expand new charter schools—incubators offer charter school advocates an important tool in guaranteeing quality school choice. Download the brief to learn how.
November 28, 2011
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Fordham’s 2010-11 Sponsorship Accountability Report
The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation is pleased to share its latest annual Sponsorship Accountability Report, Two Steps Forward, One Step Back. The sixth of its kind, the report reflects on Ohio’s charter school policy environment and the performance of Fordham sponsored charter schools – in terms of absolute achievement, growth, and adherence to goals set forth in our authorizing contract – as well as developments in state law over the year. Despite some tough battles during the state budget as it relates to holding authorizers (and operators) accountable, overall Fordham and its schools had an encouraging year, with Fordham sponsored-charters making achievement gains and positioning themselves to do even better in the future.
August 29, 2011
The Common Core and the Future of Student Assessment in Ohio
Ohio adopted the Common Core standards in ELA and math last year, but now stands at a crossroad in making sure statewide assessments are aligned to those standards. Ohio is a participating member in two federally funded assessment consortia--the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC)--but is a decision-maker in neither. This primer outlines both consortia and suggests that Ohio make a decision soon to begin the massive reboot required to realign assessments, professional development, and accountability systems to match the Common Core.
August 24, 2011
2010-11 Ohio Report Card Analysis
Each year, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute conducts an analysis of student achievement in Ohio's Big 8 urban districts and charter schools. This year's analysis looks at performance, growth (as measured by value-added), growth over time, comparisons between students in district schools, charters (and charters by type and authorizer type), e-schools, and more.
August 1, 2011
After the Budget, What Next? Ohio's Education Policy Priorities
To what extent have Ohio’s leaders met the challenges and opportunities before them in K-12 education? What needs to happen next?
