Though most Ohioans are still thawing out from weeks of frosty weather, Columbus has been bustling with activity as many elected officials considered (or proposed themselves) a number of education initiatives--all claiming to improve Ohio’s education system.
Though most Ohioans are still thawing out from weeks of frosty weather, Columbus has been bustling with activity as many elected officials considered (or proposed themselves) a number of education initiatives--all claiming to improve Ohio’s education system.
Most notable was the release of the new policy report Creating a World-Class Education System in Ohio by Achieve, Inc. (see here and above). Prepared by the international consulting group McKinsey & Company and authored by former British education adviser Sir Michael Barber, the report lays out a comprehensive, integrated and outcomes-based approach for transforming Ohio’s K-12 program into a leading education system by 2015. None too soon, we say. The state’s current system masks wide achievement gaps among student subgroups and is struggling to prepare Ohio’s youngster for the demands of college and workplace. “Despite the progress Ohio has made in student achievement, the pace of improvement needs to escalate drastically,” Barber told State Board of Education members.
Whether state policymakers will embrace the McKinsey team’s bold vision remains to be seen, but comments so far are promising. C.J. Prentiss, former state senator and Strickland’s education aide, noted, “I will report back to the governor ‘Good News’…This is a road map for what we need to do” (see here). State Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Zelman insisted that state education officials have little choice but to push for change. Yet State Board member John Bender questioned the feasibility of implementing the report’s recommendations. “I still don’t see the political will,” he said (see here). Let’s hope he looks harder. Turning this vision into reality will require broad implementation of the recommendations (as opposed to “cherry-picking” the most politically expedient), and solid bipartisan support.
Such bipartisanship has been markedly absent from recent dealings on Capitol Square. Governor Strickland and Speaker John Husted are engaging in a tug-of-war over education funding (and the extent to which it needs repair--see here). Sharply critical of Ohio’s education funding system during his gubernatorial campaign, Governor Strickland has been reticent about putting forth solutions to fix it. To draw him out, Speaker Husted and Senate President Bill Harris designated House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 for Strickland’s unannounced education funding reform proposal (see here). The governor quickly condemned the move as “political gamesmanship” and partisan politics. Meanwhile, we’ve signaled our preference--a weighted student funding system (see here)--one that’s been echoed in the recent Achieve report.
The ill-conceived constitutional amendment to “fix” Ohio’s funding system (by pouring gobs more money into it--see here) met with a chilly reception from House and Senate Republicans. Citing a report by the nonpartisan Legislative Service Committee, Speaker Husted condemned the amendment, which, if passed, could cost the state about $1.84 billion in fiscal year 2007 alone. None of this new funding would be tied to student outcomes or measurable results. Considering that Ohioans are split on raising taxes (see here), this amendment may just end up in the deep freeze (for good, we hope).
Undaunted, it seems, by moves to transfer control of its chancellorship to the governor (see here), the Ohio Board of Regents (OBR) recently aired a new proposal requesting sweeping new powers to oversee tuition hikes and cut duplicative degree programs at the state’s colleges and universities (see here). Reactions were mixed, and Governor Strickland noted that his and Speaker Husted’s earlier actions have “awakened the Board of Regents to the point where they are trying to play catch-up.” It may be too late, though, as Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2 would both transfer most of OBR’s power to the appointed chancellor--and relegate OBR to advisory board status.
State Board member Tom Sawyer was appointed to the Ohio Senate to fill the seat of Kimberly Zurz, who was named director of the Department of Commerce by Governor Strickland (see here). In November, Sawyer ousted Deborah Owens Fink, in part, by winning the “Darwinian vote” (see here). Sawyer’s evolution will give the governor a chance to fill a State Board seat with a hand-picked appointee. Perhaps his choice will help divine Governor Strickland’s thoughts on education reform.
With Governor Strickland set to address the state and submit his biennial budget, Ohioans can look forward to plenty of March Madness (the Buckeyes notwithstanding) in the coming weeks.
On February 13, 2007, Achieve, Inc., presented to the Ohio State Board of Education a study of education policy, entitled Creating a World-Class Education System in Ohio. An earlier benchmarking study for Ohio in 1999 had evaluated the state’s educational reform strategies at the time against the best domestic practices and has contributed substantially to Ohio’s progress over the past eight years. A decade ago, Ohio was essentially stuck in the middle when compared to other states. On cross-state comparisons of current National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, Ohio is now in the top quarter of states.
The new Achieve study is responsive to the State Board’s focus on understanding the implications of the new global economy for K-12 education in Ohio. No state has felt the impact of the globalizing economy more than Ohio. With the continual decline of manufacturing jobs, Ohio has struggled to move toward a knowledge-based economy. The fastest-growing and highest paying jobs require higher levels of education. The state’s ability to regain its economic competitiveness is dependent on the ability of its schools to provide a world-class education to its citizens, and not simply a strong education when compared to other states. This perception is shared by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, who on November 7, 2006, proclaimed the importance of “building an education system, from pre-school through college, that doesn’t just compete with our neighbors like Indiana and Kentucky, but rivals the best in the world…”
It is against this backdrop that the State Board requested a study that would take stock of current education policy by comparing Ohio’s K-12 system with the best in the world and provide the state with recommendations for closing any gaps. To my knowledge this is the first study of a state system that employs benchmarking to international best practices. Achieve engaged Sir Michael Barber (former education and domestic policy advisor to British Prime Minister Tony Blair) and McKinsey and Company (an international management consulting firm) to assist with international benchmarking.
The Achieve study both validates the efforts that Ohio has undertaken in the past years and makes clear that without substantial, comprehensive, and coherent reform, the state’s K-12 education system will not be positioned to deliver high quality educational opportunities for all students, and thus will not support economic growth for Ohio. The study identifies three defining elements of the highest performing educational systems—high challenge, high support, and aligned incentives—which become the touchstones for the international benchmarking and the foundation for the report’s recommendations. These elements validate that Ohio has been on the right track. Our strategic plan over the past seven or eight years has been built around raising the bar (high challenge), building capacity (high support), and measuring results (aligned incentives).
The study’s recommendations represent a comprehensive set of initiatives that will move Ohio from current practice toward best international practices. They are grouped into seven clusters that address standards and assessments, principals as instructional leaders, teacher development and support, student support and motivation, equitable funding linked to accountability, school and district ratings and interventions, and access to high quality school options.
The combination of high challenge, high support, and aligned incentives integrates the seven sets of recommendations into a comprehensive reform package that fully implemented, greatly enhances the impact of any single measure. For example, the report calls for expanded student access to high quality choice options but links this recommendation to proposals for improved means and information for parents to take advantage of them; more rigorous performance-based entry and exit standards for charter schools; lower non-performance based barriers for new schools; and greater accountability for EdChoice voucher schools.
The Achieve report also avers that Ohio must address school funding, but that this must be done while attending to allocation and accountability for those funds. To this end, the study calls for measuring, benchmarking, and evaluating school-level efficiency; driving fiscal resources to the building level based on the number and needs of its students; revising the funding formula to more accurately account for the true costs of educating each student; providing a predictable revenue stream to each school; and periodically adjusting the funding system based on an ongoing empirical review. (These recommendations were echoed in the State Board’s recent report “A New Direction for Ohio’s School Funding: Designing a System that Relates Resources to Results.”) The recommendation to empower principals as instructional leaders dovetails with a call for funds to be allocated to the building level. Recommendations related to accountability, school intervention, and schooling options are interwoven with funding and resource allocation—fiscal support tied to results.
The State Board is committed to building on the strong K-12 results of the past eight years to realize an education system that ensures the preparation of our young people as well as the vitality of our state. Over the next several months the State Board of Education is undertaking a public engagement campaign to share the recommendations of the Achieve study and secure the input and feedback of the public regarding the report. We know that the State Board cannot implement this agenda alone. We will need partners—including elected officials and education groups. The State Board is ready to propose initiatives that are transformative—not for the sake of being transformative, but because in today’s rapidly changing world, Ohio cannot afford to be satisfied with incremental improvements.
by Jennifer Sheets
President, Ohio State Board of Education
Though most Ohioans are still thawing out from weeks of frosty weather, Columbus has been bustling with activity as many elected officials considered (or proposed themselves) a number of education initiatives--all claiming to improve Ohio’s education system.
Most notable was the release of the new policy report Creating a World-Class Education System in Ohio by Achieve, Inc. (see here and above). Prepared by the international consulting group McKinsey & Company and authored by former British education adviser Sir Michael Barber, the report lays out a comprehensive, integrated and outcomes-based approach for transforming Ohio’s K-12 program into a leading education system by 2015. None too soon, we say. The state’s current system masks wide achievement gaps among student subgroups and is struggling to prepare Ohio’s youngster for the demands of college and workplace. “Despite the progress Ohio has made in student achievement, the pace of improvement needs to escalate drastically,” Barber told State Board of Education members.
Whether state policymakers will embrace the McKinsey team’s bold vision remains to be seen, but comments so far are promising. C.J. Prentiss, former state senator and Strickland’s education aide, noted, “I will report back to the governor ‘Good News’…This is a road map for what we need to do” (see here). State Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Zelman insisted that state education officials have little choice but to push for change. Yet State Board member John Bender questioned the feasibility of implementing the report’s recommendations. “I still don’t see the political will,” he said (see here). Let’s hope he looks harder. Turning this vision into reality will require broad implementation of the recommendations (as opposed to “cherry-picking” the most politically expedient), and solid bipartisan support.
Such bipartisanship has been markedly absent from recent dealings on Capitol Square. Governor Strickland and Speaker John Husted are engaging in a tug-of-war over education funding (and the extent to which it needs repair--see here). Sharply critical of Ohio’s education funding system during his gubernatorial campaign, Governor Strickland has been reticent about putting forth solutions to fix it. To draw him out, Speaker Husted and Senate President Bill Harris designated House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 for Strickland’s unannounced education funding reform proposal (see here). The governor quickly condemned the move as “political gamesmanship” and partisan politics. Meanwhile, we’ve signaled our preference--a weighted student funding system (see here)--one that’s been echoed in the recent Achieve report.
The ill-conceived constitutional amendment to “fix” Ohio’s funding system (by pouring gobs more money into it--see here) met with a chilly reception from House and Senate Republicans. Citing a report by the nonpartisan Legislative Service Committee, Speaker Husted condemned the amendment, which, if passed, could cost the state about $1.84 billion in fiscal year 2007 alone. None of this new funding would be tied to student outcomes or measurable results. Considering that Ohioans are split on raising taxes (see here), this amendment may just end up in the deep freeze (for good, we hope).
Undaunted, it seems, by moves to transfer control of its chancellorship to the governor (see here), the Ohio Board of Regents (OBR) recently aired a new proposal requesting sweeping new powers to oversee tuition hikes and cut duplicative degree programs at the state’s colleges and universities (see here). Reactions were mixed, and Governor Strickland noted that his and Speaker Husted’s earlier actions have “awakened the Board of Regents to the point where they are trying to play catch-up.” It may be too late, though, as Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2 would both transfer most of OBR’s power to the appointed chancellor--and relegate OBR to advisory board status.
State Board member Tom Sawyer was appointed to the Ohio Senate to fill the seat of Kimberly Zurz, who was named director of the Department of Commerce by Governor Strickland (see here). In November, Sawyer ousted Deborah Owens Fink, in part, by winning the “Darwinian vote” (see here). Sawyer’s evolution will give the governor a chance to fill a State Board seat with a hand-picked appointee. Perhaps his choice will help divine Governor Strickland’s thoughts on education reform.
With Governor Strickland set to address the state and submit his biennial budget, Ohioans can look forward to plenty of March Madness (the Buckeyes notwithstanding) in the coming weeks.
