NOTE: Below is the text of a press release issued by Fordham today.
The Ohio Department of Education has awarded the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation’s sponsorship operation a rating of “Exemplary,” the state’s highest mark, for our work sponsoring charter schools.
On a zero-to-100 scale, our scores are as follows:
- Quality Practices: 97.4
- Student Academic Outcomes: 100
- Compliance: 100
- Overall Score: 99.1
“This recognition would not be possible without the hard work of the schools with whom we work,” said Kathryn Mullen Upton, Vice President for Sponsorship and Dayton Initiatives “We look forward to continuing to improve our efforts to positively impact outcomes for the children in the schools that we serve.”
The Department evaluates sponsors in three critical areas: quality practices, student academic outcomes, and compliance. Quality practices includes all areas of a sponsor’s day-to-day work: review of proposed school applications, contracts, monitoring and oversight, renewal, school closure, technical assistance, and agency commitment. Student academic outcomes are evaluated based on learning gains made by students at different levels of proficiency. Compliance focuses on the extent to which a sponsor monitors the health and safety of children and staff. More information about the Quality Sponsor Practices Review is available here.
“We’re thrilled to have earned an exemplary rating,” said Michael J. Petrilli, President of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. “More importantly, we’re thrilled that this comprehensive rating system is moving Ohio’s charter schools sector forward. We appreciate the Ohio Department of Education’s leadership in making these ratings a reality.”
Founded in 1959 and located in Dayton, Ohio, the Fordham Foundation currently oversees eleven schools serving more than 3,200 students.
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For further comment, please contact Kathryn Mullen Upton, Vice President for Sponsorship and Dayton Initiatives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 937-227-3368 (Dayton office).
