In early April, Governor DeWine delivered the second state of the state address of his second term. Unlike last year’s address, which covered a wide range of topics, this one focused almost entirely on issues impacting children.
Among the governor’s new proposals are a Childcare Choice Voucher Program for qualifying families, as well as revisions to the state’s early childhood education quality rating system. Several healthcare initiatives made the cut, including an effort to ensure students who need glasses can get them. The governor also offered his full support for a pending legislative amendment that would require all schools to adopt smart phone policies aimed at minimizing phone usage by students in the classroom.
Well into his second term, several of DeWine’s other key priorities aim to build on his administration’s prior accomplishments. The governor doubled down in three important areas—implementing early literacy reforms, expanding awareness of career pathways, and bolstering school staffing pipelines. Let’s take a look at each.
1. Implementing early literacy reforms
In last year’s state of the state address, DeWine previewed his administration’s plan to improve early literacy by going all-in on the science of reading, a research-backed instructional approach that emphasizes phonics and knowledge-building. Lawmakers were on board with his ideas, and last year’s state budget bill included a new framework for literacy instruction in Ohio schools. The budget also allocated nearly $170 million to help schools purchase high-quality curricula aligned with the science of reading and to support professional development for teachers.
Although implementation of this new framework is well underway, DeWine noted two areas where his administration will be pushing harder. First, he pledged that the state will provide quality-rated preschool programs with access to curriculum aligned with the science of reading. Doing so should help ensure that, just like elementary schools, early childhood education programs are using curricula and materials grounded in research.
Second, the governor implored leaders at Ohio’s colleges and universities to align their teacher preparation programs to the science of reading. Given that less than half of the state’s teacher preparation programs currently provide teaching candidates with adequate coverage of all five components of reading science (phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension), bully pulpit encouragement from the governor is critical. Last year’s budget included provisions that required colleges and universities to make this transition, but there has been notable pushback from some in higher education. Over the next year, the state will begin auditing elementary teacher preparation programs to ensure they are training teaching candidates in reading science. After this initial audit, programs will be reviewed every four years. Those that are found to be out of alignment will have one year to address audit findings before their program approval is revoked by the chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education. With this context in mind, it becomes obvious that DeWine’s remarks weren’t just encouragement—they were a firm (and needed) reminder to schools of education that following the law isn’t optional, and they need to get started.
2. Expanding awareness of career pathways
Over the last several years, Ohio lawmakers have invested significant funding in career pathways, which aim to ensure that students are well prepared for what comes after high school. These efforts include expanding and improving career and technical education (CTE) programs, which benefit students by blending career training and academic coursework. Last year’s budget, for example, allocated $100 million toward CTE equipment upgrades and another $200 million for building and expanding classrooms and training centers. The majority of this funding has already been awarded, and should give thousands more students access to CTE programming.
To build on these efforts, DeWine used his state of the state address to call on lawmakers to tweak state law to require each student to have a career plan. He pitched this change as a “very simple fix,” as every Ohio student is currently required to have a plan for meeting diploma requirements and their post-graduation goals.
The governor is right that the act of changing the law will be simple. But effective implementation of this change will be far more complex. Many school counselors already report being overworked and vastly outnumbered by the students they serve. Most students are currently unaware of the options that are available to them. And though parents are eager to help, they may not know how. State leaders have laid some initial groundwork via recent communication initiatives and the creation of helpful online tools. But ensuring that every student in Ohio has access to the information they need to make an effective plan—as well as consistent support from knowledgeable adults who have the time and resources to help them—is a tall task. Lawmakers will need to carefully consider how to put this plan into action, so that it results in something useful to students and not simply a box-checking exercise.
3. Bolstering school principal pipelines
Last fall, Governor DeWine announced the creation of the Teacher Apprenticeship Program. Apprenticeship programs offer workers job-related classroom training and on-the-job learning experience under the supervision of an experienced mentor. This kind of clinical experience is crucial for teachers. The state’s new model will empower teacher preparation programs and K–12 districts to partner together and offer apprenticeships as an additional pathway into the classroom. It will largely be aimed at employees already working in schools—staff like teacher aides, librarians, and bus drivers—and is just one of several statewide initiatives aimed at bolstering the teacher pipeline.
In his state of the state address, DeWine acknowledged that teachers aren’t the only school employees who can have a big impact on kids. “Principals are vitally important to a school’s success,” he noted. “A great principal is the leader in the school, who creates the conditions for students, teachers, and staff alike to thrive.” With these impacts in mind, he announced that the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce would create a Principal Apprenticeship Program. Similar to the teacher apprenticeship, this new program will provide aspiring principals with “hands-on, in-school training that will better prepare them for the challenges of the job.” This isn’t the first time that state leaders have attempted to bolster the principal pipeline, so the devil will be in the details. But given the outsized impact that a principal can have on a school and its students and staff, the governor deserves kudos for acknowledging the importance of—and investing in—school leadership.
***
In last year’s budget, Governor DeWine and Ohio lawmakers invested hundreds of millions in education and passed policies aimed at improving opportunities and outcomes for children. Based on the recent state of the state address, Ohioans should expect this commitment to students to continue. Although implementation will matter immensely for each of the proposals outlined above, kudos to the DeWine administration for keeping kids front and center.
