Overview of Fordham's Sponsorship Work
The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation has actively sponsored (i.e. authorized) charter schools in Ohio since 2005. Our portfolio includes some of Ohio’s highest performing and highly regarded schools.
We have developed expertise in all the core areas of Ohio charter sponsorship, including law, finance, compliance, facilities, new school start-up, closure, managing the application process for new schools, contract management, school monitoring and renewal decisions.
For a more in-depth description of Fordham's sponsorship work, please see our most recent annual report.
Questions regarding our sponsorship work may be directed to [email protected].
For parents:
If you are having an issue with a Fordham sponsored school and you are a parent or legal guardian of a currently enrolled student, you can get more information and submit a complaint here.
Latest Sponsorship newsletter:
The latest monthly newsletter of information and news you can use for charter board members is here.
School Support and Excellence Team – Network and school-facing purpose
The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation has created a School Support and Excellence Team, led by Fordham’s Chief Learning Officer. The team’s primary purpose is to support quality implementation of our Instructional Excellence Framework (IEF). As in the past, we will continue to incorporate operational support and technical assistance to schools. Going forward, however, we also intend to have a more focused instructional lens when it comes to site visits, monthly virtual meetings, and optional support.
Site Visits
Fordham conducts biennial site visits (as is our obligation to the state as a sponsor)—while school is in session—for each of the schools we sponsor. During these visits, we partner with networks and schools in service of student learning, focusing specifically on instructional excellence in alignment with the IEF. Site visits will support networks and schools through student data review, observing classroom instruction, analyzing the quality of network/school instructional systems, and creating pathways and plans toward goals in service of superior student achievement.
We will continue to refine our site visit protocols and expect to adapt and improve those visits through conversations and feedback from our portfolio of networks and schools.
Extended Partnership and Services
As part of our commitment to extend support beyond operations, as we work closely with schools and networks to increase student achievement, the School Support and Excellence Team is prepared to offer instructional support services as a part of our role as a sponsor, with no additional cost. These extended partnership services will be at the discretion of the networks and schools, differentiated to meet their needs.
- Potential services or partnership can include:
- Professional development for leaders or teachers (in person or virtual)
- Instructional leadership coaching (in person or virtual)
- Instructional systems consulting (in person or virtual)
- Curriculum selection or implementation support
- Thought partnership
- Data analysis meetings
- Follow up walkthroughs
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Our purpose is not to impose uniform or formulaic practices on the schools we sponsor but, rather, to differentiate and expand our support to ensure that we partner on what matters most—student learning—aligning instructional systems and practice to what research tells us is most effective, as generally outlined in the IEF.
In practice, this may well look and feel different for each school and network and we look forward to differentiating our support accordingly.
Fordham Foundation Policies:
A04 Conflict policy and process
C03 Contract amendment and update policy
D01 Oversight transparency policy
D02 Enrollment and financial reviews policy
ODEW Suspension closing procedures and assurances
Fordham closure protocol spreadsheet
F03 Policy on professional development
Annual Trainings
2026 Sunshine Law Training Presentation
Training on Contract Roles and Responsibilities 2026
Training on Guidance and Monitoring Protocol
The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's monitoring and performance protocol is updated annually and is also available, here.
Fordham publishes guidance that complements the contract and delineates and defines the roles and responsibilities of the sponsor and the school.
Fordham also offers training on the written guidance, here. The training includes information regarding school performance, renewal, roles and responsibilities, legal updates and compliance reviews which are also in each site visit report and annual report.
Epicenter
All Fordham sponsored community schools use Epicenter, a web-based workflow and compliance tool for authorizers and schools. It provides a single place to keep records and track activities to streamline the compliance process. Epicenter allows both the school and the sponsor to store, share, and access documents remotely, making the sponsor's oversight of community schools more convenient and efficient. Epicenter also functions as a document retention system.
Links to useful resources and organizations
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
National Association of Charter School Authorizers
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Office of Community Schools
U.S. Department of Education Charter Schools Program
EdReports
What Works Clearinghouse
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Trainings
System To Achieve Results for Students (STARS) allows individuals to access information on upcoming professional development and technical assistance programs offered by ODEW. You can search for by topic, date, or area of focus. NOTE: To search STARS you must first sign in to your OHIO ID account on the Ohio Department of Education's website.