Commentary
Career & Technical Education
A closer look at Ohio’s industry-recognized credential data
Since taking office in 2019, Governor DeWine has prioritized expanding and improving
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Pre-K programming and third grade achievement: Evidence from Wisconsin
The jury remains out regarding the true impact of pre-K enrollment on early elementary outcomes. Some research finds a positive impact, some a negative, and much of it shows the fading out of impacts by third grade or soon thereafter.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Kindergarten literacy data raise questions about diagnostic assessments
Author update (10/11/24): Since this piece was posted, sources have indicated Canton’s kindergarten data were misstated on its report card—a possibility acknowledged in this piece. The district's report card, as well as its elementary school report cards, now have “watermarks” flagging the data reporting error and indicating that the error may have impacted the ratings.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Has Ohio made progress narrowing achievement gaps, post-pandemic?
One of the most pressing challenges facing American education is closing achievement gaps.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Setting the baseline for Ohio’s early literacy reforms
New early literacy data from state report cards are part of the baseline from which we can measure the impact of Science of Reading reforms going forward. Here’s a look at ten Ohio districts whose results fill in important details for the future.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Taking stock of Ohio’s pandemic recovery: Glass half full or empty?
Ohio has a lot to be proud of when it comes to the post-pandemic academic recovery—but also much work left to do. That’s the message that comes out of my recent analysis of spring 2024 state assessment data released earlier this month.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Three report card features Ohioans might not know about
Ohioans now have access to a brand-new set of school report cards based on results from the 2023–24 school year. The data they contain provide policymakers, advocates, and families with an updated look on how students are progressing academically in the wake of the pandemic.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Fordham Institute statement on Ohio’s school report card release
Today, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce released its annual school report card, which is based on data from the 2023–24 school year. Included are five-star ratings that provide parents and the public with a user-friendly overview of district and school performance.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
What to make of Ohio school report cards’ “progress” rating
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) will soon release Ohio’s school report cards for the 2023–24 school year.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Addressing pandemic learning loss (and then some) without breaking the bank
Ohio students have yet to fully recover from pandemic-era declines in achievement.
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
The International Baccalaureate provides Ohio schools with another way to offer high-quality career pathways
Expanding and improving career pathways for secondary students is an increasingly important priority for Ohio policymakers. As such, it will likely be a focal point during the upcoming state budget cycle.
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
A deep dive into work-based learning in Ohio
Work-based learning initiatives provide a direct connection between K–12 education and the workforce. They offer students invaluable work experience, hands-on training with experienced mentors, and a chance to apply technical skills and develop soft skills. They give employers an opportunity to bolster talent pipelines and train future staff on in-demand skills.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Should Ohio move to computer adaptive testing?
State tests are an important annual check-in for parents, teachers, communities, and policymakers, as they provide an objective assessment of student achievement based on grade-level standards.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
To improve adult outcomes, do the math
What are the best ways to deploy finite resources for the betterment of young children? What inputs provide the most beneficial outcomes later in life? These are big, important questions whose answers matter to individuals, families, and society.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
“Teaching to the test” done right? Evidence from Austria.
“Teaching to the test” is a common pejorative term that touches on a number of hot-button education policy issues—top-down mandates to schools, shrinking curriculum, hamstringing teacher autonomy and creativity, and dampening student interest in learning to name just a few.
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
Getting career planning right
One of the hallmarks of Governor DeWine’s administration has been its emphasis on expanding and improving career pathways for students. Thus, it came as no surprise that the governor focused on this critical issue in his recent state of the state address.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
American learning losses in the pandemic era: A global perspective
A new report from the Hoover Institution’s Education Success Init
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
Ohio is investing hundreds of millions to strengthen and expand access to CTE
Last January, during his 2023 state of the state address, Governor DeWine pledged to invest additional state funding in career and technical education (CTE) programs.
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
A primer on career pathways implementation in Ohio
Career-technical education (CTE) has become a significant priority for Ohio leaders and lawmakers over the last several years. For those who aren’t familiar with CTE, or who may have outdated views about what it offers students, this increasing emphasis may be surprising.
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
Ohio bolsters its efforts to publicize workforce options for students
Last year, Ohio lawmakers overhauled the state’s K–12 education governance system by transferring the majority of powers and duties assigned to the state board of education to a revamped executive branch office known as the Department of Educat
Report
Career & Technical Education
Ohio’s Career-Technical Education Landscape: An overview of CTE at the high school level
Our latest policy brief provides an overview of the CTE landscape for Ohio high schoolers.
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
Searching for a link between CTE and postsecondary pathways for students with learning disabilities
A new research report examines the confluence of career and technical education (CTE) and the academic trajectory of high school students with learning disabilities (SWLD).
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Ohio parents will get better, faster information about their child’s academic achievement this year—if districts follow the law
Although it’s a brand-new year, many Ohio students are still caught in the education riptide of the pandemic era.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Ohio’s sluggish pandemic recovery in 2023 as seen through six charts
With the past year now in the books, it’s time to look back. During 2023, we at Fordham wrote extensively about the biggest and most important policy issues of the past year, most of which were debated as part of the state budget process.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Is Ohio meeting its math and reading goals?
One of the best kept secrets in education policy is that Ohio policymakers have set achievement goals for Buckeye State students.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
A tale of two districts: Goal-setting exercises in Dayton and Columbus illustrate challenges to improving urban schools
In late November, two large urban Ohio school districts publicly engaged in academic goal-setting exercises. They ended very differently.
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
Indiana’s recent CTE efforts provide lessons for Ohio
For nearly a decade, leaders in Indiana have shaped state policy based on the Next Level Agenda, a series of legislative and administrative priorities that cover a wide variety of issues ranging from the economy and infrastructure improvements to the drug epidemic.
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
More Ohio high school students are earning industry credentials, but are they valuable in the labor market?
Industry-recognized credentials (IRCs) can validate attainment of technical skills and signal to employers that a worker is qualified to perform certain tasks. While credentials are particularly useful for adults, they can also benefit high school students by helping to build their skillsets and giving them an edge when it comes time to compete for a job.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Social promotion returns to Ohio
“Social promotion,” the practice of pushing struggling students from one grade to the next regardless of their academic readiness, can have damaging long-term effects.
Commentary
Career & Technical Education
A look at Ohio’s pipeline from postsecondary education into the manufacturing industry
Data show that America’s current manufacturing workforce is aging and retiring as the sector is expanding exponentially and its
