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Running in place ??? Ohio's reading and math scores stagnate
Ohio's schools have been in a perpetual state of reform since the late 1990s.
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What a show: Ohio leapfrogged Louisiana in the presentation round
Everyone knows that Ohio's Race to the Top victory came at the expense of New Jersey, which lost a crucial five points (and thus the competition) because of a ?clerical error.?
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This week's Ohio Gadfly keeps it real
In this week's Ohio Education Gadfly, the Fordham Ohio team weighs in on several controversial national debates and brings a thoughtful perspective to each.
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College outlook not bright for Ohio grads, says ACT report
The vast majority of Ohio high school graduates are not ready for college, according to a new report from ACT.
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Tackling the Yo-Yo effect: Improving Ohio's value-added model
Ohio has made adjustments to its value-added model ahead of the release of 2009-10 school performance data next Friday.
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Ohio districts that have grown in poverty are holding steady on achievement (true story)
If you work in the K-12 education orbit ? or anywhere even near it ? you've heard this argument before: Increasing numbers of poor students in a school or a district over time will negatively impact overall performance.
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Bailing out districts with a teacup
Turns out Lehman Brothers and the rest of Wall Street weren’t the only ones to make risky and complex financial deals in the waning days of the credit bubble. Denver Public Schools entered into one such arrangement in April 2008 to close a $400 million gap in its pension obligations to teachers.
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Ohio Education Gadfly is back from vacation
Fordham Ohio stayed busy in July with lots of special edition Gadflies, but the good ole regular edition is back in full swing t
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Ohioans respond to ?Ohio's Education Reform Challenges?
This morning Checker and Terry had two conversations with Ohioans about Fordham's latest book, Ohio's Education Reform Challenges, a memoir of Fordham's experience as an authorizer of charter schools in Ohio, its history in fighting on behalf of families and kids in Dayton (and ac
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Ohioans respond to ?Ohio's Education Reform Challenges?
This morning Checker and Terry had two conversations with Ohioans about Fordham's latest book, Ohio's Education Reform Challenges, a memoir of Fordham's experience as an authorizer of charter schools in Ohio, its history in fighting on behalf of families and kids in Dayton (and ac
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How top-heavy are Ohio's school districts?
Earlier this year the Brookings Institution and the Greater Ohio Policy Center garnered attention from both
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Hundreds of Ohio students on EdChoice Scholarship (voucher) waiting list
Since its creation in 2005, Ohio’s EdChoice Scholarship Program – which grants $4,250 or $5,000 to students attending the state’s worst schools to attend the private school of their choice – has provided scholarships to all e
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Ohio could save millions, even billions, by rethinking student-teacher ratios
During the current fiscal crisis facing Ohio (and many other states) we've heard our share of cost-savings ideas for K-12 education.
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There they go again
You know it’s an election year when the Democratic Speaker of the House recalls her comrades from summer break to Washington for an emergency vote to bail out the nation’s schools.
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Redefining its constituency?
Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus has some choice words for the civil rights crowd: “I know Kanye West said the George W.
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Hundreds of Ohio students on EdChoice Scholarship (voucher) waitlist
Since its creation in 2005, Ohio's EdChoice Scholarship Program ? which grants $4,250 or $5,000 to students attending the state's worst schools to attend the private school of their choice ?
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Just how top-heavy are some of Ohio's school districts?
Earlier this year the Brookings Institution and the Greater Ohio Policy Center garnered attention from both gubernatorial
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Special Ohio Gadfly: Summer reading edition
For many of you, July means vacation time. There's nothing better to do during those long flights, layovers, hours in the sand, or just ?stay-cations? in the backyard hammock than catch up on reading.
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Curing Baumol's Disease: In Search of Productivity Gains in K-12 Schooling
Paul Hill and Marguerite RozaCenter on Reinventing Public EducationJuly 2010
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The proficiency illusion, Empire State edition
Almost three years ago, Fordham and the Northwest Evaluation Association published a landmark study, The Proficiency Illusion, which found that state “proficiency cut scores” varied tremendously, not just from state to state but also within states.
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Did you know? Fiscal impact of raising student-teacher ratios in Ohio
Teacher layoffs are a hot topic nowadays, as are the dire warnings about what will happen if teachers are let go.??
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Common Core standards best most states' standards, including Ohio's
Last month, Ohio became one of the first states to adopt the Common Core State Standards in math and English language arts (ELA). According to a new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, that was a smart move.
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Ohio stands to gain more from RttT than Edujobs bill
There has been much speculation about Obey's obviously divisive (and
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Ohio's Education Reform Challenges: Lessons from the Frontlines
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute has deep roots in Dayton, Ohio and has long been immersed in Ohio education policy, particularly as it?relates to charter schools. Debates around charter schools ? their role, their efficacy, even their right to exist ? are hot and contentious in the Buckeye State, perhaps as much so as anywhere else in the nation.
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Lessons from Ohio's frontlines
In Fordham’s customary role as a bumptious ed-reform think tank and advocacy shop, it’s unusual to engage in the real work of transforming schools and educating children. But our home state of Ohio has blessed us with many opportunities to get down and dirty in real-world education-reform struggles affecting real kids in a real place.
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Ohio Gadfly: virtual schools in Georgia, pensions, and World Cup
Don't miss this week's Ohio Education Gadfly, which opens with a look at the Peach State's recent decision to open its doors to two new high-qua
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Ohio schools winning School Improvement Grants select easiest model
Ohio recently?announced the 42 schools who won School Improvement Grants (SIGs) to fund efforts to turn themselves around. Three are charters and the rest are district schools in 11 districts; their awards total $95 million.
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Ohio Education Gadfly looks at cost-savings, Race to the Top, Cleveland, and common standards
Don't miss this week's Ohio Gadfly for a timely look at what local school districts are doing to save money. In the wake of failed levies, many districts have been trimming costs for years.
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If Ohio wins Race to the Top, what type of students will funds reach?
Should Ohio win the $400 million it is seeking in Race to the Top, it’s important to know who will be affected. Specifically, what type of student will the much-talked-about funding touch?
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Charters in Ohio hope for equal-opportunity hospitality
Districts across Ohio are facing times of uncertainty and turmoil when it comes to their budgets, and Columbus City Schools are no exception.? Recently, the district has been faced with a firestorm of questions and criticism for leasing a vacant school building to private school Sonshine Christian Academy.?