Testimony given before the Senate Education Committee on substitute House Bill 154—9/10/19
NOTE: Today the Ohio Senate’s Education Committee heard testimony on a substitute version of House Bill 154, addressing
NOTE: Today the Ohio Senate’s Education Committee heard testimony on a substitute version of House Bill 154, addressing
When President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law back in December 2015, it marke
An on-the-ground perspective from California
Across the nation, headlines have trumpeted soaring high-school graduation rates. Ohio is no exception. Lofty rates leave the impression that the vast majority of students are ready to take their next steps in life. But the truth is that too many students exit high school not fully prepared for college and career.
Since 2005, Ohio has intervened in persistently-low performing school districts by establishing new leadership via an
“A lot of people have strong opinions on both sides.”
Public education is no stranger to controversy. Whether it’s standardized testing, academic standards, graduation requirements, charter schools or school funding, discussion and disputation are part of the deal.
School report cards, the primary mechanism through which Ohio maintains transparency and accountability for academic outcomes, have been a hotly debated topic. Critics argue that the ratings track too closely with pupil demographics, some decry the shift to the more transparent and easily understood A–F rating system, while still others are just unhappy with the results.
Charter student enrollment numbers decline again
In honor of the waning of summer, this week’s edition consists of vacation/beach reads for charter school leaders. News you can definitely use to fill those last long, lingering evenings.
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
Separate, underfunded, wrongly-maligned
Charter schools in Ohio, post-budget
For many years, first-rate charter networks looked at Ohio and immediately “swiped left.” Sadly, the state’s charter sector had a well-earned reputation for mediocre performance, was too often mired in
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
Proficient (adj.): “Well advanced in an art, occupation, or branch of knowledge.” —Merriam Webster
The little-understood role of charter sponsors
For many Ohio students, taking college entrance exams is a key milestone on the path from high school to college. Yet countless thousands have foregone these exams, effectively slamming the door on their opportunity to attend four-year colleges and universities.
Let’s take it from the top
Real estate agents to the rescue?
As budget season winds down, lawmakers face the tall task of reconciling some vastly different proposals from the governor’s office, the House, and the Senate on a variety of issues in the budget bill, House Bill 166.
Charter school funding in the biennial budget
Back in 2015, former Governor John Kasich encouraged the General Assembly to address the persistent failure of several school districts by strengthening academic distress commissions (ADCs), the state’s mechanism for intervening in chronically underperforming districts. Legislators obliged.
Settlement reached with former ECOT sponsor
NOTE: Today the Ohio Senate’s Education Committee heard testimony on House Bill 166, the state’s new biennial budget.
Race match in charter vs traditional public schools
In an era of “fake news,” political division, and rampant civic illiteracy, one might think smart policymakers would want to ensure that young people exit high school with a solid grasp of American history and government—the foundations of responsible citizenship.
Editor’s Note: Back in September 2018, awaiting the election of our next governor, we at the Fordham Institute began developing a set of policy proposals that we belie