The cost of online learning and why it matters to Ohio
Terry RyanWhat does online learning really cost? Can it, in fact, be both better in terms of improving student achievement and overall less expensive than traditional bricks and mortar schools?
Creating “AgBioscience” STEM Schools in the Buckeye State
Terry RyanSTEM education in Ohio is a growing component of the state’s K-12 system. Metro Early College High School opened as a STEM school in Columbus in 2007, and since then STEM schools have opened their doors in metro regions like Dayton, Cincinnati,and Cleveland.
D.C. stiffs charter schools in $21M giveaway
Chris TessoneVincent Gray's move to bail out DCPS unfairly ignores the District's charter sector.
Creating “AgBioscience” STEM Schools in the Buckeye State
Terry RyanSTEM education in Ohio is a growing component of the state’s K-12 system. Metro Early College High School opened as a STEM school in Columbus in 2007, and since then STEM schools have opened their doors in metro regions.
Unsolved problems—and signs of hope—as 2012 dawns
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The central problem besetting K-12 education in the United States today is still—as for almost thirty years now—that far too few of our kids are learning nearly enough for their own or the nation’s good. And the gains we’ve made, though well worth making, have been meager (and largely confined to math), are trumped by gains in other countries, and evaporate by the end of high school.
Ohio school districts refuse to compete with nuns
Chris TessoneOhio's districts are shrinking from competition with parochial schools through expanded voucher programs.
Is there an Act II for David Brennan the Revolutionary?
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Terry RyanRecent news that White Hat, the big, Ohio-based, profit-seeking charter school operator, faces financial problems was surely received as an early Christmas present by many long-time charter opponents, particularly within the Buckeye State. The company?s founder and leader, Akron industrialist David Brennan, has been a larger-than-life-target for school choice foes since Governor George Voinovich appointed him in 1992 to head a commission intended to advance choice in Ohio k-12 education.
Incubate to promulgate
Terry RyanSince 2005, Fordham has been working in Ohio to recruit high quality charter schools to neighborhoods badly in need of better schools. During our six-plus years of effort as a charter authorizer we have managed to recruit just two high-performing models to Columbus (KIPP and a BES school).
From talking the talk to walking the walk of urban school choice
Emmy L. PartinMy husband and I have to decide in the next year where our 4-year old son will go to school and it is a daunting decision.
Charter school incubation 101
View the footage from the Fordham & CEE-Trust charter incubation panel discussion, "Driving Quality."
Are Charter School Unions Worth the Bargain?
Michael IshimotoIt's too early to tell
Checked Out: Ohioans' Views on Education 2009
In partnership with the independent education journal Catalyst Ohio (see here), we resolved to find out, and enlisted the expert help of the nonpartisan FDR Group (see here), a respected survey research firm led by veteran public opinion analysts Steve Farkas and Ann Duffett. The result is Checked Out: Ohioans' Views on Education 2009. This is the third such survey that we at Fordham have undertaken since 2005 on education issues in the Buckeye State. This makes it possible to track some key trends in public opinion over time.
CRPE's Robin Lake on "Better Choices"
Robin J. LakeRobin Lake looks at the lessons from the Fordham and CEE-Trust policy brief.
Charter incubation as a strategy for improving the charter school sector
Terry RyanFordham's Terry Ryan and CEE-Trust's Ethan Gray explain the potential of the charter incubation model and the characteristics of incubators.
Innovative Arizona school choice program faces legal challenge
Susan PimentelGuest blogger Stuart Buck explains the virtues of the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship program and the legal obstacles it faces.
Two steps forward, one step back
Kathryn Mullen Upton, Terry RyanCharterin' ain't easy
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Fordham Sponsorship 2010-11 Year in Review
Terry Ryan, Kathryn MullenSince their inception in 1997, charter schools have been at the center of some of the most politically contentious debates about education in Ohio. The past year offered yet another example of charter school controversy, but this time with a twist. The 2010 elections were very good for Buckeye State Republicans, with John Kasich winning the governor?s race (replacing Ted Strickland who had been a charter adversary throughout his four-year term). Republicans also took control of the House while expanding their majority in the Senate.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Fordham's 2010-11 Sponsorship Accountability Report
Kathryn Mullen Upton, Terry RyanThe Thomas B. Fordham Foundation is pleased to share its latest annual Sponsorship Accountability Report, Two Steps Forward, One Step Back. The sixth of its kind, the report reflects on Ohio??s charter school policy environment and the performance of Fordham sponsored charter schools ??? in terms of absolute achievement, growth, and adherence to goals set forth in our authorizing contract ??? as well as developments in state law over the year. Despite some tough battles during the state budget as it relates to holding authorizers (and operators) accountable, overall Fordham and its schools had an encouraging year, with Fordham sponsored-charters making achievement gains and positioning themselves to do even better in the future.
Suffering schools should learn to do more with less
As school levies fail across central Ohio, I am concerned and disappointed to see so many school districts quickly threaten to reduce the quality of our children?s education. Providing an excellent education for our children may be the single most important thing we can do as responsible citizens.
From talking the talk to walking the walk of urban school choice
Emmy L. PartinFordham has been involved in the arena of school choice in Ohio at virtually every level for the past decade, except that of a parent. Issues of school choice and the quality (or not) of urban schools have been a big part of my professional life the last five years. Now, they are front and center in my personal life, too.
Ohio's Education Reform Challenges: Lessons from the Frontlines
Mike Lafferty, Chester E. Finn, Jr., Terry RyanFordham has been both an advocate of choice and an authorizer of charter schools serving some of Ohio's neediest students. This book describes and analyzes our efforts, successes and failures, and what we think it means for others committed to school reform.
Is school choice a worthy end in itself?
Bianca SperanzaThe Columbus Dispatch ran competing op-eds by School Choice Ohio's (SCO) Chad Aldis and Fordham's Terry Ryan on the expansion of vouchers in the Buckeye State. Both Aldis and Ryan support the expansion of school choice programs in Ohio, but how the state should hold these new programs accountable for their academic performance and even whether it should do so is contentious.
E-school performance in the Buckeye State
Bianca SperanzaThis week we took a look at what impact, if any, charter authorizer type (e.g., non-profit, educational service center, school district, or university) has on a school's academic performance, how