School Choice Ohio Blog

Family experiences are at the heart of school choice. Our blog will periodically spotlight stories from Ohio families who experience school choice programs firsthand.

Lori Walter of Elyria uses the Autism Scholarship for her daughter, Chenedi. She moved to Ohio specifically because the scholarship gives her a choice in her daughter’s education.

Lori’s story:
Honestly, I don’t know where she would be without this scholarship. The Autism Scholarship saved my daughter’s life. Because of the scholarship, we have seen a 90 percent turnaround in her behaviors, without medication.

For the first time, we believe that she will eventually be able to live on her own and we couldn’t be happier.

For more information on the Autism Scholarship, please click here.

School Choice Ohio is pleased to introduce intern Marjorie Yano. Marjorie is a third-year law student at The Ohio State University.

Last week, we heard Governor Strickland deliver the State of the State address (full text here) and President Obama present the State of the Union (full text here).  In both addresses our government leaders reflected on the challenges of 2009 and the promises of 2010.  Both men acknowledged the importance of education, but lacked an emphasis on education reform and school choice as an important tool to move the state and country out of the current economic recession and into a brighter future.

The State of the State address given by Governor Strickland, was hopeful for Ohio’s future, but not surprisingly lacked any talk of support for increased school choice or further education reform. As we posted on Twitter during our live blog of the speech: “We still have a long way to go toward quality education in Ohio. Not hearing much in terms of new education proposals.”

Whether it’s establishing Ohio at the forefront of the clean energy revolution, revitalizing our manufacturing and small business sectors, or reinvigorating our cities as centers of commerce (all initiatives mentioned by the Governor), Ohio must continue to support and improve its education systems. The Governor recognized the importance of education improvement and recognized accomplishments in Ohio over the past year, but the Governor’s address lacked much mention of the future of Ohio’s schools - or the possibility of expanded school choice options for Ohio’s families.

Last week marked the deadline for submissions for our annual School Choice Essay Contest. Ohio families wrote in to share about lives that have been changed through school choice. They are tales of transformation and of students who, thanks to the opportunities afforded through the EdChoice and Autism Scholarship programs, are now on their way to a happy and successful future.

If Ohio is to continue to move towards a productive future and better educational system, we cannot rest on our laurels - and school choice must be part of the next stage of discussions and plans.

As for President Obama’s State of the Union, the future of education policy was discussed in more specific terms. Although much of his speech reflected on the struggling economy, stalled health care reform, and continuing national security concerns, the President was optimistic about the future of the country, closing his address by stating that “The spirit that has sustained this nation for more than two centuries lives on in you, its people. We have finished a difficult year. … Let’s seize this moment - to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.”

In reaching this brighter tomorrow, the President specifically mentioned the need to “invest in the skills and education of our people” and that “the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education.”  Making brief mention of K-12 education (but no specific mention of school choice), President Obama noted the upcoming renewal and reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (NCLB) - and encouraged nation-wide adoption of educational reforms in the coming year. We hope the school choice elements of NCLB, now elusive for parents, will be strengthened and improved.

Although neither the Governor nor the President focused on the challenges facing education in America, I hope the mere mention of the need for education reform will spark debate in our legislatures, with an understanding that school choice provides paths for children to learn, grow, and become the driving force in the rebuilding of our country.

- Majorie Yano

We know school turnarounds can happen successfully - the question is how broadly and with what incentives. And Arne Duncan aims to find out. Alberto Retana popped into Columbus today from the US Department of Education to educate community and education leaders about the USDOE’s new School Improvement Grants.

School Improvement Grants are available for the nation’s lowest-rated public schools that want to turn things around. (Thankfully, Ohio kids in these schools have the EdChoice Scholarship to turn to in the meantime.)

$152 million in Ohio and $4 billion nationwide are available through these grants for the bottom of 5% of schools that elect to “transform” their school either through one of three general options: staff replacement and operations changes, handing operations over to a charter school, or closing up shop.

69 schools in Ohio are eligible; participating schools will receive $1-2 million per year for three years. Community organizations can be invited by districts to provide “wraparound services” like emotional/social support and after-school tutoring.

Questions that come to mind:

• What will prevent schools from submitting half-hearted ‘cookie cutter’ applications to receive the funding?
• How will schools that receive the grants to turnaround be held accountable for turnaround results?
• How will districts handle the potential $3-6M incentive to close low-rated schools?
• All of the turnaround models include replacing the principal. Does the application process rely on principals to essentially fire themselves?
• Schools can receive money for turnaround efforts that have already begun. How much of the grant funding will supplement old efforts and how much will incentivize new turnarounds?

The USDOE presentation came on the heels of a panel discussion of school turnarounds by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute yesterday.  Look for further discussion in Ohio this spring on school turnaround prospects here in the Buckeye State.

Encouraged? Curious? Skeptical? Find out more about the school turnaround conversation here, here, and here and let us know what you think.

- Sarah Pechan

In what must be a huge frustration for special education teachers and aides, not to mention parents and students, The Columbus Dispatch reported yesterday on a state law that enables more school districts across Ohio to re-route special education funding away from special education.

As the Dispatch reported, the Ohio Department of Education has granted additional flexibility to districts in spending their special education dollars. Amazingly, the changes now mean that districts may be able to divert funds even if they aren’t making progress according to federal standards or educating students in the “least restrictive environment.”

Controls and tracking on how school districts spent funds generated to educate students with special needs were already sparse, but this gives districts explicit permission to use a portion of these funds on other things. Districts aren’t hesitating - $22 million are now being diverted statewide.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing is the constant refrain heard from school districts that special education is inadequately funded. If true, the diversion of additional funds that could have adequately funded educational services for students with special needs is unconscionable. If false, claims of inadequate funding go from being unconscionable to immoral.

Students must be funded based upon their educational needs, and the funds generated by the educational needs of students should be spent on providing services to those students. Sounds simple-but how could this be accomplished?

It is again time to revisit the idea of a voucher for students with special needs. A program of this type has been considered by the last three General Assemblies and with good reason. It puts the funds necessary to educate a child with special needs where it belongs-in that child’s educational program. You can learn more about the proposed voucher on our website.

A special needs voucher would give parents who are tired of financial shell games and who are frustrated at the services their child is receiving an option. This is an option most parents of special needs students in Ohio do not have.

While the transfer of funds designed for the education of students with special needs is frustrating, it is not the only evidence that the current system may not be working properly. In October, the Columbus Dispatch reported on a case challenging the way students with special needs were funded. That case took 18 years to make its way through the legal system (see our response here).

It is becoming increasingly clear that the status quo has to change. Placing the power in the hands of parents of students with special needs to choose where their child goes to school would do more than any regulation ever could to assure that school districts dedicate the resources necessary to provide these students with an appropriate education.

- Chad Aldis

On Friday we attended the release of the 2010 State of Poverty in Ohio report today.

Several times during the presentation, education was described as the pathway to success, especially in a shifting economy like Ohio’s. While education is a way to find fulfilling employment, the cruel twist is that poverty is often a barrier to learning and educational achievement.

Participants in regional poverty conversations across the state highlighted the need for more individualized education and increasing parent involvement. I can hardly think of a more effective way to engage parents meaningfully and tailor education to individual students’ strengths and needs than school choice.

Having just wrapped up our 2010 school choice essay contest, we are encouraged by parents that see firsthand the transformation that school choice facilitates. Look for more family stories in the coming year as we highlight these stories.

- Chad Aldis

The latest annual report on charter schools is out. Published by the Ohio Department of Education, it gives a rundown on the year’s charter school trends and legislation.

Some interesting numbers:

• During the 2008-2009 school year, the number of students enrolled in charters grew 8% from more than 82,000 to 89,000.
• 91% of Ohio’s 323 charters have physical school buildings; 9% are virtual.
• About 50 of Ohio’s charters are run by traditional public school districts to have extra flexibility. As of this year, vocational schools are now also allowed to start charter schools.
• 180 charter schools are sponsored by groups that are not required to be approved by ODE because they were operating prior to April 2003.
• 10 of the state’s 134 “School of Promise” (schools that do notably well with low-income students) are charter schools. Of these 10 charter schools, 7 are located the Cleveland area.

The report also gives a 13-page legislative history of charter schools.

- Sarah Pechan

Rounding out a decade of booming growth in education options, school choice moved forward in 2009 with new energy and quality. Among the year’s highlights:

• The number of Ohio students using the state’s three scholarship programs continued to climb. In 2009, more than 20,000 students benefitted from the Autism Scholarship, Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program, and EdChoice Scholarship.

• School choice programs survived threats of severe budget cuts in a difficult financial year. Despite some fiscal cuts, these options remain for families searching for the best environment for their children’s education.

• The Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program received international attention. School Choice Ohio staff and other Ohio education leaders met with Japanese education officials looking to emulate Ohio’s school choice programs.

• More and more parents raised their voices for school choice. Active parental school choice ambassadors are organizing EdChoice floats in community parades, hosting community information meetings, inviting legislators to visit their schools, speaking at conferences, and telling the story of school choice across Ohio. 

• High quality, innovative public school choice options in Cleveland garnered well-earned praise. In a school district that struggles to overcome a lot of obstacles and inertia, school choice is a point of light thanks to school leaders for whom “failure is not an option; neither is mediocrity.”

• New state testing and reporting requirements means increased transparency for Ohio’s scholarship programs. Parents and the public will have more information than ever about how students using vouchers achieve and grow academically.

• The Ohio Senate included the creation of a new Special Education Scholarship in their version of the state budget. The proposed scholarship would expand the Autism Scholarship to students with all learning disabilities. It was nixed before becoming law, but families continue to seek alternatives.

And with that, we here at School Choice Ohio wish you a Happy New Year!

- Sarah Pechan

Family experiences are at the heart of school choice. Our blog will periodically spotlight stories from Ohio families who experience school choice programs firsthand.

Angelnique Washington won first prize in the 2009 School Choice Ohio essay contest this year. She uses the EdChoice Scholarship to send her son to the private school of her choice in Dayton, Ohio. The 2010 School Choice Essay Contest is now open!

Angelnique’s story:

If you took the time to ask a variety of people what they considered to be “The American Dream,” you would find that each person has a different version with one common ending - we all want to live well. We all want a degree of comfort, of happiness. There are many reasons, obstacles, circumstances even, that keep people from realizing their American Dream. And some of us are still striving to achieve ours.

My time on this earth has been less than ideal. Although my childhood was not as bad as most, it still left much to be desired. I use the circumstances under which I grew up as a guide to live a better life and to make sure my children have a better chance at a better life. The life lessons that I have learned, and my version of “The American Dream,” are the reasons why I applied for the EdChoice Scholarship. EdChoice has empowered me to sustain that my children will have a strong foundation on which to build their lives.

EdChoice was the lifeline that saved my son’s future! My son is coming into his own, finding strength and a courage that he did not know he possessed! I am hopeful that my son will overcome his shortcomings, and use his learning disability not as a reason for failure, but as a motivation for success! My children are thriving, and growing, and understanding how important a good education is. It has opened a door of opportunity for a community of children whose parents may not be as successful as they want to be, but they work hard everyday trying to get there!

There are so many lessons that are learned through life. As parents we try to protect our children from having to learn some of them. EdChoice has given me, and many other parents, the power to protect our children from one hard lesson: a lack of education. Who’s to say where I would be if I’d had the opportunity that EdChoice provides for my children today. The same could be said for many of the other parents that utilized this option.

EdChoice helps to break the cycle of poverty that plagues the poorer communities. I believe that education is the key to overcome any boundaries! I believe that all good parents want their children to be happier and more successful than they are. I know that with EdChoice I am able to give my children that opportunity. An opportunity for a better life, a brighter future, their American Dream!

The school voucher program in Washington DC is fighting for its life after political opponents cut funding and began phasing out the program this spring. While students already in the program were allowed to continue, new scholarships were rescinded and future applications have been blocked. This despite strong local support and federal studies showing academic growth for the 1,700 students who use the program.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s rationale for cutting the program? “I don’t think vouchers ultimately are the answer,” Duncan said. “We need to be more ambitious. The goal shouldn’t be to save a handful of children.”

But surely the goal isn’t to NOT “save a handful of children,” is it?

Our own state superintendent, Deb Delisle, had indicated a similar view on Ohio vouchers: “You’ve given some kids an opportunity and you’ve allowed other kids to just wallow behind in a failing school.”

Even setting aside for a moment the systemic changes that vouchers encourage, why would we (and, morally, how can we) prefer other people’s kids “wallow behind” in schools that by all accounts are not serving most of their students well and seem stubbornly resistant to reform?

And it IS largely a discussion about other people’s kids, right? Are those who oppose vouchers willing for their own children, neighbors, or grandchildren to languish or “wallow” without alternatives?

Parents whose own children were languishing but now use the EdChoice Scholarship easily expose the outrageous idea that students should be without options when their school is failing them.

“In his previous public school, I shed tears numerous times when I would leave him at the school and he would do the same. Now, with the EdChoice Scholarship, Blake is doing very well, learning a lot, and enjoying a peaceful learning atmosphere at school, which I believe EVERY child deserves.”  - Suzan

“Prior to EdChoice, the quality of their education always came down to affordability despite their aptitude. Now, with that financial barrier breached, our children are free to climb as high as their abilities will take them.”  - Jera

“EdChoice has provided my grandson with a fresh start for his future. Whether children grow up to become productive, confident adults or angry and destructive will depend, at least in part, on their experience in the educational system. If given the opportunity to choose which environment best meets the needs of our children, I believe we will see more successful adults in the future.” - Nita

You may be familiar with the starfish story: “It made a difference for that one.” Here in Ohio, 20,000 students who use vouchers are among the ‘starfish’ that have a better foundation for the future because of school choice.

No, vouchers don’t ‘save’ everyone – but each child who moves from wallowing to a chance at success represents a victory.

- Sarah Pechan

While the correlation between standardized test scores and life outcomes down the road are (rightly) debated, high school graduation is one education outcome that everyone can agree matters.

The Alliance for Excellent Education (www.All4ed.org) released a study today showing how much more students in our nation’s largest metro areas would earn if the dropout rates in these cities were slashed in half.

The income boost for the hypothetical graduates in the Cleveland metro? They’re estimated at a collective $52 million per year for 4,048 happy graduates. And $39 million per year in the Columbus area for nearly 3,000 new grads. All this without even accounting for the broader impacts of higher tax bases, better trained entrepreneurs and employees, and neighborhood stability.

Together with the 48 other largest metro areas, the study predicts more than $4B in income gains per year for 299,878 students if the dropout rate dropped by half in these urban zones. While $4B wouldn’t be enough to recoup Freddie Mac’s 3^rd quarter losses, the impact on individual families and urban revitalization would be huge.

Now we know what we’re missing out on in Columbus and Cleveland. The question, of course, is this: What are we going to do about it?

- Sarah Pechan