Primer - Archive

May 2010

Believing in Genius: The Power of Teacher Expectations. By Natalie Wester, 2010 Ohio Teacher of the Year

April 2010

Turning around schools through magnet approaches that create socioeconomic diversity. By Richard D. Kahlenberg, The Century Foundation

March 2010

Opportunities and issues for full-day kindergarten in Ohio. By Kristin Menhorn, Toledo Public Schools

February 2010

Ohio Green Jobs and Workforce Needs. By John Habat, Senior Fellow, Center for Community Solutions

January 2010

Ohio’s Promise: The state plan for preparing students for their future. By Deborah S. Delisle, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ohio Department of Education

December 2009

Exploring ways districts can share services and remain independent. By Jane Dockery, Greene County Schools Shared Service Delivery Initiative

November 2009

How the draft Common Core standards stack up against existing benchmarks. By Sheila Byrd Carmichael, W. Stephen Wilson, Chester E. Finn, Jr., and Amber M. Winkler, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

October 2009

The role of early college high school and dual credit in changing the college-going culture in Ohio. By Joseph A. Rochford, Ph.D., Stark Education Partnership

September 2009

Finally, Ohio is on the road to a constitutional system of school funding. By William Phillis, Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding

July-August 2009

A framework for choosing effective strategies to transform failing high schools. By Robert Balfanz, Cheryl Almeida, Adria Steinberg, Janet Santos and Joanna Hornig Fox for Everyone Graduates Center and Jobs for the Future

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Ohio’s Promise: The state plan for preparing students for their future

Deborah S. Delisle
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ohio Department of Education

Education is the primary driver for success in the 21st century and Ohio is fortunate to have a strong system of public education. During the past decade, significant progress has been made. Students have shown strong gains in academic achievement, the quality of educators continues to improve, districts and schools are implementing innovative programs to support students and their families and community partnerships are increasing. Ohio’s ranking in the annual Education Week Quality Counts report also continues to improve. According to the 2010 report, Ohio’s educational system is now fifth in the nation. This is the third straight year Ohio has gained ground in the Quality Counts report. Previously, Ohio ranked seventh in 2008 and sixth in 2009.

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How Early College changed the way I think about the world

By Lauren Merrell
Senior, Toledo Early College High School

It was a day like any other day, in the summer of 2005, when I went out to get the mail for my parents. I was 14 at the time and always wanted to get the mail on the slim chance that there would be something in the old box for me. However, this time there was something in that box, a letter addressed to: "The Parents of Lauren Michelle Merrell." My father was at work and my mother was in the dining room, so I took the letter to her as I was reading it out loud. My hands shook and I screamed out loud as I read the first line of this letter: "Congratulations you have been accepted to Toledo Early College High School..." I practically jumped up and down and I hugged my mom as my eyes began to fill with tears. These tears were not only of joy, but of the hope that I would make it…I would do something with my life that was amazing.

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