By Miesha Headen, DFER Ohio State Director
Many things are in happening across the Ohio education reform landscape. Here are some we think are particularly notable:
Expanding School Choice in Ohio: The 2011 State budget increased the number of EdChoice vouchers available to students from 14,000 to 30,000. After the second application process closed on August 15th, the Ohio Department of Education reported that 17,003 students statewide have applied for EdChoice this year, including 1,623 new scholarship applicants and 58 students who applied for scholarship renewals. Interest in the scholarship has been growing as parents have learned more about the program and weighed their educational options. The Tribune Today reports on how the expansion of the voucher program is affecting Mahoning County with a quote from School Choice Ohio’s Executive Director, Chad Aldis.
Report Cards: The Ohio Department of Education released report cards for all district schools on Tuesday, August 23rd. Of the 613 school districts in Ohio, 352 received the State’s highest two designations, Excellent with Distinction and Excellent, while no districts fell into the lowest category, Academic Emergency, according to State Impact Ohio. The report card “heat map” (courtesy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer) also shows the school grades for every county in Ohio. The map highlights some of Ohio’s less affluent, rural counties – such as Ashtabula, Pike, and Belmont – which also struggle with mediocre public schools.