Publications

The Louisiana Recovery School District: Lessons for the Buckeye State

January 17, 2012

By Nelson Smith

Is it time for Ohio to take bolder steps toward turning around its most troubled schools and districts? If so, what might the alternatives look like? In looking for alternatives to simply doing more of the same, Ohio policymakers are looking to the experiences of other states. Among the boldest and most interesting of these is Louisiana’s Recovery School District (RSD), which is accomplishing both significant gains in student achievement and consequential impacts on district-level standards. In this recent report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute author Nelson Smith ask if and how the RSD concept might be a model for Ohio.

Rethinking Education Governance for the Twenty-First Century

December 1, 2011

School reforms abound today, yet even the boldest and most imaginative among them have produced—at best—marginal gains in student achievement. What America needs in the twenty-first century is a far more profound version of education reform. Instead of shoveling yet more policies, programs, and practices into our current system, we must deepen our understanding of the obstacles to reform that are posed by existing structures, governance arrangements, and power relationships. Yet few education reformers—or public officials—have been willing to delve into this touchy territory.

After the Budget, What Next? Ohio's Education Policy Priorities

August 1, 2011

To what extent have Ohio's leaders met the challenges and opportunities before them in K-12 education? What needs to happen next?

Yearning to Break Free: Ohio Superintendents Speak Out

Steve Farkas , Ann Duffett / March 3, 2011

Statewide survey of Ohio school district superintendents (and other education leaders) on the most critical issues facing K-12 education in the Buckeye State, including budgets, school effectiveness, and troublesome laws.