Which Way for Higher Education in Ohio?

With much fanfare, the Ohio Board of Regents has presented a long-term plan for higher education in the State of Ohio. There are a number of things that are very positive about this development. For example, the very act of thinking about the long-term higher education needs of the state and...

Higher Education Vouchers in Ohio: A Proposal for 'CollegeChoice' Program

Access, affordability, and accountability loom large as issues facing higher education in Ohio. Ohioans want to have access to higher education, they want it to be affordable, and policymakers providing money to higher education institutions want these schools to be accountable for these funds....

A Child-Centered Solution to School Finance in Ohio

Executive SummaryEducating children is not the same as directly funding school systems. A child-centered school finance policy that supports the choices of parents can create higher-quality schools and more equality in the educational opportunities available to children. The only way to ensure...

Shortchanging Disadvantaged Students: An Analysis of Intra-district Spending Patterns in Ohio

One of the reasons that school finance has remained such a central issue in Ohio is the continued poor performance of high-poverty schools. Despite prolonged legislative activity, the achievement gap between white and minority students and between property-rich and property-poor school districts persists. The lack of progress is all the more troubling given the steady increases in overall funding to the system.

Highlights of Florida's Experience with McKay

With 17,000 students participating after only six years of full operation, the McKay Scholarship program in Florida appears to be a program serving very well at least the most motivated and informed of special needs parents.The verdict is out on how well the program serves just as deserving parents...

Segregation Levels in Cleveland Public Schools and the Cleveland Voucher Program

This study compares the levels of segregation in Cleveland public schools to private schools participating in Cleveland's voucher program. It also compares segregation levels between public and private schools in the 100 largest cities in the United States. The study is being released jointly by the Buckeye Institute and the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation.

The Determinants of Student Achievement in Ohio's Public Schools

This policy report rigorously analyzes the factors most commonly thought to affect student achievement. It uses quantitative econometric techniques to separate the factors that truly matter from the ones that only distract policy makers from effective change. This study breaks new ground by also analyzing the factors that influence student performance in charter schools.

Lessons for Improving Ohio's EdChoice Voucher Program

In order to draw lessons on how to improve Ohio's new EdChoice voucher program, this report looks at the processes for participating in the Milwaukee and Cleveland voucher programs. From these comparisons it is clear that there are still important ways in which the EdChoice program can be made easier to use.

The Financial Impact of Ohio's Charter Schools

This brief fiscal analysis of charter schools shows that, because of the nature of Ohio's school funding system, these schools are actually creating increased per pupil revenues for the urban areas they are most likely to be located in. Also, the fiscal data shows that charter schools, on average, operate at a lower cost than their urban counterparts, thus relieving stress on the state budget.

Using the Ohio Proficiency Test to Analyze the Academic Achievement of Charter School Students: 2002-2004

Using Ohio Proficiency Test (OPT) data from 2002 to 2004, this study of Ohio charter school performance finds that charter schools are making greater gains than their traditional public school counterparts on many of the subject tests. On several of the tests, charter schools are performing as well as their neighboring public schools, and in no case are charter schools doing worse than their traditional public school counterparts.

The Case for Community Schools in Ohio

The debate over Ohio's community, or "charter," school experiment has reached new levels of contentiousness. The Ohio General Assembly is actively considering a permanent cap on the total number of community schools as a result.

An analysis of community school funding and state expenditures, however, suggests that many of the arguments used by their opponents are flawed or incorrect.

Education Empowerment Zones: Revitalizing Ohio's Cities through School Choice

Research shows that parents want to live where they have access to good schools. The declining quality of Ohio's urban public schools, among other factors, has led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of residents in recent decades. Poor school quality may be one of the most important obstacles...

High School Graduation Rates in Ohio

Graduation rates continue to be a universal barometer of school quality. Assuming equivalent graduation standards, schools that graduate a higher percentage of students should be viewed as more effective than those that graduate a lower percentage.

A 2001 study published by the Manhattan Institute, however, found that reported graduation rates may not accurately measure school success. Many of the nation’s largest public school districts, including Cleveland and Columbus, reported graduation rates that were misleading and/or inaccurate.

This study updates and expands the previous Manhattan Institute analysis by calculating and reporting reliable and straightforward public school district graduation rates for Ohio’s 50 largest school districts.

Empowering Parents: Using Ohio's Tax Code to Promote Choice and Innovation in Ohio's Public Schools

Ohio has been a leader in efforts to return control of education to parents. This policy study proposes to build upon that legacy through the development of statewide tuition tax credits.

After DeRolph III: Who Makes Public Policy in Ohio, the Legislature or the Courts?

The Ohio Supreme Court’s recent decision in the school funding case has refocused attention on the role of the judiciary in our society. It is the latest in a line of recent cases where Ohio’s highest court has moved from the traditional role of case adjudication to becoming the final authority on various public policy matters in Ohio, including school funding, taxation, state spending, tort reform, workers’ compensation reform and others.

This systematic usurpation of legislative authority by the court violates bedrock constitutional principles, undermines the independence of Ohio’s judiciary, and should lead to specific action by the General Assembly to reassert itself as a coequal branch of government and reestablish the traditional American form of government in Ohio.

Missing the Bus: An Analysis of Taking Them for a Ride: An Assessment of the Privatization of School Transportation

The following is an assessment of Taking Them for a Ride: An Assessment of the Privatization of School Transportation in Ohio’s Public School Districts, a study authored by Mark Cassell, Kent State University associate professor of political science. The study was funded and presented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) on May 16, 2000.

Choice and Community: The Racial, Economic, and Religious Context of Parental Choice in Cleveland

Despite the claims of critics, school choice in Cleveland contributes to racial integration by providing families with access to private schools that, on average, are better racially integrated than are the public schools in the Cleveland metropolitan area.

Giving Choice a Chance: Cleveland and the Future of School Reform

In June of 1994, Ohio Governor George Voinovich signed into law the country’s first voucher program to include sectarian schools. Voucher programs allow student-recipients and their parents to use government funds reserved for education to choose a public or private school. Ohio’s program targeted several thousand low-income residents of Cleveland for eligibility. Bringing school choice to inner-city Cleveland was the result of the persistent legislative efforts of lawmakers, grassroots activists and school reformers statewide. In light of the growth of the nationwide movement for school choice, Ohio’s experience offers key lessons for school reformers both in and outside of the Buckeye state.

Children First: A Discussion Paper on Public School Finance and Education Reform in Ohio

In March, 1997, the Ohio Supreme Court mandated a complete overhaul of the state's system of public school finance. This discussion paper outlines a framework for a child-centered education approach to meeting the Supreme Court requirements and implementing effective, system-wide school reform.

Competitive Contracting in Ohio Public Schools

Ohio schools spends billions on non-instructional services, including operations and maintenance, transportation, food service, and district general administration.

Spending constraints are driving school boards and superintendents to look for new ways to reduce costs. One option is to outsource services. This study reports and analyzes the results of a state-wide survey of school district contracting activity and finds that Ohio could achieve significant cost savings through further outsourcing.

Public School Funding in Ohio: Is it Really That Unequal?

This report examines the education funding inequality issue and concludes that Ohio's system of funding is much more equal than most people realize, according to data and classifications used by the Ohio Department of Education.