For Immediate Release

Contact: Kyra Jennings
(202) 547-0001/(800) 546-0027

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) today released a comprehensive report examining both the achievements and struggles of Ohio charter schools. While the rapid spread of charter schools across the state has led to structural obstacles and uneven performance, the new study finds that Ohio is poised to move into a period of more stable growth and academic improvement. The report, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is the sixth in an ongoing PPI series of analyses of state and urban charter school experiences.

In A Tough Nut to Crack in Ohio, education writer Alexander Russo examines the history, status, and future of the charter school effort in Ohio. He finds that there are many exemplary charter schools in the Buckeye State, but also ongoing problems -- including strong opposition to charters and uneven quality among charter schools and authorizers -- that must be addressed to further charter school growth.

Ohio started with just 15 charter schools in 1998 and is now the sixth-largest charter school state in the nation. However, initial charter school laws were in many ways contradictory, creating significant challenges for ensuring charter school quality. Current achievement results present a mixed and incomplete picture, generally showing charters underperforming on statewide tests, in part because Ohio charter schools serve higher percentages of poor and minority students than other public schools in the state, with one-third less funding. Russo describes how the original laws have been revised and finds that many schools are now showing signs of improvement, turning alarm into cautious optimism.

Russo offers Ohio policymakers a series of recommendations for charter school improvement, including:

• Build the Quality and Supply of Charter Schools. The state should increase funding for charter schools and dedicate a percentage of funds for facilities; protect and promote stand-alone charter schools; allow the spread of start-up charter schools statewide, not just in disadvantaged areas; import proven charter models from other states; and, recruit traditional school districts as sponsors and entice universities, think tanks, and the private sector to become involved in the charter movement.
• Strengthen Accountability and Improve Charter School Oversight. Policymakers should require that evaluations of Ohio charter schools provide more timely and complete data to answer opponents' critiques and give a thorough assessment of the schools' performance. The state should also look for ways to attract more high-quality sponsors to help ensure better charter school accountability.
• Improve Political Support and Advocacy for Charter Schools. Increased support for organizations like the Ohio Charter Schools Association would help such charter advocates weigh in more forcefully and substantively in a tough political environment, providing a more unified voice for charters around the state.

"The record of charter schools in Ohio is better than the fiercest critics claim, though not nearly as good as charter supporters should want," says Andrew Rotherham, director of PPIs 21st Century Schools Project. "This report will help policymakers sift through the rhetoric and take concrete steps to improve charter schooling in Ohio so that it reaches its full potential."

The 21st Century Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute works to develop education policy and foster innovation to ensure that America's public schools are an engine of equal opportunity in the knowledge economy. Through research, publications and articles, a regular electronic newsletter and daily weblog, www.eduwonk.com, and work with policymakers and practitioners, the Project supports initiatives to strengthen accountability, increase equity, improve teacher quality, and expand choice and innovation within public education. For more information, web users may access PPI online or contact PPI's communications office at (202) 547-0001.