A task force of Ohio foundations and other grantmaking organizations is calling on state leaders to improve public education by adopting five broad, ambitious policy priorities.
Ohio needs to resolve its long-term funding crisis, develop a more coherent system of preschool through higher education, adopt stronger academic standards and graduation requirements, create a better pool of teachers and principals, and ensure that all schools are held to the same accountability standards, the group says.
The report issued earlier this month by the Ohio Grantmakers Forum, which represents organizations that donate about $300 million annually to education initiatives, marks the first time that foundations across the state collectively have weighed in on statewide education policy debates.
Ronald B. Richard, the president and chief executive officer of the Cleveland Foundation, who led the task force, said in a statement that grantmakers got involved because education is the key to helping Ohio regain its competitive edge nationally and internationally.
