Columbus, Ohio – Governor Ted Strickland today received the final report of the Public-Private Collaborative Commission from Commission co-chairs Gene Harris, superintendent of Columbus City Schools, and Jerry Jurgensen, chief executive officer of Nationwide.
The goals of the Public-Private Collaborative Commission were to make policy and programmatic recommendations to the governor and the Ohio General Assembly to promote higher levels of student achievement.
“I thank the members of the Public-Private Collaborative Commission for their service and for their willingness to look beyond what we do today and ask what we can do better for the future of education in Ohio,” Strickland said. “I look forward to closely reading the Commission’s recommendations as we look for new ideas to make Ohio's schools the best in the nation.”
The final report, titled “Supporting Student Success: A New Learning Day in Ohio,” includes four “game-changing” action priorities that will enable Ohio’s system of education to be more personalized and learning to become extended and accelerated beyond traditional classroom settings. The action priorities will require communities, families and schools to work together to ensure Ohio’s school children are prepared for the jobs of the future and can meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
“The report outlines how we will work to expand the educational achievement of our young people and prepare them for the economic, social and cultural changes that we are experiencing today,” Harris said. “Our students must leave school with the creativity, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that they need to be successful and productive in a global workforce.”
The four “game-changing” action priorities are:
o Create a new culture of learning in which entire communities share responsibility for the well-being and educational performance of every student.
o Meet the learning needs of all students through a system of extended, accelerated and connected learning.
o Make dropout prevention, early intervention and recovery a priority in every Ohio school and school district, beginning in the early grades.
o Enhance school leaders’ willingness and capacity to build strategic bridges with families and communities.
“In an increasing global economy, our students need an education system that will help them develop the skills and knowledge needed to compete for the jobs of the future,” Jurgensen said. “Through a partnership with our government leaders, businesses and local communities, we will carry out the Commission’s recommendations and reshape the way we think about education in Ohio.”
The Public-Private Collaborative Commission was a provision championed by state Sen. Ron Amstutz in Senate Bill 311, legislation passed by the Ohio General Assembly in late 2006 that established the Ohio Core Curriculum. The Commission began work on the report in November 2007. Members of the Commission included: Eric D. Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents; Michael Mann, principal of the Lincoln Way Elementary School in Wooster; Adrienne O’Neill, president of the Stark Education Partnership in Canton; and Susan Tave Zelman, superintendent of the Ohio Department of Education.
A copy of the report is available for download at: www.ode.state.oh.us.