A Report Outlines Changes To Improve Ohio Charter Schools

A report released this morning on Ohio's charter schools finds that many continue to struggle with performance, despite their growing number. Today there are 390 charter schools serving about 124,000 Ohio students-or 7% of students statewide. The non-profit group Bellwether Education Partners along with the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a pro-charter school group conducted the analysis of the Ohio charter schools. Ten policy changes are recommended. Those include holding sponsors more accountable and restructuring how sponsors are funded. State Auditor David Yost says the report is helpful. “This report does a good job of pointing out where Ohio’s governance of community schools doesn’t work,” said Auditor of State Dave Yost. Auditor Yost added he hopes the recommendations will be among the General Assembly's priorities in its next session. Yost, a supporter of the school choice movement, has been a leading critic of the state’s byzantine regulatory system.