Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Ohio Gadfly, a bi-weekly source for news, analysis, and insight into the education reform effort in Ohio. This e-newsletter is written, edited, and produced right here in the Buckeye State by staff of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Dayton. Since 1998, Fordham has been out front on school reform issues in our home community and across the state. In 2005, we took the unprecedented step of putting our credibility on the line (and our ideals into action) by becoming a charter school sponsor. Our unique combination of policy expertise and practical experience will inform each issue in a way that no other publication in the state can. The Ohio Gadfly is an off-shoot of the original Education Gadfly, published in Washington, D.C., which launched in 2001 and today reaches 7,000 readers across the country. Our new publication will surely benefit from its older sibling's experience. Also, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is providing grant money that is critical to our success. We believe The Ohio Gadfly will play an important role in informing the dialogue and inspiring the debate around pressing issues facing K-12 education in the Buckeye State, and your feedback and comments are most welcome. Please share your ideas about anything we write by sending your comments to [email protected].
—Chester E. Finn, Jr., President and Terry Ryan, Vice President for Ohio Programs and Policy
Thomas B. Fordham Institute
November 2, 2005
