From Emmy Partin, Fordham's writer and researcher in the Ohio office:
Four years ago, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation went from talking the talk of school reform to literally walking the walk when we signed an agreement with Ohio's State Board of Education to become a charter school authorizer (called a ???sponsor??? in the Buckeye State).?? To our knowledge, we are the only think tank in the country that has taken on such a role.?? Urban education is hard work and sponsorship has been a humbling experience.?? But it has also been an enlightening one, and we are constantly learning lessons worth sharing.
One way in which we share what we've learned as a sponsor is through our annual sponsorship report. To say the least, 2007-08 was a year of major change to Fordham's small portfolio of schools: we helped close three schools, parted company from two, and helped open two more, including Ohio's first KIPP school.?? Similar to their peers in Ohio's major urban cities, our schools struggle mightily to educate kids to basic standards.?? Yet witnessing their struggles first-hand hasn't caused us to water down our expectations or lower the bar for charter school quality.?? Instead, it has inspired us to work even harder to strengthen public education in Ohio and beyond.
Read Climbing to Quality: 2007-08 Fordham Sponsorship Accountability Report here.