State Board Leadership Focus and Achievements

I have been instrumental in focusing the Board and Department of Education on Middle Grade Education, including having Middle Schools added to the title of the Quality Middle and High School Subcommittee of the board and in the 2007 Board Priorities. Much department work is now focused on these important years for our 11 to 15 year olds and our board vision supports these efforts.

Participation of the Regional Safe Schools Summit in 2007, has led to my encouragement of our school districts to stress anti-bullying policies, education and programs. I have been promoting the "The Comprehensive System of Learning Supports Guidelines", adopted in 2007, to Superintendents. These guidelines represent the best practices necessary for students to be able to achieve academically.

Alerted to the need by a constituent, I have worked with the Assessment Department to create rules for OGT testing that allow for students missing the test due to medical emergencies to take the test at the next available testing period.

The Board accepted Achieve Report stressed the challenge of a global economy to Ohio 's workforce (View the full Achieve Report here. Jane's comments can be found in her March 2007 article, located here.). The report focused on what Ohio education needs to do to best prepare our students for success in this new world. Because the Achieve Report also expressed the need for the wider community to be involved in the education of our children, I have been speaking to many civic organizations in many of my counties. I welcome any opportunity. Please contact me so we can have this important conversation.

Where the Work of the Board Must Focus

 The Board vision provides a framework for our upcoming efforts. Most important of these is the overarching need to have ALL our students achieve, academically. There are specific points that I consider absolutely vital to our success.

• The education of Ohio 's students is too important to be driven by politics. The most successful practices are those most carefully considered that are given great thought, input from all stakeholders and time for pilot programs to work out the problems and to develop the best practices for individual students.
• Community and family support and participation in our schools are vital for the success of our children.
• Families and children need support from community and schools to overcome the nonacademic barriers for educational success.
• A safe school environment is the basic foundation for improved student learning.
• Early childhood education is the most cost effective effort to ensure academic success.
• Our middle grade students must be asked to do more rigorous course work and must be prepared to take responsibility, with their teachers, for their own education. The middle grades are a major key for high school and post-secondary success.
• Quality education opportunities must include teaching the necessary, basic core knowledge within the context of critical thinking and problem solving.
• Teachers must be able to read, understand, and use data to drive their teaching.
• Most important, the academic achievement of Ohio 's children will be the driving force for Ohio 's economic success in our future.

Ohio education is in the lead in addressing student learning, school and district leadership, teacher growth and recognition, and in measuring the academic growth of each student. It will take hard work on everyone's part, from the Governor and Legislature, the State Board of Education, Department of Education, all our educators, families and communities to help ALL our children reach their full potential. In spite of Ohio 's serious economic challenge, this is a pivotal moment for our state to address the problems, challenges and current trends of successful education in Ohio . The time to begin is now.