Abstract
For over two decades the State of Ohio has been reforming its education system. This article focuses on the 2006 reform initiatives: a newly elected governor pledged to review and revise its 2002 kindergarten to twelfth grad (K-12) academic content standards and benchmark them to international “best-in-class” measures, given Ohio’s need to develop human talent for new industries to replace disappearing jobs in manufacturing. Rather than look at only one other country or state in the US, Ohio compared its standards to those of eight countries and one province; based on this analysis, it rewrote its standards. Ohio has formally adopted the U.S. Common Core Standards and joined the national Partnership for 21st Century Skills, using those learning frameworks to pass legislative amendments for new academic standards and model curriculum. US federal funding from both “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top” ($400 million) confirms and validates the state’s efforts to build a world-class education system that will make Ohio’s students more competitive in a global economy that demands innovation and a highly skilled workforce.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achieve (1999). A new compact for Ohio’s schools: A report to Ohio’s educational policy leaders. Washington, DC: Achieve, Inc. http://www.achieve.org/node/329.
Achieve (2007). Creating a world-class education system in Ohio. Washington, DC: Achieve, Inc. http://www.achieve.org/files/World_Class_Edu_Ohio_FINAL.pdf.
Adams, D. (2007). Implementing and sustaining educational reforms: The case for little “r”. Prospects, 37(4), 385–401.
Bercovitch, S. (1978). The American jeremiad. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
Caldwell, B. J. (2000). Strategic intentions for professionals in world-class schools. Prospects, 30(2), 189–200.
Carnoy, M. (1999). Globalisation and educational reform: What planners need to know. Paris: UNESCO IIEP.
CCSSO [Council of Chief State School Officers] (2010a). Partnership for next generation learning: Overview. http://www.ccsso.org/What_We_Do/Next_Generation_Learners.html.
CCSSO [Council of Chief State School Officers] (2010b). Press release, June 2, 2010: National Governors Association and state education chiefs launch common state academic standards. http://www.ccsso.org/News_and_Events/Press_Releases/NATIONAL_GOVERNORS_ASSOCIATION_AND_STATE_EDUCATION_CHIEFS_LAUNCH_COMMON_STATE_ACADEMIC_STANDARDS_.html.
CCSSO [Council of Chief State School Officers] (2012). About the standards. http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards.
Delisle, D. (2009, December 1). Speech to Ohio General Assembly. http://linksandthreads.com/StrategicPlan4Ohio.pdf.
Desimone, L. (2002). How can comprehensive school reform models be successfully implemented? Review of Educational Research, 72(3), 433–479.
Duncan, A. (2010, April 21). Keeping the promise to all America’s children. Remarks to the Council for Exceptional Children. http://www2.ed.gov/news/speeches/2010/04/04212010.html.
Gottlieb, E. E., & Cornbleth, C. (1989). The professionalization of tomorrow’s teachers: An analysis of U.S. teacher-education reform rhetoric. Journal of Education for Teaching, 15(1), 3–15.
Gottlieb, E. E. (1991). Global rhetoric, local policy: Teacher training reform in Israeli education. Educational Policy, 5(2), 178–192.
Heffner, S. W. (2010). Revision of Ohio’s academic content standards. Presentation to the Ohio State Board of Education, May 11, 2010. http://www.education.ohio.gov/GD/DocumentManagement/DocumentDownload.aspx?DocumentID=86050.
IEAC [International Education Advisory Council] (2008a). IEAC mission. http://www.thinkglobalohio.org/pages/about/about.html.
IEAC [International Education Advisory Council] (2008b). Strategic plan for international education in Ohio. http://www.education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?Page=3&TopicRelationID=1785&Content=124695.
Keser, Ö. F. (2005). Recommendations towards developing educational standards to improve science education in Turkey. The Turkish Journal of Educational Technology, 4(1), 6–46.
Longview Foundation (2012). Foundation website. http://www.longviewfdn.org.
Martha Holden Jennings Foundation (2012). Organization website. http://www.mhjf.org/.
McKinsey & Company (2012). Company website. http://www.mckinsey.com.
NCEE [National Commission on Excellence in Education] (1983). A nation at risk. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
NGA [National Governors Association], CCSSO [Council of Chief State School Officers], and Achieve (2008). Benchmarking for success: Ensuring U.S. students receive a world-class education. Washington, DC: NGA, CCSSO, and Achieve, Inc. http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/0812BENCHMARKING.PDF.
Obama, B. (2010). Statement by the president on the 35th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/29/statement-president-35th-anniversary-individuals-with-disabilities-educa.
OBE [Ohio Board of Education] (2009a). Meeting the challenges of the 21st century: A vision for transforming PK-12 education in Ohio. Columbus: OBE. http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=578&ContentID=64269&Content=109175.
OBE [Ohio Board of Education] (2009b). State Board of Education commends Governor Strickland for reform recommendations: Recognizes Ohio teachers of the year (Board Brief, February 2009). Columbus: OBE. http://education.ohio.gov/GD/.
ODE [Ohio Department of Education] (2004). Senate Bill 2, The Educators Standard Board. Columbus: ODE. http://esb.ode.state.oh.us/PDF/Standards_BkIntro_sept07.pdf.
ODE [Ohio Department of Education] (2005). Educational Choice Scholarship Program (EdChoice). Columbus: ODE. www.ode.state.oh.us/gd/gd.aspx?page=2&TopicRelationID=667.
ODE [Ohio Department of Education] (2010, September 21). First lens of international benchmarking report. Columbus: ODE, Office of Curriculum and Instruction. http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1696&ContentID=83819&Content=125704.
ODE [Ohio Department of Education] (2011). Model curriculum and model curriculum resources. Columbus: ODE. http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1696&ContentID=83819&Content=125704.
Ohio Board of Regents (2008). Strategic plan for higher education, 2008–2017. Columbus: Ohio Board of Regents of Ohio System. http://regents.ohio.gov/.
OHR [Ohio House of Representatives] (2009). Academic standards: Model curriculum. Ohio House Bill 1, Revised Codes: 3301.079. Amended by 128th General Assembly File No. 9, HB 1, § 101.01, eff. 10/16/2009. http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/3301.079.
P21 [Partnership for 21st Century Learning] (2009). P21 framework definitions. Tucson, AZ: P21. http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/P21_Framework_Definitions.pdf.
P21 [Partnership for 21st Century Learning] (2011a). Framework for 21st century learning. http://www.p21.org/overview/skills-framework.
P21 [Partnership for 21st Century Learning] (2011b). Mission statement http://www.p21.org/overview/p21-faq#what_mission.
Plisko, V. (2009). Approaches in the United States to benchmarking at the subnational level. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. http://www.iea.nl/fileadmin/user_upload/General_Assembly/50th_GA/GA50_Subnational_Performance_USA.pdf.
Slaughter, S., & Leslie, L. L. (1997). Academic capitalism: Politics, policies and the entrepreneurial university. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Steiner-Khamsi, G. (Ed.). (2004). Lessons from elsewhere: The politics of educational borrowing and lending. New York: Teachers College Press.
Strickland, T. (2009). Speech at City Club of Cleveland. http://www.ideastream.org/cityclub/entry/27197.
US DOE [United States Department of Education] (2002). No Child Left Behind. Washington, DC: US DOE www2.ed.gov/nclb/.
US DOE [United States Department of Education] (2006). No Child Left Behind Act is working. Washington, DC: US DOE. http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/overview/importance/nclbworking.html.
Woolard, J. C. (2009). Benchmarking Ohio to international assessment and high performing countries: Utilizing the survey of enacted curriculum (SEC) framework. Columbus: ODE.
Woolard, J. C. (2012, April 24). Prelude to the Common Core: Internationally benchmarking a state’s math standards and assessments. Educational Policy. doi:10.1177/0895904811429287.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
ThinkGlobalOhio.org is the Internet site set up by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) International Education Advisory Committee. Hosted by Time Warner Cable and funded by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, the site states that it “serves as an online advocacy toolkit for international education in Ohio”. The aim is to have a site that is not part of state government. The ODE website is www.ode.state.oh.us/.
About this article
Cite this article
Gottlieb, E.E. Making education world-class: “ThinkGlobalOhio”. Prospects 42, 285–301 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-012-9242-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-012-9242-x