Major Investment Solidifies State’s Pledge to Prepare All Ohio Youth for Demands of College and Work – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Governor Bob Taft today announced a $2.75 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will enable the state to align high school graduation expectations in English and math with the knowledge and skills needed for success in college and the workforce. These new college and work-ready standards, as well as expanded high school assessment tools, are designed to increase high school graduation and college/work-readiness rates statewide.

During the next three years, the Ohio Partnership for Continued Learning and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) will implement a multi-prong approach to ensure that every Ohio student has access to a rigorous college and work-ready curriculum, as outlined by the American Diploma Project, a national effort to restore value to the high school diploma. By 2015, the state aims to increase college and university enrollment by 30 percent while significantly reducing the need for remediation in post-secondary education.

“I am thrilled that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recognizes the Partnership’s determination to equip all Ohio students with the skills they need to succeed in school, on the job and in life,” said Governor Taft, chair of the Ohio Partnership for Continued Learning. “By increasing the number of Ohioans engaged in post-secondary education, we can strengthen our economy with a more educated and skilled workforce.”

Currently, according to the Ohio Department of Education, eighty-six percent of Ohio students graduate from high school, but a significant number of those students are not prepared for the demands of post-secondary education and the workforce. With additional state and private sector funding, the Partnership for Continue Learning will expand professional development for instruction in core subject areas and implement a communications effort to motivate all high school students to enroll in college-preparatory classes.

“It is critical that all Ohio high school students have access to a high-quality education that arms them with the skills they need to succeed in college and in meaningful jobs,” said Tom Vander Ark, executive director of education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “With this bold plan, supported by the planned local and state efforts to create nearly 75 new small high schools with rigorous and personalized learning environments, Ohio will be positioned to be a model for improving graduation and college-readiness rates nationwide.”

The Ohio Partnership for Continued Learning is comprised of members from all of Ohio’s major education boards and agencies; state legislators; civic, business and higher education leaders; as well as district and local school leaders and administrators. In addition, national and state high school reform leaders will serve on an advisory panel to provide additional guidance in the national initiative. Participants include the National Governors Association; Achieve, Inc.; the KnowledgeWorks Foundation of Cincinnati; and Battelle for Kids of Columbus.

Twenty-two states have agreed to increase graduation requirements, as recommended by the American Diploma Project, to fully prepare students for success in college and work by the time they graduate high school.  By increasing the value of the high school diploma, students will not only be prepared for their own futures, but increase the competitiveness of Ohio’s workforce and can help bolster the state’s economy. 

Since 2000, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invested more than $52 million statewide to redesign at least 30 high schools in 17 school systems and establish eight early college high schools.

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Governor Taft called for the creation of the Ohio Partnership for Continued Learning (www.pcl.ohio.gov) during his 2005 State of the State address.  Established in statute and chaired by Governor Taft, the Partnership includes leaders from education, business and industry, economic development, government and local communities.