PART II: Ohio schools that fail kids don't deserve more money. They need better leaders.

Originally published in the Columbus Dispatch, this is a slightly expanded version that goes into more detail. I truly appreciate the Dispatch for their willingness to include contrarian voices and headlines that help to sell newspapers.

Objective reality — which is the only kind of reality, of course — isn’t always pleasant. That’s the bad news. The good news is that acknowledging and confronting reality allows us to make good public policy.

So it is with education policy and funding for Ohio’s public schools. This is a frequent topic of my columns. Even those who may disagree with my policy prescriptions, should at least be able to acknowledge the underlying reality of the problem.

Reality #1: Despite significant, evidence-based legislative changes to Ohio’s K-12 education policies since 2012, when the third grade reading guarantee was established, far too many school districts still fail their students in early childhood literacy.

Statewide, 68% of third graders read at grade level. In Columbus City Schools and other urban districts in Cleveland and Dayton, the rates are just 41%, 35%, and 40%, respectively. Cincinnati does better at 57%.

Proficiently reading and writing in English isn’t just one component of academic achievement, it is the foundation of nearly all future learning and successful transition to adult self-sufficiency.

School districts that consistently fail to successfully teach these most basic foundational skills simply cannot be permitted to continue to fail.

Reality #2: Studies of typical childhood development highlight the importance of achieving proficient literacy by about age eight (third grade). Hence the third grade reading guarantee in Ohio and many other states.

Reality #3: While school funding and student socio-economic status are legitimate challenges, they aren’t an excuse for the failure of school districts to achieve early literacy objectives.

A few readers of my last column objected to my comparison of Columbus City Schools spending and results to those of wealthy suburban districts like New Albany and Upper Arlington.

Okay, let’s compare Columbus to the similar urban districts listed above.

Rounded to the nearest thousand, Columbus spends $20,000 per student, Cleveland is at $22,000, Dayton is $19,000, and Cincinnati spends the least at $17,000 per student but has 50% better early literacy results than the others.

Still think more money is the solution? The shining star in Ohio for early literacy is Steubenville City Schools with 98% of their third graders being literacy proficient or higher, and 62% being accomplished or advanced. This high-poverty district spends just $12,000 per student and achieves early literacy results that even top those of wealthy suburban districts.

The good news is, like Steubenville, we actually know what works.

Successful schools share a few common traits. The first is an intense leadership focus on early literacy achievement — without excuses. The next is use of an evidence-based curriculum executed with little deviation by teachers. Ongoing teacher training, intensive intervention for struggling readers, and robust accountability measures round out these success factors.

There are several writers who’ve been posting solid research on these topics and one of my favorites is Karen Vaites. She has a Substack that regularly reports on these topics. She spent time with me on the phone in researching this column and I’ve referenced and linked to several of her pieces below. She deserves a follow.

One of her latest is about the “Southern Surge” of states including Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama that have all followed the evidence-based success factors and rapidly moved their students into the top tier of reading ability.

Ohio’s lawmakers have made significant strides in legislating the common traits for successful early literacy. But there’s more homework to do and they should do it as part of the biennial budget being finalized now.

Governor DeWine’s push for legislation mandating the “Science of Reading” curriculum is evidence-based but the state recommends dozens of curricula to districts, several of which don’t have good evidence. Particularly for underperforming districts, the state Department of Education should fully vet and approve a much shorter list of well-proven curricula — and the legislature should fund only those.

While good curriculum is necessary, it won’t work unless it’s consistently implemented in every classroom. I respect teacher autonomy to use their individual style to teach the prescribed curriculum, but there simply cannot be a choice whether to teach it.

The General Assembly should also tighten the exceptions for social promotion to fourth grade of children who lack the necessary literacy skills. This is a critical accountability measure for schools and teachers — and parents too. It’s unacceptable that CCS can boast of 97% of students advancing to fourth grade when only 41% read and write at grade level.

I’ve worked in public school leadership for 13 years. I was part of the negotiating team of my BOE for two teacher contracts and helped to rewrite the script on aligning teacher and administrator compensation with objective improvements in academic outcomes. There’s still more to do and some of that requires better leadership from Ohio’s General Assembly and Governor’s office.

The coddling and cajoling has to end. We’ve allowed to much harm to too many kids. State funding of Ohio’s public schools must be tied to objective accountability measures for academic outcomes.

Lack of money isn’t the problem. Lack of determined leadership and accountability are.

That’s reality.

Reality doesn’t care about excuses. Neither should we. Ohio’s two million children depend on it.

New Albany resident Philip Derrow is a retired business owner. He was a two-term member of the New Albany-Plain Local Board of Education. He is a regular Columbus Dispatch contributor. Reach him at philderrowdispatch@gmail.com.