Education

By Dr. Zoe Plotnick, School Improvement Representative School leadership practices that center student voice support learning environments that are equitable, inclusive and responsive. For schools serving students from traditionally underserved populations, however, collecting and acting on student experience data must become an imperative. Students with disabilities, multilingual learners, at-promise youth, and students from other marginalized […]

We’re delighted to share that this year’s holiday card will once again spotlight the remarkable creativity of students in our sponsored schools. Learners from across all grade levels were invited to submit their festive artwork, and we’re proud to congratulate this year’s winners: Tayla, a 7th grader from Horizon Science Academy Columbus Middle School, and

By Joni Byus, School Improvement Representative Over the past several years, most schools in our portfolio have experienced the impact of the national teacher shortage firsthand. While there are many contributing factors, it is important that we do not remain focused solely on the causes. Instead, our collective energy should be directed toward understanding how the

By Brit Seward, M.Ed., School Improvement Specialist, Mathematics Across our portfolio, mathematics results show small signs of improvement, but proficiency remains alarmingly low. For example, only 9.7% of students scored proficient in Algebra I this fall, compared to 62.7% statewide (Ohio Department of Education & Workforce, 2025). These numbers are not just statistics—they represent opportunities

By Mindy Farry, BCHF School Improvement and Accountability Representative When I saw Stephen Covey’s book, Trust and Inspire at a little local bookstore I love in New York City, I couldn’t resist. In this book, he makes a strong case for making a systemic shift in leadership styles. He stresses that the world has changed, but that in most

During our Education Division staff retreat this June, we engaged in strategic planning with The National Charter Schools Institute. A key part of the experience was reconnecting with our “why” in education, a reflection on the personal purpose that drives our work. We’re excited to begin sharing those stories in upcoming Sponsor Updates. We’re kicking

By Stan Nicol, Data Analysis and School Accountability Representative, BCHF  Years ago, the Education Management Information System (EMIS) had an error report called the “Agg-5”. This was a reporting error report schools would use to clean up their data before submitting it to the State Department. When I worked with the data, I decided that