Since 2001, superintendents and teacher union presidents from the eight largest
urban school districts in Ohio – Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus,
Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown – have worked together in a strategic alliance known
as the "Ohio 8 Coalition." Their mission is to work with policymakers to improve
academic performance and close the achievement gap for urban children throughout
Ohio. Toward that end, the Ohio 8 focused on four strategic priorities:
- Improvement and innovation
- Policy
- Leadership
- Innovation.
In the fall of 2007, the Ohio 8 Leadership Council began examining future trends
in order to reinforce its long-term vision and strategic plan. With support from
KnowledgeWorks, Ohio 8 members participated in a comprehensive scenario-planning
process facilitated by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL),
an organization with expertise in future-focused strategic planning. The process
enabled the Council to explore trends depicted in KnowledgeWorks' Map of Future
Forces Affecting Education, design future scenarios for the year 2020, and
analyze the implications for urban education in Ohio beginning in 2008. Based on
their deliberations, the Ohio 8 developed a set of robust recommendations and subsequent
actions designed to position themselves successfully for the future. Their report is called Leading the Parade: Transforming Urban Public Education in Ohio to Become a High Demand and High Performing System in 2020.
Learn more about their recommendations:
Read the Executive Summary
Read the Four Scenarios Developed by Ohio 8
Read the Full Report
DVD: Leading the Parade: Transforming Urban Public Education in Ohio
In addition to the report, McREL developed a DVD covering the Ohio 8 Coalition’s
steps and outcomes of their year-long strategic planning process. Below you will
find links to the each chapter, including the possible scenarios for the future.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Prescription for Life
Chapter 3: General Issue
Chapter 4: Surviving in the Cracks
Chapter 5: Me as We
Chapter 6: Recommendations and Discussion