Trending
Want to know more about how well Buckeye State public schools are preparing our young people for the next phase of their lives? The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce announced last week a couple of new tools: one tracking the education level of high school graduates, and another tracking career outcomes.
According to a report by WFMJ, the idea is to help families, educators and policymakers learn more about their prospects and how to continually improve them.
"Parents want to know their child's education leads to a brighter future," said department Director Stephen D. Dackin. "Employers want graduates who are ready to contribute on day one. These dashboards provide a new level of insight into students' journeys beyond high school so families can plan with confidence, schools can build on what works and employers can count on a stronger pipeline of Ohio talent."
Ohio High School Outcomes are here: data.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/data/view/workforce-and-postsecondary-outcomes-for-ohio-high-school-students?visualize=true
Career and Technical Education Outcomes are here: data.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/data/view/high-school-and-career-technical-education-feedback-reports?visualize=true
Data being used (for now) comes from 2018-2023. Among graphs available is one that shows the number of those "not known to be working" increasing steadily from year 1 to year 6.
But better ways to understand the data give us better ways to solve the problem. And the department was wise to make all this information available to everyone. It will take some outside-the-box thinking to make the measurable improvements our students deserve -- and all of us need.