The Thomas B. Fordham Institute

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute believes that all children deserve a high quality K-12 education at the school of their choice. Nationally and in our home state of Ohio, we strive to close America's vexing achievement gaps by raising standards, strengthening accountability, and expanding education options for parents and families.

Our work is grounded in these convictions:

• all parents should have the opportunity to select among a variety of high-quality schools for their children; • the path to increased student learning is to set ambitious standards, employ rigorous assessments, and hold students, teachers and schools accountable for performance; • every school should deliver a content-rich curriculum taught by knowledgeable teachers; and • schools exist to meet the educational needs of children, not the interests of institutions or adults.

We advance the reform of American education by:

• engaging in solid research and provocative analysis; • disseminating information and ideas that shape the debate; • supporting quality schools and organizations in Dayton, in Ohio, and across the nation; • sponsoring charter schools in Ohio and building their academic excellence; and • informing policy makers at every level about promising solutions to pressing education problems.