About Ohio Excels
Every Student. Every Day. Everybody’s Business.
Ohio Excels is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving and transforming Ohio’s education system. We were created in 2018 by several prominent business leaders from across the state, including the Ohio Business Roundtable, Greater Cleveland Partnership, Cincinnati Business Committee and Columbus Partnership, on the steadfast belief that the perspective, insights, and support of Ohio’s business leaders could – and should – add meaningful value to our state’s efforts to improve educational outcomes for our students.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we elevate and represent the voice of the business community at the Statehouse and education policy tables and help Ohio businesses have a “united focus” on critical education issues. We are committed to helping improve educational outcomes for all Ohio students and ensuring that all K-12 schools prepare students for success in the next step of their lives, whether it is higher education, the military or the workforce.
Our Vision
All Ohio students have access to and are supported to excel in early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary experiences that prepare them for life and success in a changing economy.
Our Mission
To provide an informed business perspective to help improve and transform Ohio’s education system so that it better prepares students to meet the demands of our evolving economy.
The work of Ohio Excels is grounded in these core principles:
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Students must be at the center. All students can achieve at high levels and deserve the opportunity to develop foundational skills and knowledge that will enable them to be successful in school and later in life. Education is a continuous endeavor from early childhood to K-12 to higher education to career.
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Data is essential. Education policy and implementation decisions must be informed by data that honestly illuminate today’s student, school and system performance realities. The data should also help educators and administrators determine which educational interventions are most effective for the students they serve. Any school or post-secondary institution that receives state funding must publish easy to understand student achievement data that allows the public, especially families, to evaluate and compare their effectiveness.
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Urgent implementation of smart policies, with fidelity and supports, is required. Often, we phase-in policies over too long a time or pull the plug too early. Quality implementation and supports are critical to our students, educators and systems’ success. Leaders must exercise care and commitment to policies to ensure success.
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Funding transparency and return on investment are critical. Better leverage state investments to serve students’ needs by identifying existing state resources, eliminating barriers and silos, and requiring state agency partnerships that meet the comprehensive needs of students, families, schools and post-secondary institutions.
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Students and families must have quality choices. Education is a critical foundation for life success. Students and families deserve the right to choose the school that best meets their unique needs and have funding for that choice, whether it is a traditional public school, a public charter school or a private school.
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Build on success. Good things are happening in many of our schools and post-secondary institutions, but not enough. We need to share stories of success and replicate the best education practices, interventions and schools so that Ohio families have proven options, at all levels of the education system.