Strickland ignores successful school choice program

Here is my letter to the editor published in last Wednesday's Cleveland PlainDealer.

The June 19 article "Strickland school summit tries to ID what works" discusses Gov. Ted Strickland's desire to help Ohio's children get a good education. Yet, Strickland remains hostile to one of the highest-performing programs: school choice.
The summit is called the Governor's Institute for Creativity & Innovation in Education. Ohio already houses a creative and innovative plan for education in its EdChoice program. Studies show that school choice improves school performance and acts as an option to discourage dropping out.
If Strickland honestly wants to help Ohio's children, he must re-examine his beliefs and embrace the program that has helped education in Cleveland so much.