Strong Ohio Schools
In 2025 and 2026, Honesty for Ohio Education worked with researchers at Kent State University to distribute a survey with goal of learning what Ohioans believe is important for public education. More than 1,700 people filled out the survey, and more participated in town halls and listening sessions. This research will serve as the foundation for Honesty’s work, guiding future conversations and providing a roadmap to bring policymakers, educators, families, students and community members back to what we have in common. This nonpartisan initiative seeks to prioritize children and our collective future as Ohioans.
This long-term vision for the future of public education is about public schoolsnot as they are, not as they have been, but as they can be.
Strong Ohio School Pillars
Introduction
Ohioans believe strong public schools should be at the heart of inclusive, equitable, safe communities that prepare all children to thrive. They should be genuinely accepting and accessible to all students, regardless of background or ability. They should also operate through informed, democratic, community-rooted decision-making; remain free from commercial, religious, and political distortion; respond to students as individuals; deliver deep, truthful and practically useful learning; and, sustain themselves through trust, partnerships, and fair public funding. Lastly, they should nurture relationships between educators, students, families, and communities to make learning meaningful. These themes reflect what participants think Ohio schools should be, not what they currently are.
Informed and Activated Communities
Ohioans believe that the people closest to, most knowledgeable about, and most invested in the education of all Ohio’s children, including families, students, educators, and community members, should hold decision-making power. They worry that those who currently have power over school funding, policy, and what public schools teach are often far removed from the classroom.
Freedom to Learn
Ohioans believe learning should be free and easy to access, welcoming and supportive of all young people, and genuinely inclusive of student, family and community voice. Public education should be free from hidden agendas, whether motivated by religious beliefs, political ideology, for-profit interests or censorship.
Educating the Whole Child
Ohioans believe our public schools must welcome and include every child as they help them grow into well-adjusted, capable adults who find belonging and purpose in their communities. This means a focus not just on academics, but on life skills and social development. To get there, schools need to be places where young people can explore who they are and who they want to become.
Conditions for Students to Thrive
Ohioans believe that school environments should be safe, accessible and nurturing with trauma-informed approaches to teaching and learning. Every student’s experience and life conditions are different. Public schools should support mental health, honor how each student learns, and ensure there is equitable access for all, regardless of barriers, so all students feel safe enough to be fully themselves.
Student-Driven Learning
Ohioans believe student learning should focus on a deep process that students own, one that’s honest about our history and helps us work together for a shared future. We know that deep learning requires more than content delivery—students should be able to take responsibility for their own understanding and have access to learning materials that are accurate and applicable to their lives and futures.
Schools as Community
Ohioans want our public schools to be at the heart of community life. Schools can and should bring together families, services and local resources. Many worry that these connective functions have been lost or could be lost, putting at risk both the sense of shared responsibility for our children and community support for public schools.