The Alternative Education Challenge Grant Program
was first authorized by the General Assembly in 1999 to address the
needs of youth who are habitually truant, those who attempt to disrupt a
school’s learning environment, or those who have otherwise been
academically and socially unsuccessful in a school setting. The program
is funded by state general revenue funds and a minimum match of 40
percent local funds.
During the first four years of operation, the
Challenge Grant Program has served more than 140,000 students. This
year, 122 programs were funded with over 500 school districts involved.
Leadership and oversight of the Challenge Grant
Program is guided by an advisory council that includes the Governor, the
Auditor of State as Council Chair, the Attorney General, the
Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Directors of the
Departments of Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Addiction
Services, and Youth Services.
As part of the program, the
Alternative Education Advisory Council created the
Center for Learning Excellence,
a partnership with the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public
Policy at The Ohio State University.
The Center has
supported the alternative education programs
by:
-
conducting and collecting research to identify evidence-based strategies
for removing barriers to school success;
-
providing professional development and training for staff working in
alternative programs and for their community partners;
-
providing technical support and information about
best practices to alternative education programs; and
-
conducting a summative evaluation of all programs and formative (process)
evaluation of selected programs.
The Ohio Challenge Grant has one of the strictest
accountability systems of any state or federal grant award program, with
a strong emphasis on evidence-based practices.
Research has suggested that the cost per year for a teacher to deal with
a disruptive student for one hour each day amounts to over $27,500
annually per classroom in lost instructional time. With over 25,000
students in the Challenge Grant Program, this would amount to millions
of dollars per year in
savings.
