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Need-Based Financial Aid: A Tool for Supporting Ohio's Education and Workforce Goals

January 28, 2013

In 2009, Ohio cut in half the General Revenue Fund appropriation for the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) need-based financial aid program and ended the program for students in public 2-year institutions. This study examines the impact on Ohio students of these cuts and recommends strategies to strengthen need-based aid programs and policy in Ohio. To show the impact of the OCOG cuts, the research compares a variety of indicators before and after the cuts, including Ohio's need-based aid per student relative to neighboring states, state aid as a percentage of federal Pell grant awards, and average student debt. Each of these indicators worsened significantly in the wake of the cuts. Recommendations include: (1) Increasing total funding for need-based aid; (2) Restoring aid for students at 2-year public institutions; (3) Implementing approaches to financial aid that support low and moderate-income students' enrollment in college and attainment of a certificate or degree.

Ohio Student Mobility Research: Statewide Overview

November 1, 2012

In 2011, Community Research Partners (CRP) and The Thomas B. Fordham Institute (Fordham) entered into a partnership to conduct research on student mobility in Ohio. Fordham, a national leader in advancing educational excellence through quality research, commentary, and advocacy, wanted to build on their recent research on student mobility in the Dayton area and examine student mobility throughout the state. CRP brought to the project its experience in undertaking research on student mobility in the Columbus City Schools (CCS) and in processing and analyzing student-level records from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE).In June 2011, Fordham provided CRP with a planning grant to develop a workable research plan. ODE provided CRP with student-records from the Education Management Information System (EMIS). Beginning with the 2008 -- 2009 school year, EMIS has included unique student identifiers that charter schools in Ohio. With assistance from ODE staff in understanding and using the EMIS data, CRP analyzed student records for Franklin County districts. The outcome of the planning phase was a design for a large-scale study of student mobility in Ohio, to be conducted by CRP. Work on the project began in February 2012.

Franklin County's Children: A look at their lives in and out of the classroom

February 1, 2012

In order to design strategies that support the success of children, it is important to understand the characteristics of our children and schools, as well as the challenges they face. This new report brings that information together in one place, including data and research on Franklin County youth, Franklin County school districts, and obstacles to academic success. In addition, it describes the roles of Champion of Children and Learn4Life Columbus in helping children and youth succeed.

Helping Central Ohioans Thrive

December 1, 2011

Central Ohio is known as a great place to live, work, and play. However, too many residents do not have the capacity or opportunity to take advantage of what our community has to offer. Human service agencies provide that opportunity by meeting emergency and basic needs, increasing self-sufficiency, and improving the quality of life for those they serve.

Benchmarking Central Ohio 2011

November 30, 2011

Benchmarking Central Ohio 2011 represents the fourth edition of the Benchmarking project, following upon previous reports released in March 2007, March 2008, and March 2009. Benchmarking is a process by which standardized, measurable indicators are used to track and assess how a community is doing in comparison to other communities across the state or nation. The report shows a mixed picture of the Columbus metro area, which ranks high in many economic and education indicators, but low in key indicators of personal prosperity and health. The report compares Central Ohio with 15 other metropolitan regions on 76 indicators in five broad areas: population vitality, economic strength, personal prosperity, community wellbeing, and lifelong learning. The 2011 report includes 18 new indicators and a companion spreadsheet with data for the 100 largest metro areas.

Union County Community Needs Assessment: A report on human service needs, barriers, and priorities

October 1, 2011

This data-driven community needs assessment is meant to inform readers about the types and levels of need in the Union County, Ohio community. The project provided an opportunity for funders, service providers, and clients alike to voice issues concerning needs, barriers, and priorities with respect to accessing and funding community services. It is the hope that findings from this assessment will benefit the United Way, CAODMU, and partnering organizations as they set a course to meet Union County's community needs in this time of economic recovery.

Local WIA Policy in Ohio: An analysis of policies that impact training services for adults

September 1, 2011

The research examines the local Workforce Investment Act (WIA) policies that most directly affect training services for low-income adults: (1) Individual Training Accounts (ITAs), (2) Limited Funds/Priority of Service, (3) Supportive Services, and (4) On-the-Job Training (OJT). For each policy, CRP identified two key policy questions and used these to compare policies across Ohio local workforce investment areas. A goal of the research is to provide information that supports greater state-level WIA policy direction, increased targeting to populations with the greatest barriers to employment, and more consistency in WIA policies and services across Ohio's 20 local areas.

The State of Poverty in Ohio: A Path to Recovery

May 6, 2011

This annual report provides an update on the magnitude and impacts of poverty across Ohio. The report also highlights the work of Community Action Agencies in alleviating poverty while supporting the economic recovery of communities through programs on workforce development, community development, entrepreneurship, employer/worker connections, and employment stability.

Clark County Status of Youth: Attributes, Challenges, Behaviors, and Academic Success

January 8, 2011

This report provides an update on overall county conditions and answers key questions about Clark County, Ohio's school age population.

Seasonal and Daily Crime Patterns in Columbus

June 22, 2010

This Data Byte explores the patterns of crime in Columbus over the course of one year (2009), analyzing patterns for major categories of crime by date, day of the week, and month and for holidays.

Help Wanted: a lead state workforce official

April 1, 2010

Help Wanted: A lead state workforce official is a review of Ohio's multi-agency state workforce structure and a blueprint for strengthening workforce development in Ohio. CRP found that the state faces a deficit of workers with the 21st century education and skills needed by employers. In Ohio, 46% of Ohio adults ages 18 to 64 -- 3.3 million -- have no postsecondary education, a figure worse than 35 other states. The report identifies over $2 billion in state and federal resources, administered by at least nine state agencies, that directly and indirectly support workforce development in Ohio. Although important steps have been taken to reorganize, coordinate, and put a greater focus on workforce development, a leadership gap remains. The report recommends that Ohio name a lead state workforce official and that a primary goal of this official should be filling "middle skill" jobs: those that require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year degree. This should be done by (1) meeting the current and future needs of employers, (2) supporting success for adults in education and training, and (3) establishing state policy and a national presence. The report includes detailed recommendations in each of these areas. Included in the report are examples of how several other states have aligned roles, programs, and resources to elevate workforce development and examples of successful local and regional workforce development initiatives in southwest, central, and northeast Ohio. Funding for the report was provided by The Joyce Foundation as part of the national Working Poor Families Project.

Census 2010: Celebrating 200 Years of the Census in Ohio, March 2010

March 1, 2010

This report analyzes data for Ohio, in particular from the 1810, 1860, 1910, 1960, and 2000 censuses and the 2008 American Community Survey. In 1810, Ohio had 230,760 people, with 55% under age 16 and over 99% who were white. "Spirits distilled" was the top manufacturing category in product value. The last 200 years have seen Ohio transition from rural to urban to suburban development patterns and from agriculture to manufacturing to services economies. Ohio has grown more populous and older, with 11.5 million residents in 2008 who had a median age of 38.2 years. The state is more diverse than ever, with African Americans at 12% of the population and fast-growing Hispanic and Asian populations that each nearly doubled from 1990 to 2008.