Governor DeWine Announces Regional Education Partnerships to Help Ohio’s Young People Build Stronger Futures
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jim Tressel today announced the launch of Ohio’s Regional Education Partnerships, a new statewide initiative to help children get a strong start in life, stay on track through school, and prepare for college, training, or meaningful careers.
Ohio has designated 12 regional partnerships that will bring together local education leaders, employers, workforce organizations, and other community partners to proactively identify and address the most pressing challenges facing young Ohioans as they progress through school and into the workforce.
“Ohio’s future depends on the success of our young people,” said Governor DeWine. “Regional Education Partnerships build on our years of investments in early childhood, literacy, and career-connected learning by bringing communities together around a shared goal – helping more young people reach their full potential. By working together, we will identify challenges sooner, connect families with the support they need, and create more opportunities for Ohio’s next generation.”
“Every community has incredible people and organizations working to help young people succeed,” said Lt. Governor Tressel. “Regional Education Partnerships give those local leaders a way to come together, look at what’s working, identify where students are falling behind, and solve problems as a team. When an entire community pulls in the same direction, we create more opportunities for people and build a stronger future for Ohio.”
A New Model for Student Success
Young people need different kinds of support as they grow – from access to quality childcare and preschool, to reading on grade level, to staying engaged in school, exploring potential careers, earning in-demand credentials, and preparing for college or the workforce.
While many organizations already provide these services, they often operate independently. Regional Education Partnerships create a framework for those organizations to work together directly, using a data-driven approach to identify where support is needed most and coordinate their efforts around common goals.
Twelve Partnerships Serving Ohio
State law calls for at least one designated partnership within each of Ohio’s seven JobsOhio regions. Following a competitive application process, Ohio designated the following organizations to lead this work in their respective regions:
Northwest Ohio
01. Raise the Bar Hancock County
02. Toledo Tomorrow
West Ohio
03. Learn to Earn Dayton
04. West Central Ohio Regional Education Partnership
Southwest Ohio
05. United Way of Greater Cincinnati
Central Ohio
06. Central Ohio Talent Network
Northeast Ohio
07. Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio
08. Summit Education Initiative
East Ohio
09. Team Workforce
10. United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley
Southeast Ohio
11. Building Bridges to Careers
12. Enterprise Muskingum
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Learn to Earn Dayton will serve as the statewide technical assistance provider for the initiative. Selected for its nationally recognized leadership in building community partnerships that improve educational outcomes and economic mobility, Learn to Earn Dayton has years of experience helping schools, employers, higher education institutions, nonprofits, and community leaders across the Miami Valley turn shared data into coordinated action to improve outcomes for young people.
“The launch of the new Ohio Regional Education Partnerships network is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Ohio communities,” said Stacy Schweikhart, CEO of Learn to Earn Dayton. “Our job is to meet partners in each region where they are – whether that’s standing up these organizations for the first time or scaling proven collective impact work – and give each of them the support, data, and peer connections to turn strategy into results for students.”
Turning Data Into Action
Although every region faces different challenges, each Regional Education Partnership will follow the same basic approach.
Regional partners will regularly share and review local data to understand how young people are progressing from early childhood through education and into the workforce. That information may include measures such as kindergarten readiness, reading proficiency, student attendance, high school graduation, postsecondary enrollment, credential attainment, workforce participation, and more.
When the data reveals a challenge, the partnership will bring together the organizations in their region best positioned to address it. Because every region is different, priorities will vary across Ohio. These new Regional Education Partnerships provide communities with a common structure for identifying the most significant local challenges, coordinating action, and measuring progress over time.
Building on Ohio’s Strong Foundation
Regional Education Partnerships build upon Governor DeWine’s longstanding commitment to supporting Ohio children from their earliest years through successful careers.
Since 2019, the DeWine Administration has expanded access to early childhood supports, strengthened literacy instruction through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio and the statewide implementation of the Science of Reading, increased opportunities for career-connected learning – including historic investments to expand career-technical education programs across Ohio – created the WorkOhio initiative to connect young people with local career and training opportunities, and much more.
The Regional Education Partnerships initiative was developed with the support of the Ohio General Assembly. The concept was originally introduced as House Bill 312 (135th GA) by Rep. Andrea White (R-Kettering) and Rep. Tom Young (R-Washington Township) before ultimately being enacted through Senate Bill 208, sponsored by Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson).
These Regional Education Partnerships will be led by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Children and Youth and the Ohio Department of Higher Education, reflecting the initiative’s commitment to supporting young people from early childhood, through their entire education journey, and into the workforce.
“By firmly embedding the growth of Regional Education Partnerships within DEW and within the fibers of our communities, we’re making a substantial downpayment on Ohio’s future,” said Rep. White. “It’s an investment that will yield significant economic outcomes and opportunities for our students, our communities, and our state – not only for today, but for many years to come.”
“When government, nonprofits, and the private sector work together, we can turn shared commitment into real, measurable results,” said Rep. Young. “These partnerships will strengthen our children, our workforce, and our communities for generations.”
What Comes Next
Over the coming months, each partnership will complete a comprehensive assessment of its regional collaboration efforts, establish local priorities, and begin implementing customized improvement plans – supported through monthly coaching, shared data tools, and ongoing technical assistance.
Additional Media Contact:
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Lacey Snoke, Chief Communications Officer
614-995-1855
Lacey.Snoke@education.ohio.gov
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