The Cleveland Transformation Alliance, an organization that monitors school quality in Cleveland, on Monday announced it will be dissolving by the end of March 2025.
The Transformation Alliance was created by state law more than a decade ago to help city and school leaders improve the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and local charter schools. At the time, the district was struggling academically and financially, and the state was threatening to take over the district.
"Early childhood education in the CMSD and post-secondary readiness efforts were not yet to scale, and families lacked a reliable resource for informed school choice," the Transformation Alliance said in a press release. "The Alliance was created to oversee the Cleveland Plan and to address these gaps, build capacity, and foster meaningful collaboration, serving as a unifying force for long-term educational transformation in Cleveland."
The Cleveland Plan was created by local leaders and approved by legislators and then-Ohio Governor John Kasich as a way to improve the quality of both public and charter schools throughout Cleveland.
The Alliance said in a press release it’s accomplished many of its goals since it was formed in 2012. Several other local nonprofits have been formed in the time since its inception that address issues it was formed to target, including Pre4Cle, a nonprofit focused on early childhood learning, and Say Yes Cleveland, which provides free college tuition for Cleveland students plus support services in school buildings. Ideastream Public Media reported in 2022 that the Cleveland Transformation Alliance was having a hard time funding itself, with much of its support coming from local foundations.
The Cleveland Transformation Alliance in the press release added local partners will likely take on some of its initiatives, including publishing a school choice guide for parents; it will still publish a 2025 version of the guide.
“Since its inception, the Cleveland Transformation Alliance has played a pivotal role in transforming education in our city,” said Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, chair of the Alliance's board. “Through the Alliance’s efforts, we’ve strengthened collaboration, improved school choice, and built a foundation for sustained educational progress.”
But serious challenges remain for the school district and local charter schools alike. While graduation rates and other measures of academic progress slowly improved between 2012 and 2019, the pandemic-related school closures caused serious setbacks on all fronts for students; one bright spot did come last year when Cleveland Metropolitan School District received three out of five stars overall on its state report card, for the first time in its history. Meanwhile, the district also has a significant deficit that looms and a large number of schools with low enrollment.
“This does not mean our collective work is finished," Bibb said in the press release. "Cleveland remains deeply committed to building on this foundation, ensuring every family not only has access to high-quality schools but also that resources are directed where they can make the greatest impact, empowering families to make informed decisions and shaping a brighter future for all our children."
The release said Bibb will still be monitoring schools' progress, and will be "convening twice-yearly stakeholder meetings to uphold the Cleveland Plan’s fidelity."
