Ohio Schools to receive $21 million to turn around low performing schools

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) - The U.S. Department of Education is giving the state of Ohio $21 million to turn around low performing schools.

The money is part of the department's School Improvement Grants (SIG).

In the state of Ohio nine Cincinnati Public Schools are on the list:

Virtual High School

Rothenberg Preparatory Academy

Woodward Career Tech High

South Avondale Elementary

William H. Taft Elementary

George Hays-Jennie Porter

Schroder Paideia High School

West Side Montessori High School

Oyler School

The state ranks every school in every district from the lowest Academic Emergency, Academic Watch, Continuous Improvement, Effective to the highest ranking of Excellent.

CPS says the grant money has been used the past two years to take all but one school out of Academic Emergency.

South Avondale Elementary School is a perfect example. It jumped from Academic Emergency to Effective in just one year.

"We've hired external coaches to work with our teachers, to work with our principals so when that money goes away that SIG money goes away they have the ability to carry on and lead on," says CPS Assistant Superintendent Bill Myles.

CPS is also putting more emphasis on what happens after school making it easier for working and single parents.

"It helps with their dinners it also helps with their homework for those parents whose working and they can't be there to help those kids and make sure they get that homework done," says Karen Jeffries.

In Lower Price Hill, Oyler School worked its way out of Academic Emergency into Continuous Improvement and has maintained that ranking for two years.

"We're working very closely with after school programming, tutoring to kind of educate the entire child not just academics but as well as all the other needs that need to be met," says Oyler Principal Craig Hockenberry.

We have been able to accomplish this because of some these extra fundings that we've had. Some of our schools that were struggling are no longer struggling, they are great neighborhood schools," says Myles.

Neighborhood schools like South Avondale and Oyler that have set the bar high and now need to achieve even better rankings in the future.