Thomas B. Fordham Foundation: Working for the Schools

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a supporting organization of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, is a nonprofit foundation. The institute was established in 1959 by the widow of a businessman and civic leader in Dayton, Ohio. The institute’s existence was primarily meant to extend support for various causes in the Dayton area. Eventually, in 1996, the institute decided to focus mainly on education.

At present, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation supports the institute’s work through endowments and support from donors/funders. It also sponsors charter schools based in Ohio and works basically to provide support for the improvement of educational standards in American schools, as well as in strengthening accountability and giving parents and families more education choices. Educational reform, as carried on by the foundation, becomes inevitable via research and provocative analysis. The foundation also realizes the importance of information dissemination; whether it be focused on the public, educators, or policymakers. Public awareness is vital for the actualization of significant education reforms.

The Thomas B. Fordham also enters into agreements and partnerships with organizations and individuals to ensure the success of its various undertakings.

Programs like Fordham Fellows and Fordham Scholars open numerous opportunities for some of America’s sharpest minds and most talented junior researchers.

As mentioned earlier, the foundation engages in charter sponsorships, thereby helping improve schools for needy families as well as extending grants in the Dayton, Ohio area.

Through the efforts of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, various individuals have been recognized for excellence in education by way of the prize for distinguished scholarship and the award for valor. Some of the awardees include Paul E. Peterson, Caroline Hoxby (scholarship), E.D. Hirsch, Jr. and David Levin (valor).

Some of the issues the institute and foundation concentrate on are charters & choice,
curriculum & instruction, No Child Left Behind, Teachers & Principals, and Testing & Accountability.