Report on the TEACh Cincinnati Initiative and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

This report analyzes the challenges facing the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) district, primarily financial instability and teacher shortages, which impede progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education). It examines the TEACh Cincinnati program as a strategic intervention designed to address these issues. The program, a multi-stakeholder partnership in line with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), creates a sustainable pipeline of qualified educators. By providing debt-free degree pathways for students from within the community, TEACh Cincinnati also contributes to SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Analysis of Educational Challenges in Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS)

Financial Instability and its Impact on SDG 4

The operational capacity of Cincinnati Public Schools is under significant strain from severe financial pressures, directly threatening the provision of inclusive and equitable quality education as mandated by SDG 4. Key challenges include:

• A $50 million operating budget deficit, necessitating $30 million in cuts that directly impact student services and educational quality.
• Erosion of traditional funding streams due to the expansion of school voucher programs.
• Uncertainty at the federal level, with 22% of the CPS budget managed by a reduced U.S. Department of Education.
• Ongoing movements to eliminate property taxes, the largest source of funding for CPS, without a systemic replacement solution.

Teacher Attrition and Workforce Instability

A chronic teacher shortage undermines the stability required to achieve key educational outcomes, such as post-COVID academic recovery and workforce preparedness. This instability is a critical barrier to achieving SDG 4 Target 4.c, which calls for a substantial increase in the supply of qualified teachers.

• High teacher attrition rates in urban districts like CPS persist at double the rate of suburban districts.
• Dozens of vacant teaching positions are filled annually with substitutes and paraprofessionals, leading to instructional inconsistency.
• These workforce challenges directly hinder the district’s primary objectives of improving reading and math proficiency and ensuring students are prepared for college or careers, impacting SDG 8.

The TEACh Cincinnati Initiative: A Strategic Intervention for Sustainable Development

Program Overview and Alignment with SDG 4 (Quality Education)

TEACh (Transformative Educators Advocating Change) Cincinnati is a collaborative initiative between Miami University’s College of Education, Health and Society and CPS. It is designed to build a sustainable and resilient teaching workforce from within the community it serves. The program’s core objectives directly support the targets of SDG 4:

1. To identify, support, and guide interested middle and high school students from eight CPS schools toward a career in education.
2. To provide students with scholarships and comprehensive wrap-around support services throughout their enrollment in Miami University’s education programs.
3. To enable graduates to obtain their teaching licenses and degrees debt-free, removing a significant barrier to entering the profession.
4. To prepare a new generation of educators who reflect the neighborhoods and student populations of CPS, creating a virtuous cycle of inspiration and relatable mentorship.

Addressing Broader Sustainable Development Goals

Beyond its primary educational focus, the initiative makes significant contributions to several interconnected SDGs:

• SDG 1 (No Poverty) & SDG 8 (Decent Work): By offering a pathway to a debt-free degree and a stable, professional career, TEACh provides students from disadvantaged backgrounds with economic opportunities.
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): The program specifically supports students who are often first-generation collegians from marginalized communities, creating a more diverse and representative teaching force that can better address systemic inequities.
• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): By investing in local human capital and strengthening the public education system, TEACh enhances the long-term resilience and quality of life in the Cincinnati community.

Implementation and Resource Mobilization

The Power of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)

The success of TEACh Cincinnati exemplifies the principles of SDG 17, which emphasizes multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve sustainable development. The program is not a singular effort but a robust collaboration between diverse entities committed to a shared goal.

• Core Partners: Miami University and Cincinnati Public Schools.
• Supporting Academic Partners: Cincinnati State and the Literacy Lab.
• Foundational Funding Partners: H.C.S. Foundation, Accelerate Great Schools, Haile Foundation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.

Funding Requirements and Call for Action

While the partnership model has proven effective, long-term sustainability and program expansion require a more stable funding structure. To scale the program to support 100 students, a predictable annual commitment of $2 million is necessary. This investment is minor compared to the state’s $10 billion education budget but would yield a transformational return by potentially supplying over 20% of new CPS educators within a decade. Achieving this requires broader community, institutional, and state-level support to secure the program’s future and fully realize its potential to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in the region.

Identified Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • The entire article centers on the challenges and solutions related to public education in Cincinnati. It discusses issues like budget deficits (“$50 million operating budget deficit”), teacher shortages (“chronic teacher shortage”), and the primary objectives of improving “post-COVID reading and math proficiency gains and workforce/college preparedness.” The TEACh Cincinnati program is presented as a direct intervention to improve the quality and stability of education by creating a pipeline of qualified teachers.

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • The article highlights the disparities faced by “large, urban, economically disadvantaged districts like Cincinnati Public Schools.” The TEACh program specifically targets students from these backgrounds, noting that “Almost all TEACh students are first-generation collegians.” By providing scholarships and a path to “debt-free degrees,” the program aims to reduce inequalities in access to higher education and professional careers for students from “marginalized communities.”

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • The article addresses the issue of teacher attrition and the need to fill “dozens of vacant teaching positions.” The TEACh program is a workforce development initiative designed to create a “future teaching workforce that CPS so desperately needs.” By preparing students to become “licensed educators” with “debt-free degrees,” it promotes stable, decent work and aims to reduce the number of youth not in education or training.

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The article explicitly describes the TEACh program as a multi-stakeholder partnership. It is a “unique collaboration between Miami University’s College of Education, Health and Society and CPS.” It also lists other key partners, including “Cincinnati State and the Literacy Lab” and a “band of heroic launch partners, H.C.S. Foundation, Accelerate Great Schools, Haile Foundation, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.” This demonstrates a clear model of public, public-private, and civil society partnerships.

Specific SDG Targets

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education. The article’s focus on addressing the CPS budget deficit and improving “reading and math proficiency gains” directly relates to ensuring the quality of primary and secondary education.
   • Target 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. The TEACh program facilitates access to Miami University for students from CPS, with the goal of providing “debt-free degrees,” which directly addresses the affordability and accessibility of tertiary education.
   • Target 4.c: By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers. This is the central goal of the TEACh program, which was created to “bring stability and predictability to the district’s chronic teacher shortage” and become “a reliable source of educators that CPS will require.”

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… economic or other status. The program empowers students from “economically disadvantaged districts” and “marginalized communities” by providing a pathway to higher education and a professional career, thereby promoting their social and economic inclusion. The article notes the value of having educators who “reflect the neighborhoods, students and families they serve.”

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.6: By 2030, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training. The program works with “middle and high schoolers” to guide them toward a career in education, directly moving them from secondary education to tertiary education and then into employment as “licensed educators.”

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The article details such a partnership, naming the public institutions (Miami University, CPS, Cincinnati State), a non-profit (the Literacy Lab), and private civil society foundations (H.C.S. Foundation, Haile Foundation, etc.) that are collaborating on the program.

Implied and Mentioned Indicators

1. Indicators for SDG 4 (Quality Education)

   • Teacher Supply (Target 4.c): The article mentions several indicators of teacher shortage, such as “dozens of vacant teaching positions” and a “teacher attrition in urban districts… double that of the suburban district average.” Progress is measured by the number of students in the TEACh program (“now numbering over 35” with a goal of “One hundred TEACh students”) and its potential to “provide over a fifth of CPS educators over the next decade.”
   • Student Proficiency (Target 4.1): The article states that “post-COVID reading and math proficiency gains” are a “primary objective,” implying that proficiency rates are a key indicator of educational quality.
   • Access to Tertiary Education (Target 4.3): The number of students from CPS admitted to Miami University via the program is a direct indicator. The provision of “scholarships” and “debt-free degrees” serves as an indicator of affordability and access.

2. Indicators for SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

   • Inclusion of Vulnerable Youth (Target 10.2): An indicator is the demographic makeup of the program’s participants. The article states, “Almost all TEACh students are first-generation collegians,” which measures the program’s success in reaching students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

3. Indicators for SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)

   • Youth in Education and Employment (Target 8.6): The number of students successfully graduating from the program with teaching licenses and the number of those graduates who “return to the classroom” in CPS are direct indicators of reducing the proportion of youth not in education, employment, or training.

4. Indicators for SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)

   • Multi-stakeholder Partnerships (Target 17.17): The number and type of organizations involved are explicitly listed as indicators of the partnership’s strength (“Miami University,” “CPS,” “Cincinnati State,” “the Literacy Lab,” and multiple foundations). The financial commitment required (“$2 million predictable annual commitment”) is a quantitative indicator of the resources mobilized by the partnership.

Summary of Findings

Source: cincinnati.com