Central Ohio School Consortium

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine challenged Ohio school districts to develop an academic recovery plan to mitigate the effects of a year of distance and hybrid learning. Six district superintendents in central Ohio sought to work together to build a shared initiative that would frame this learning response within both mental health and academic growth. Inspire was tapped to craft the narrative around the initiative, recommend strategies for communications and engagement, brand the initiative and create a campaign to engage stakeholders in education at the local and state level.

BRIDGE, to support both the hearts and minds of students and teachers, was created with the understanding that only by embracing four pillars – social-emotional well-being, academic achievement, culture and climate, and equity and accessibility – and building programming that addresses each would school communities be successful.

BRIDGE is based in collaboration, and as such, the initial superintendents group subsequently expanded the leadership group to include more than 20 school districts across Ohio. The group began sharing best practices, innovative solutions and relevant partnerships to position all districts to learn and replicate within their own school communities.