Gov Ted Strickland served as Ohio’s 68th Governor. During his term, he made education reform the centerpiece of his administration. Ohio’s education system rose to the rank of fifth in the nation as compiled annually by Education Week. He created the Governor’s Closing the Achievement Gap initiative to address high dropout rates. He received bipartisan support for his education reform plan. The plan included provisions to create a fair and adequate school funding system, resident educator program, life and career readiness course for middle school students, placed a registered nurse in each district and nurse wellness coordinator (LPN) in each building, and required a family and community engagement team in district and a family and community coordinator in every school. The plan won the Education Commission of the States Frank E. Newman Award for State Innovation. The award is given annually to the state enacting innovative education reforms in that year. Governor Strickland’s administration also won a $400 million Race to the Top national grant. Ohio was one of only a few states to win a Race to the Top award.