Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has proposed a "Seniors to Sophomores Initiative" that would allow every twelfth grader who meets the academic requirements a choice of spending their senior year in their home high school, or spending it with a University System of Ohio campus. Tuition would be free and credits transferable.

Michael Chaney, Director of Media Relations for the Ohio Board of Regents, explains that the state plans to leverage numerous technologies to make that year and subsequent higher education accessible and affordable. Though press releases discuss physical campuses, distance learning is also a part of the picture. This plan is in early stages, and the state wants to leave all options open to its pilot sites.

An editorial in The Enquirer of Cincinnati comments on the visionary, "K-through-life" proposition:

The proposals Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland made in Wednesday's State of the State speech could fundamentally change the way we think about schools over the next decade.

...Senior to Sophomore seems to have glossed over many important logistical and financial details - but his determination to rewrite education paradigms that don't work for Ohio's 21st century needs is a welcome advance.

...Ohio State University President Gordon Gee, who applauded Strickland's speech from the Statehouse gallery, said the proposal recognizes that education is no longer "K-12...It's really K-through-life." through 12 proposition.

... Ohio needs an educational system that is versatile and nimble - one not wedded to a system developed to meet the needs of a 19th century agricultural society, but one willing to change with the times and meet both the needs of employers and individual students. The governor understands these changes can't happen overnight. His proposal for Seniors to Sophomores is geared to a 10-year timetable for full implementation. However the details are debated and altered over the next few years, he is correct that great improvements will require dramatic changes in the way we view the system. It's time to start envisioning those

Sources: Ohio State of the State address press release; The Enquirer, Changing thinking about education